Stories That Matter Identity, Legitimacy, and Moral Communication Across Digital and Institutional Worlds (Communication and Inf VILNIUS TECH

Overview

Research topic description: 

This project examines how narrative practices operate as core communicative resources for identity construction, legitimacy claims, and moral positioning across contemporary communication settings. The topic is intentionally broad and can be specified around a particular empirical domain such as migration and belonging, organizational and workplace communication, creative industries, platform-mediated communities, or communication in morally contested environments. The project can be developed using qualitative, discourse-based approaches (e.g., narrative analysis, discourse analysis, pragmatics, interactional sociolinguistics, critical discourse studies) and can include multimodal or corpus-assisted extensions where relevant. The expected contribution is a mechanism-oriented account of how people use stories, evaluations, and interactional positioning to negotiate recognition, respectability, boundaries, and inclusion/exclusion in everyday and institutional communication.

Practical applications include evidence-based guidelines for institutional and public communication (e.g., migration and integration services, NGOs, municipalities, universities) on how to reduce misrecognition, improve trust, and communicate legitimacy more effectively. The findings can also inform communication training for frontline professionals and support organizations in designing narrative-aware messaging and outreach strategies for diverse communities.

The selected candidate will work on the PhD thesis under the supervision of dr. Fabio Indio Massimo Poppi. The successful applicant will have to attend scientific conferences, meetings and internships in the other universities. 

Requirements:

· Required background: Master degree in Communication, Linguistics, Sociology, Anthropology, Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Human Geography, Criminology, or a related field.

· Expected skills and knowledge: Interest in qualitative research and discourse-based methods; ability to work with English academic writing; willingness to learn transcription/coding procedures and qualitative analysis software (e.g., NVivo/Atlas.ti/MAXQDA). Prior experience with narrative/discourse analysis is welcome but not required.

It is a prerequisite that you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview. The position may not be opened if no qualified candidate is found. Additional information regarding the post may be obtained from dr. Fabio Indio Massimo Poppi, e-mail: fabioimpoppi@me.com