Fei Wong

This was the most difficult, tired, and self-doubting #PhD semester for me. I've been repeatedly contemplating whether to continue or quit.
But one quote inspired me: "The time is always right to do what is right."

Happy New Year to all researchers who continue to believe that reading and thinking (and that writing is itself a process of thinking things through) are vital to critical analysis!

Conceptual flipsiding and reversal of liberal-democratic notions: discursive-political strategies in/and the normalisation of illiberal public imagination The process of strategically redefining key liberal-democratic and other widely accepted social and political concepts by the far-right and other illiberal actors has recently become a widespread, ...

Now published: Joint intro paper w. N.Krzyzanowska & J.Rydgren laying out key ideas of our
Social Semiotics SI on “Conceptual flipsiding and reversal of liberal-democratic notions: discursive-political strategies in/and the normalisation of illiberal public imagination" doi.org/10.1080/1035...

Now published: Our analytical paper on strategic, far-right/illiberal reversal of meanings of key social & political concepts: “We put family at the centre of social life”: On Conceptual flipsiding of the “family” in discursive-political strategies of PL populist far-right" doi.org/10.1080/1035...

AOC: I want everybody to understand that the cuts to your health care are what’s paying for this. You get screwed over to pay a bunch of thugs in the street that are shooting mothers in the face.

Families demand proof of life as Venezuela releases only dozens of political prisoners. Here's what we know so far | CNN Venezuela's promise last week to release “a significant number” of political prisoners is progressing far slower than many had hoped, as hundreds of families continue to wait in agony for their loved ones to be freed.

Venezuela’s promise last week to release “a significant number” of political prisoners is progressing far slower than many had hoped, as hundreds of families continue to wait in agony for their loved ones to be freed.

Christmas miracle, anyone?

another year of doing phd🫥

An aerial photo of Cambridge University Library in the snow by Lloyd Mann

Our 2026 Christmas card is already sorted 🤝

This wonderful photo of Cambridge University Library in the snow was taken by Lloyd Mann.

Pink clouds over a city street at dawn.

Good morning Dublin! #SpeirGorm

Call for Proposals: 2026 APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition | "Democracy Under Threat: How to Understand, Protect, and Rebuild" | Deadline: January 14, 2026 Submit your 2026 proposals now! The American Political Science Association (APSA) invites proposals for the 122nd Annual Meeting & Exhibition in Boston, Massachusetts, from September 3–6, 2026, to address the latest scholarship in political science and explore this year’s conference theme, “Democracy Under Threat: How to Understand, Protect, and Rebuild.”

Submissions close next week! Have you submitted your #APSA2026 proposals?

Join political scientists and scholars in #Boston, for the 122nd APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition, September 3–6, to address the latest scholarship in political science.

📄 Submit proposals by January 14th! buff.ly/ssE37eh

Aww, I won an “I Like It, Picasso” award at my library for the Infinity Castle display I created 😁
#librarysky #demonslayer #booksky

How to respond to reviewers

And here it is!!!

Hard-right and far-right politicians now lead the polls in France, the U.K. and even Germany. 

Here’s how the power of populist hardliners differs across European countries 👇 

🔗 politi.co/3MyT6Tp

the last 7 editorial decisions for submissions; only one wasn't rejected for AI content.

we've received our 501st submission for 2025 (10 more already than the total received in 2024).
Is the increase in submissions driven by GenAI?? It just might be, dear reader...

This is how we do Christmas Caroling in San Diego 🌴🎄🌲

Don’t forget to spread some love.

Hi! Tomorrow (December 15th) is the last day to submit your #cadaad2026 presentation or poster proposal! Don't miss it ☺️
See you in Valladolid ☀️😎

Academic apps

genAI has been so omnipresent rn

🗣️📢LAST CALL FOR ABSTRACTS 🗣️📢

The final deadline for abstracts for CADAAD 2026 (Universidad de Valladolid) is DECEMBER 15th, 2025.

There are still twelve days left for you to send your poster and presentation proposals.

And remember: you'll be sad if you miss CADAAD 😉

🗣️📢 CADAAD 2026 2nd CfP 🗣️📢

We are extending the deadline for abstracts and panel proposals!

New deadline for abstracts: December 15th, 2025

New deadline for panel proposals: December 1st, 2025

Check our website for details 🙂

See you in Valladolid!

Hi! Happy Monday!

A little update on the CfP: It is now open to (a limited number of) posters!

The guidelines are:
- State in the form that it is a poster.
- Abstract: 300 words (references included)
- Individual or co-presented
- Language: English or Spanish
- Deadline: 21/11/2025

🚨 Call for Papers! 🚨 we are excited to launch the Call for Papers for the Corpora and Discourse International Conference 2026. Deadline 16 November 2025. Submit your abstracts here: wp.lancs.ac.uk/cad-2026/cal.... Please share widely! #CADS2026

Submission guidelines: Thematic panels
- We welcome proposals for thematic panels (6 individual presentations each).
- Please contact the organizing committee chair (laura.filardo@uva.es) if you are interested in organising one.
- Deadline: 7 November 2025.

Submission guidelines: Presentations (in-person; individually or co-presented)
- Abstract: up to 300 words (including references).
- Presentation: 20 minutes.
- Languages: English (main conference language) or Spanish (limited number of papers)
- Abstract deadline: 21 November 2025.

* Environment and environmentalism.
* Mental or physical health.
* Gender and sexuality.
* News and (social) media analysis.
* Protest and social movements.

We are happy to see abstracts of discourse analytical work from any field that looks at, among others:

* Post-/de-/anti-colonialism.
* Corporate and organisational communication.
* Culture, cultural studies, and cultural promotion.
* Education.

The conference theme also encompasses issues such as the construction of identity, space, time, politics or society. It seeks to move beyond traditional academic spaces by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, and acknowledging the role of multilingualism.

In times of escalating of physical and symbolic conflicts, the increasing influence of social media, the rise of fake news and polarizing attitudes, it is also necessary to reflect on how Critical Discourse Scholars can address those challenges.