Victoria Knowles
School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations
PhD Student


Full contact details
School of Sociological Studies, Politics and International Relations
The Wave
2 Whitham Road
¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ
S10 2AH
- Profile
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Vicky joined the Department of Sociological Studies in October 2022, having studied the MA in Social Research at ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Methods Institute the previous year. Vicky’s MA dissertation focused on how the England (men’s) football team were represented by UK newsprint, during the 2020 European Championships, in light of their decision to ‘take a knee’ before match kick-off. This involved an exploratory content analysis identifying both overall sentiment towards the team and key topics of conversation across selected news sources. Vicky’s PhD research will use a combination of digital and qualitative methods to explore Twitter material (hashtags, visual media, tweets) surrounding the England football team alongside discourses of race and social justice, with a special interest in content shared during international tournaments (e.g. 2022 FIFA World Cup).
- Qualifications
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- BSc (Hons) Psychology, ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ Hallam University
- MA Social Research, University of ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ
- Research interests
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- Digital activism
- Digital media and online hate
- Inequalities in sport
- Social action + injustice
- Mainstream media
- Digital Methods
- Qualitative Methods
Thesis title: English football, race and social justice in the digital age: exploring Twitter framing and discourse in the wake of ‘taking a knee’
- Publications
- Research group
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PhD Supervisors:
- Grants
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ESRC White Rose DTP +3 Award; Data, Communication and New Technologies (DCT)
- Professional activities and memberships
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Vicky worked as a Research Assistant for the British Tinnitus Association (BTA) in ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓÆµ and provided support on multiple projects. She conducted both quantitative and qualitative analyses for academic papers, projects and reports; this included collaboration with external organisations and academics from institutions across the UK, Eastern Europe and USA for an international biobank project.