Jiska Engelbert PhD

Assistant Professor

Biographical Note

Jiska Engelbert (1979) is a media and communication researcher who is interested in the (re-)production of institutional, everyday and media discourse when institutes and individuals have to negotiate major political, cultural or social changes. She earned her PhD from Aberystwyth University (UK) in 2009, based on an exploration of how the parliamentary ‘New’ Labour Party and its members produce a mutual narrative that is resilient against leftist critics of the party’s new political course. Together with Patrick McCurdy, she researches how the British public service broadcaster, the BBC, discursively comes to terms with tensions between journalistic principles and its increased ‘public value’ requirements. With Isabel Awad she considers the ramifications of developments in national immigration politics for how the Dutch public service broadcaster conceptualises ethnic diversity. In her own research, she is currently interested in how media audiences talk about development aid and humanitarian relief campaigns against the backdrop of increasing consumer sovereignty.

Jiska’s teaching focuses on the intersection between media and society, with a particular emphasis on how television features in contemporary social life. In the academic session 2010/2011 she teaches: Media & Communication Theory (CH3028, Minor & Pre-master); Onderzoeksseminar Media (CH4401, MA Media & Maatschappij); Media Entertainment & Popular Culture (CM2032, IBCoM); Television in Society (CH4423, MA Media & Maatschappij); Research Workshop Television in Social Life (CH4424, MA Media, Culture & Society); Onderzoekscollege (CC3165, Pre-master) and Communication as a Social Force (CM1009, IBCoM).