Mercè Oliva

I hold a PhD on Social Communication (UPF, 2010) and a BA on Audiovisual Communication (UPF, 2002). My research interests are television, media, popular culture and celebrity studies. Specifically, I am interested in the study of gender and class stereotypes in reality TV and celebrity gossip media, as well as the connections between popular culture and neoliberal values. I am also interested in video games and political communication (particularly politainment and celebritization of politics).

 

I am Principal Investigator of the European research project Redistributive Imaginaries: Digitization, Culture, and Prosocial
Contribution (REDIGIM), funded by MCIN/AEI /10.13039/501100011033/NextGenerationEU/PRTR (Ref.: PCI2022-135059-2, 2022-2025), under the CHANSE Cofund 2021 programme. Previously, I led, along with Óliver Pérez-Latorre, the research project "Heroes of the crisis: Narrative and social discourse in contemporary popular culture" (CSO2014-56830-P, 2014-2019), funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO).

 

I have published several articles in academic journals such as Convergence, European Journal of Cultural Studies, Celebrity Studies, Games and Culture, Social Semiotics and Comunicar and I am the author of Telerrealidad, disciplina e identidad: Los makeover shows en España [Reality TV, Discipline and Identity: Makeover Shows in Spain) (Ed. UOC, 2013).