Post-PhD, I have come to fully appreciate the intellectual giants who have shaped my thinking as a scholar of media, culture, and politics. Thinkers such as Mark Bevir, R.A.W. Rhodes, Clifford Geertz, Peter Berger, Thomas Luckmann, James Carey, Murray Edelman, and Norman Fairclough have profoundly influenced my work, allowing me to explore how trust, legitimacy, and power are constructed through media and discourse.

Yet, my approach does not simply follow in their footsteps—it extends their insights. I take a critical realist stance, balancing between the reductive tendencies of post-positivism and the relativist extremes of social constructionism. While I acknowledge that there is a reality “out there,” our understanding of it is always partial, shaped by culture, history, and institutional contexts. I view reality as multi-layered, where material, discursive, and cultural dimensions interact in shaping political life.

At the core of my research is an exploration of how media shapes political trust, how discourse reinforces or disrupts power, and how communication serves as a ritual that both reflects and reshapes collective identities. I am particularly interested in bringing nuanced, contextually grounded perspectives to political communication in the Global South, where trust and legitimacy are contested in unique and complex ways.

For my students, mentees, and collaborators, this is the intellectual lineage I stand on and the direction I aim to take. Together, we can continue refining what “good” social science means and advancing critical inquiries into the intersections of communication, culture, and power.

For those interested in diving deeper into these themes, I recommend starting with these foundational works:

I am always eager to exchange ideas, spark meaningful conversations, and collaborate with those who share these interests. If this resonates with you, let’s connect and explore the rich and evolving landscape of media, culture, and political discourse together.