Stanford University
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Mari Liis Madisson
Affiliate, H & S Programs
BioI am a semiotician specialising in conspiracy theories, information influence activities, and strategic narratives. I earned my PhD from the University of Tartu in 2016, where I examined the semiotic construction of identities in the online communication of the Estonian extreme right. I work in the Department of Semiotics at the University of Tartu, and I have also held visiting scholar positions at Queen’s University Belfast, the Estonian Military Academy, Tbilisi State University. Over the years, I have delivered more than twenty courses on semiotics, digital culture, media analysis, and critical approaches to misinformation, and I have given invited guest lectures at eight European universities.
My first area of expertise concerns conspiracy theories and digital culture. I am recognised as one of the leading qualitative scholars in the Baltics in this field. I have co-authored two monographs—Strategic Conspiracy Narratives: A Semiotic Approach (Routledge, 2020, with Andreas Ventsel) and Varjatud märgid ja salaühingud (2023, with A. Ventsel and M. Lotman)—and I have published extensively on multimodal conspiracy discourse and strategic communication related to conspiracy theories. I also served as Work Package Leader in the ERA-NET CHANSE project REDACT, coordinating comparative research teams across Europe.
A second strand of my work focuses on information influence activities, hybrid threats, and strategic narratives. Since 2019, I have published in journals such as Media, War & Conflict, European Security, and Armed Forces & Society, analysing the discursive construction of threats, Russian influence operations, and the securitisation of disinformation. As a member of the NATO SAS-177 Information Warfare Research Group, I collaborate with strategic communication specialists from multiple member states and gain practical insight into contemporary information-security challenges.
My third line of research is applied: I have participated in several Estonian and international projects that promote and examine societal and cultural resilience and civic media literacy. I co-developed a transmedia learning platform for the Estonian Defence Forces to help conscripts recognise and critically interpret hostile influence techniques. I also contribute to the Erasmus+ initiative Students’ Critical Digital Literacy Development Against Disinformation. This work connects semiotic research with the needs of defence, education, and civil-society partners.
My contributions to political semiotics, conspiracy theory studies, and the analysis of information influence activities have been recognised with the Science Award of the Republic of Estonia (2024), the country’s highest scientific honour. I regularly participate in public discussions on digital culture and disinformation, and I collaborate with journalists, policymakers, and civil-society organisations. I also review for leading international journals in semiotics and communication studies.
I am open to collaboration on projects related to the study of conspiracy theories, information influence activities, strategic narratives, hybrid threats, digital culture, civic and digital resilience, and qualitative approaches to contemporary security discourse. -
Beatriz Magaloni
Graham H. Stuart Professor of International Relations and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsComparative Politics, Political Economy, Latin American Politics
