Catherine Bouko is currently working as Associate Professor of Communication and French in the Department of Translation, Interpreting and Communication at Ghent University. Her general research interests lie in (multimodal) discourses related to citizenship, media and separatism in Europe, in media and social media. More particularly, she takes a keen interest in:
- Citizens’ (multimodal) discourse practices in the context of events that foster separatism and populism (Brexit or migration, for example)
- The use of the second national language by Belgian journalists (French and Dutch-speaking) and its role in the transmission and sharing of the other community’s culture on either side of the linguistic border in Belgium
- Media discourses that either enhance separatism or, instead, promote the “vivre ensemble” (living together)
- Discourse-related initiatives/campaigns in media education against nationalism and populism in favour of the “vivre ensemble”
Her methods of research include (multimodal) discourse analysis, content analysis, semiotics and ethnography.