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Jonas Harvard, PhD
The Changing Media Context for British Parliamentary Rhetoric During the Twentieth Century
This subproject of Parliamentary Means deals with the interplay between the media and Parliament. From the late 18th century on, the British Parliament was increasingly being integrated into a larger media context. Speakers began making statements in Parliament which were actually directed at members of the general public, and papers printed speeches with or without the authors consent. The nature of this interplay between parliamentary discourse and its representation out-of-doors has since then been subject to profound changes. The development of the mass-circulation press and the advent of broadcast media in the 20th century contributed heavily to what can be called the ‘mediatization’ of parliamentary discourse (i.e. the use of ‘sound bites’ in parliamentary speaking). What has been the anatomy of this mediatization process and how has it affected parliamentary discourse? This project seeks to answer such questions by a) exploring the role of explicit references to the media in parliamentary debates, b) relating these references to the changing ways in which parliamentary discourse was represented by the British press during the 20th century, and c) analysing how MPs defined the role of ‘public opinion’ in foreign policy during periods of unrest, focusing on the discussions on censorship during World Wars I and II, and the Falklands War. Methodologically the project combines the methods of political history with a focus on how key concepts were used in everyday politics and will thus provide a general insight into the role of different public spheres for the development of parliamentary means of conflict resolution.
Selected publications
"Medial mobilisering: Representationsreformen och opinionsstormen" [Mobilising the Media: The representational reform and the storm of opinion], in 1800-talets mediesystem, ed. Jonas Harvard & Patrik Lundell, Kungl. biblioteket, Mediehistoriskt arkiv, Stockholm 2010, In press [Book chapter/ Edited book]
"Dagens opinion, tidens anda: Temporala aspekter av 'allmänna opinionen' 1850–1870" [Opinion of the day, spirit of the times: Temporal aspects of 'Public opinion' 1850-1870], Folkmålsstudier, Helsinki, 2009:47 [Journal article]
"En högst sakkunnig opinion: Användningen av 'enquèter' i svensk dagspress, 1900-1920" [A most knowledgeable opinion: The use of 'enquetes' in Swedish dailies 1900-1920], Presshistorisk årsbok, Stockholm 2008 [Book chapter]
En helig allmännelig opinion, Föreställningar om offentlighet och legitimitet i svensk riksdagsdebatt 1848 – 1919. [The holy public opinion. Concepts of public discourse and legitimacy in the Swedish parliamentary debate 1848–1919] Skrifter från Institutionen för historiska studier, 13, Umeå universitet, Umeå 2006 [Book]
Är debatten kunskapens moder? [Is debate the mother of knowledge?] Historisk tidskrift, Stockholm 2001:3 [Journal article]
Contact me via email:
jonas.harvard _at_ miun.se
[More information about Jonas and his other publications please click here.]