Miss Erica Capecchi

I have a background in History of Art (University of Florence, 2016) with a specialisation in Art and Politics (Goldsmiths University of London, 2018). I am currently a final year PhD candidate at Bristol and Cardiff University, funded by the South, West and Wales Doctoral Training Partnership (SWWDTP2).

My research interests focus on political aesthetics applied to the analysis of far-right propaganda and communication online, with a focus on mainstream social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. My project explores the aesthetics and representation of today's Italian far-right movements and leaders in global perspective. It develops an investigative analysis of the aestheticised messages created and diffused by far-right actors attempting at influencing the current public debate. I am especially interested at understanding the transversal relationship between online and offline, exploring the ways highly aestheticised propaganda online can create opportunities for influencing social behaviours in the offline space. 

My broader research interests span across various disciplines including visual studies, aesthetic theory, political communication, digital media studies, semiotics, comedy studies (humour and satire), history, and memory.

I am currently on a visiting trip at the School of Professional Communication of Toronto Metropolitan University (Canada), supervised by Professor Greg Elmer. My research in Toronto focuses on Italian far-right aesthetics and communciation during the first year of COVID-19 pandemic (2020-21). 

During my PhD I presented at various seminars and conferences across Europe and the UK, including ASMI (2019), ACHS (2020), MSA (July 2023). I participated in the UKRI-Mitacs Globalink Research Exchange Programme (2020-2021) as a visiting researcher at the Faculty of Computer Science at Lakehead University (ON, Canada). Between September and December 2023 I will work with the research team at RaiSE of the Northern Ireland Assembly as a UKRI Policy Fellow.