Reka Veress

Profile

My PhD research explores the politicisation of collective memory in contemporary Hungary, with a particular focus on how national history is used as a tool to construct and maintain political legitimacy. Through the lens of media and communication studies, I examine how memory functions not merely as a passive recollection of the past, but as an active and strategic political resource within illiberal regimes.

The project investigates the communicative practices through which state actors curate historical narratives - particularly during commemorative events - to legitimise nationalist and populist rule. At the same time, it explores how oppositional forces engage in counter-memory: reappropriating official symbols, reframing historical commemorations, and using digital media to contest dominant narratives.

Using narrative analysis and multimodal critical discursive analysis (MCDA), this research investigates how collective memory discourse is performed, received, and challenged across platforms. This approach combines Algirdas Greimas's actantial model to map the narrative roles assigned to political players and historical figures, while MCDA allows for the investigation of visual, linguistic, and affective components of these performances. The project contributes to a broader understanding of how media, performance, and collective memory interact under conditions of restricted media pluralism and centralised narrative control.

I hold a BA in Journalism and Media Studies from the University of Portsmouth (2020) and an MA in International Communication from the University of Leeds (2023).

Research interests

• Memory politics and commemoration
• Illiberal democracy and populism
• Nationalism and cultural identity
• Digital media and political communication
• Media rituals and resistance

Qualifications

• MA in International Communication (University of Leeds)
• BA in Journalism with Media (University of Portsmouth)