Lead supervisor:
Dr Galina Miazhevich 
Other supervisor(s):
- Dr Tom Allbeson
Start date: January 2026 (Full time)
Award: General
Subject Pathway:
Journalism, Digital Media and Democracy
Thematic Cluster:
Rights and Governance Cluster
In partnership with:
Mediated Memories of Empire: A comparative analysis of the representations of Britain's imperial past found within traditional heritage institutions and contemporary digital media platforms
This project aims to critically analyse the historical representations found within both traditional heritage institutions and contemporary digital media platforms, to examine how British imperialism is remembered, contested, and reimagined within these spaces. Historical representations within heritage institutions have long played a significant role in shaping public understandings of the past. However, the emergence of digital technologies, alongside changing public attitudes towards empire, has transformed how heritage institutions produce, communicate and contest their output on the subject. Moreover, the rapid growth of digital media and user‐generated content means that online platforms now play a major role in shaping how the public encounters and interprets British history, making this an important area for academic exploration.
Methodologically, this project combines critical discourse analysis and semiotic analysis to examine linguistic, narrative, visual and symbolic strategies across both environments. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews with heritage professionals and digital creators will illuminate the motivations, constraints and decision-making processes behind their representational choices. The project will draw upon ten case studies from both heritage organisations and prominent digital media creators, selected to capture a diverse range of institutional, professional and audience perspectives. Moreover, to ensure a comprehensive examination of the topic, the study will focus on three key themes within Britain's imperial past: (1) slavery, race, and imperial ideology; (2) colonial violence, extraction, and resistance; and (3) decolonisation and the end of empire. These themes were selected as they represent central and often contested dimensions of imperial history, allowing for comparison of how different actors interpret and present Britain's imperial legacy.
Research Impact
This project aims to contribute original insights to the fields of digital history and ideology studies by establishing a comparative framework for analysing British imperialism within emerging online contexts. While scholarship has long examined the cultural afterlives of empire in traditional archives, museums, and print culture, there has been little sustained analysis of how digital platforms actively reshape historical representations and mediate their transmission to diverse audiences. By comparing traditional heritage institutions and contemporary digital media platforms, this study aims to establish a framework that reveals both the continuities of imperialist discourse and the transformations that occur when such narratives are presented through digital technologies.
Methodologically, the project advances the field by integrating critical discourse analysis, semiotics, interviews, digital ethnography, and archival comparison into a replicable framework. This combination will allow for systematic evaluation of digital histories, offering future researchers a model for interrogating how
British imperialism is negotiated within heritage institutions and online spaces. In doing so, the study aims to extend the scope of digital humanities and media studies, positioning digital media not simply as a site of representation, but as a dynamic arena in which collective memory is being actively constructed and re‐imagined.
The project will also enrich debates on inclusivity and representation by foregrounding the exclusions that have traditionally shaped narratives of empire. In highlighting how marginalised voices are reframed or omitted, the research will contribute to wider discussions on diversity in historical scholarship and public history practice. Ultimately, the study will provide new insights into the cultural afterlife of British imperialism within the digital age, ensuring that scholarship remains responsive to the challenges of contemporary historical communication.
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Biography
I have spent nearly a decade studying history, graduating with both a BA in Ancient History and an MA Journalism, Media and Communication here at Cardiff University. My past research explores how digital platforms shape public understandings of the past and because of this, I am passionate and driven in pursuing a career in historical media and education, with a focus on igniting positive change and making history accessible for all.