Dr Maria Rovisco

Profile

I joined the School of Sociology and Social Policy as Associate Professor in January 2019. Prior to joining the University of Leeds, I worked at the University of Leicester, York St John University and the University of Lisbon (Portugal).  I hold a PhD in Sociology from the University of York, an MPhil in Communication, Cultures and Information Technologies from ISCTE (University of Lisbon), and a BA in Sociology from the University of Coimbra. I am a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Cultural Sociology at Yale University, where I was also a Fulbright Visiting Scholar in 2006.

My current research interests fall into two interrelated strands: (1) the first is on how new protest movements use performative devices, visual images and stylised cultural objects to communicate with a range of audiences in a transnational public sphere; (2) the second is on citizenship, voice, and the role of the arts in civil society, with a particular focus on the work of migrant and refugee artists. What unites these two strands is my interest in cultural sociology and cosmopolitanism. 

My research has been funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (Portugal), the Gulbenkian Foundation, the Fulbright Foundation, Norface, and the Global Challenges Research Fund.

I sit on the editorial board Sociological Research Online, Cultural Sociology, Popular Communication, and Digithum.

Responsibilities

• Programme Lead for MA Society, Culture and Media
• Co-Director of Postgraduate Research Studies

Research interests

My research interests focus on cosmopolitanism, performance, new activisms and forms of mediated protest, citizenship, migrant and refugee arts, and visual culture.

Qualifications

• PhD in Sociology, University of York
• MPhil in Communication, Culture and Information Technologies
• BA in Sociology, University of Coimbra

Professional memberships

• BSA - British Sociological Association
• ISA - International Sociological Association

Current postgraduate researchers

• Greta Bustamante