Biography

Joseph is a Principal Lecturer in Sociology, a discourse analyst, and a cultural sociologist with a specialist interest in the sociology of food.  He joined the Sociology team at the University of Portsmouth in September 2009, and was employed previously as a Lecturer in the Division of Politics and Sociology at Nottingham Trent University, a Research Associate at the University of Sheffield, an ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Social Sciences at Loughborough University, and as a part-time teacher in the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham, the Department of Social Sciences at Loughborough University, and as a part-time Lecturer at De Montfort University, Leicester.

Research interests

Joseph is interested in the dynamics of mediated discourse in contemporary, historical, public debates, and rhetorical positioning activity.  This has led him to consider, among other things, the discursive construction of 'identities' in various social conflicts, and to examine various types of material, including parliamentary debates, campaign posters, and the content of newspapers and magazines.  Methodologically, he uses an eclectic mix of discursive and visual methods. In conjunction with Kay Peggs and Barry Smart, Joseph is currently working on a project concerned with Veganism.