Mirko Demasi

Biography

Mirko completed his thesis in the summer of 2016, titled Debating the European Union – Dynamics of Argumentation in Political Debates, at Loughborough University before joining York St John in January 2017. His approach is rooted in social and discursive psychology. His work focuses on the contested aspect of political discourse in broadcast debates. Specifically, how politicians argue for or against the European Union in the presence of an ideological opponent who will challenge them and argue the opposite.

Research Interest

Working with the idea that political talk is about ‘facts and values’, as they seem to be a central aspect in contemporary political discourse, Mirko is interested in analysing the transfer of information, displays of knowledge statuses, orientations to these, and so forth, as a particularly fruitful way to explore argumentation in broadcast political debates.