New Articles by Monika Brusenbauch Meislová and Simona Dianová: Introducing a Model Conceptualizing the Construction of Post-Disruption Dynamics and Exploring Fear Appeals in the Brexit Campaign
Monika Brusenbauch Meislová has published an article titled “Navigating the Uncertainties of Post-disruption Dynamics in Discourse: A Case Study of the EU–UK Security Relationship After Brexit“ in JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies. JCMS is a top-ranking multidisciplinary journal that leads debates on European integration and comparative regionalism. The article presents a model that conceptualizes the discursive construction of post-disruption dynamics endorsed and reproduced by the affected parties and its potential to (not) contribute to future co-operation. Conceiving of Brexit as a prime case of a broader phenomenon of post-disruption contexts, Monika applies this model to the empirical case of the post-Brexit European Union (EU)–United Kingdom (UK) security co-operation in order to reveal how considerations on Brexit-related re-engagement and de-engagement in the context of the EU–UK security relationship were discursively articulated by the UK government and the European Commission in the 2016–2023 period. The findings show that despite the lack of tangible actions and a seemingly continuous string of missed opportunities, the institutional discourse production has largely fulfilled an enabling function vis-à-vis potential future co-operation. At the same time, this article highlights the lingering effects of Brexit-triggered discord.
The article is open access and can be read here .
Also, our PhD student Simona Dianová and Monika Brusenbauch Meislová have published an article in British Politics – a well-respected journal that offers a forum for research in British political studies. Titled “Scaring for the greater good? Discursive construction of fear appeals in the Brexit referendum campaign”, the article deals with fear appeals in the Remain campaign during the 2016 Brexit referendum. It explores the topic uniquely through the discursive lens, highlighting the need for a more nuanced reading of fear-based discourse in the Remain campaign beyond the broad-brush image often offered in the extant literature. Simona and Monika identify the patterns of the discursive construction of fear appeals by analysing and interpreting both its macro-discoursal and micro-linguistic content and strategies. To do so, the inquiry works with a dataset of public addresses by nine leading Remain campaigners (Cameron, Osborne, Hammond, May, Truss, Corbyn, Alan Johnson, Sturgeon and Clegg) and employs a mixed-methods approach, combining systematic qualitative content analysis with the discourse-historical approach to critical discourse analysis. At the same time, the article has a broader relevance beyond the Brexit case, as fear-based discourse continues to persist (especially in the context of Covid19 pandemic or climate change). Consequently, the study also critically discusses the practical implications of political elite-driven fear messaging.
The article can be accessed here .
