Dr Anita Howarth
Senior Lecturer in Journalism
Marie Jahoda 222
- Email: anita.howarth@brunel.ac.uk
- Tel: +44 (0)1895 267047
- Journalism
- Social Science and Communications
- Social and Political Sciences
- College of Business, Arts and Social Sciences
Summary
Anita Howarth's research interests lie at the intersection of media/journalism and social justice issues, with a particular focus on how interactions of different political actors legitimize or challenge, resist or disrupt dominant perspectives. The nature of the research focus has led Anita to interdisciplinary research that draws on media/journalism studies, political thought and policy studies as well as sociology.
She is currently writing a monograph entitled Britain's Manufactured Migrant Crisis: A Visual Politics, that is due to be published by Taylor & Francis in late 2025 and as part of the primary analysis Anita has developed a new methodology to deal with uncertainties over what images are manipulated, reappropriated and recycled and which are not. The methodology underpins the research on a range of themes including:
- The performative politics of cruelty under the Conservative Government
- Challenging dominant narratives through cartoons and animation
- The visual strategies of the radical right.
Other research themes include
- Political, media and public struggles over food whether it be GMOs, contamination and hunger/food banks.
- British policy and media responses to contemporary refugee crises home and overseas (including at Calais)
- Fake news, reappropriated images and hoax websites.
Prior to entering academia, Anita worked as a journalist on the business press, online news sites and financial desk of a national newspaper
Qualifications
2003 - 2012 PhD: ‘Discursive intersections of media and public policy: a case study of GM Food in the UK, 1996-2000’, London School of Economics & Political Science
1999-2001 MSc in Politics and Public Policy at Birkbeck College, University of London
1982-1986 BA Hons in History and English at the University of Natal, South Africa
Responsibility
2024 - : PGR Co-Director
2017 - 2023: PG programme co-ordinator
2017 - 2023: Ethics Co-ordinator for the Department of Social and Political Sciences
2016: Subject Lead in Journalism
2016: UG Program Lead
2015: PG Research Director
Newest selected publications
Howarth, A. (Accepted) 'The Radical Right in Britain: Visual Plurality in Britain First’s Communication Strategy', in London and New York : Taylor & Francis.
Howarth, A. (Accepted) 'Britain's Manufactured Migrant Crisis: A Visual Politics'. London and New York: Taylor and Francis.
Howarth, A. (2022) 'A British national scandal: hunger, foodbanks, and the deployment of a Dickensian trope'. Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 30 (1). pp. 1 - 15. ISSN: 1478-2804 Open Access Link
Ibrahim, Y. and Howarth, A. (2021) 'The Munchetty Controversy: Empire, Race and the BBC'. Gender, Work and Organization, 28 (1). pp. 231 - 247. ISSN: 0968-6673 Open Access Link
Howarth, A. (2020) 'Digital Activism: Challenging Food Poverty in the UK', in Ibrahim, Y. (ed.) Developments in Internet Activism and Political Participation. Hershey : IGI. ISBN 13: 978-1799847960.