Social media is the new battleground of identity politics. It is where old conflicts are played out, reconfigured or intensified, and where new contentions emerge. Although digital interactions cross borders, they also redraw and reinforce both old and new symbolic boundaries. What happens when legacies of violence are confronted online? What power do online content creators and debaters wield? How do the technical architecture and design of platforms shape the political, social, and cultural impact of online debates? When do these platforms divide or unite, and under what conditions? The panellists explore these questions, challenging the familiar narratives of polarisation and echo chambers that dominate discourse around social media.
Speakers:
Dr Natasha Dimitrovska, Assistant Lecturer, School of Media, Film & Journalism, Monash University. Natasha is teaching within the intersections of media, communication and gender studies, at Monash University, Australia. Her research interests are focusing on affective practices in online spaces, digital construction of identities and gender-based violence. She has a particular interest in the enactment of everyday feminism in online spaces, examining how feminist activists navigate complex technological ecosystems to build awareness of and resist misogyny, violence against women, and oppressive experiences.
Dr Ivana Stepanovic, Research Fellow; Academic Coordinator, UNESCO Chair for Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainability Kőszeg. Ivana Stepanović is a permanent research fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies Kőszeg, Hungary. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Serbia, MA in Human Rights South-East Europe from University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and University of Bologna, Italy and BA in Philosophy from Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade, Serbia. Previously, she held a position of the permanent research fellow at the Institute of Criminological and Sociological Research in Belgrade, Serbia. She was also a lecturer at the University of Pannonia, Kőszeg Campus in Hungary. Her research activities focus on digital ethnography of AI and social media, online activism, and the impact of artificial intelligence on societies. Her book, Influencers, Online Alliances, and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe: #Balkans, was published by Routledge, and explores the role of social media in fostering reconciliation among post-war nations.
Dr Sanja Vico is a Lecturer in Communications and Digital Media (E&R), Department of Communications, Drama and Film, University of Exeter. She previously worked as an ERC-funded postdoctoral researcher on “Justice Interactions and Peacebuilding” project (JUSTINT) in the European Institute at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and was a research associate of the LSE research unit on Southeast Europe (LSEE). Sanja is the author of the book titled “‘Doing Nation’ in a Digital Age: Banal Expressions of Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism in Polymedia Environments” (Routledge, 2025). She has published on issues of digital media in contexts of migration, identity, nationalism, and post-conflict justice and reconciliation. She received a PhD in Media and Communications from Goldsmiths, University of London, an MSc from the LSE, and a BA from the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Belgrade.
Chair: Professor Denisa Kostovicova, Professor in Global Politics, European Institute, London School of Economics. Professor Kostovicova is Professor of Global Politics at the European Institute and Lead of the LSEE Research on South East Europe Programme at the Hellenic Observatory Centre, both at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is the author of Kosovo: The Politics of Identity and Space (Routledge 2005) and Reconciliation by Stealth: How People Talk about War Crimes (Cornell University Press 2023). Professor Kostovicova has also co-edited eight books, including Rethinking Reconciliation and Transitional Justice After Conflict (Routledge 2018). Her award-winning academic research on conflict and peace processes has been supported by a number of prestigious grants, most recently by the European Research Council. Professor Kostovicova contributes regularly to policy discussions at the EU, the UN, and in the UK. Prior to joining the LSE, she held junior research fellowship at the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford.
Registration
Please register for this event via Zoom here.
Recording
Please note, this event will be recorded, and the podcast/video will be made available afterwards on the Hellenic Observatory website.
Any questions?
You can contact us at Hellenicobservatory@lse.ac.uk
More about this event
The Hellenic Observatory Centre for Reseach on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus (@HO_LSE) is internationally recognised as a leading research centre on Greece and Cyprus. In 2024, it became the Hellenic Observatory Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece and Cyprus, with the strategy to expand its research base both within LSE and beyond, developing world-leading research on Greece and Cyprus. The new Centre is committed to critically engaging with key issues concerning Greece and Cyprus, maintaining a non-partisan approach that fosters genuine debate among academics, policymakers, and the public. Its work includes high-quality primary research for academic audiences, as well as translating research for broader knowledge exchange and policy impact.
LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of The London School of Economics and Political Science.
From time to time there are changes to event details so we strongly recommend checking back on this listing on the day of the event if you plan to attend. Whilst we are hosting this listing, LSE Events does not take responsibility for the running and administration of this event. While we take responsible measures to ensure accurate information is given here this event is ultimately the responsibility of the organisation presenting the event.