Dr Stephen Harper
Biography
I came to University of Portsmouth in 2005, after teaching English and Media Studies at the universities of Glasgow and Lancaster and working in the public sector in the late 1990s. I take an interdisciplinary approach to Media Studies, combining interests in television and film studies, textual analysis, and critical theory.
Research interests
My research focuses on the representation of political and social issues in television and film. I have published several monographs and anthologies, as well as many dozens of peer-reviewed scholarly articles, focusing principally on:
- television and film images of war and geopolitics
- the mediation of mental distress
- contemporary screen representations of class, gender and 'race'
- British television drama and docudrama
Research outputs
2025
Girls on a mission: Feminist humanitarianism and the war on terror in Tony Grounds's Our Girl (BBC 2013-)
Harper, S.
1 Jan 2025, In: Journal of British Cinema and Television. 22, 3, p. 405-421, 17p.
Research output: Article
2024
Contrarians at the gates: counter-surveillance and the defence of the commons in British police audit videos
Harper, S.
5 Oct 2024,
Research output: Chapter (peer-reviewed)
How liberal conspiracy theories can be just as destructive as their extremist counterparts
Sykes, T., Harper, S.
8 Jan 2024, In: The Conversation
Research output: Article
2023
Conspiracy Theories Left, Right and... Centre: political disinformation and liberal media discourse
Harper, S., Sykes, T.
2 Nov 2023, In: New Formations. 2023, 109, p. 110-128, 19p.
Research output: Article
Hot Planet, Cool Media: Socialist Polemics on War, Propaganda and Popular Culture
Harper, S.
21 Apr 2023,
Research output: Book
2021
Making a conspiracy out of a crisis: Covid-19, fake news and anti-elite anger
Harper, S.
18 Aug 2021, In: Star & Crescent
Research output: Article
2020
The fake news we should really fear
Alford, M., Sykes, T., Harper, S.
5 Nov 2020, In: Cold Type, 3p.
Research output: Article
How Britain’s most powerful institutions are hijacking social justice rhetoric
Sykes, T., Harper, S., Alford, M.
24 Sep 2020, In: Morning Star
Research output: Article
疫情背景下西媒涉华污名化传播及对策
Harper, S., Bao, T., Zhang, R.
1 Jul 2020, In: 青年记者 (Youth Journalist)
Research output: Article
Covid-19 and the media: myths and mystifications
Harper, S.
14 Apr 2020, In: Star & Crescent
Research output: Article