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Staff Profile

Professor Darren Kelsey

Prof of Media and Collective Psychology

  • Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 6474
  • Address: School of Arts and Cultures
    Room 2.81 Armstrong Building
    Newcastle University
    NE1 7RU
Background

Darren Kelsey is Professor of Media and Collective Psychology at Newcastle University. His most recent monograph was published in 2022 with Palgrave Macmillan - focusing on Stoic philosophy and collective psychology in the work of psychological illusionist, Derren Brown. Storytelling and Collective Psychology: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Life and the Work of Derren Brown is available here. 

Recent projects have studied narrative, psychology, philosophy and storytelling in relation to a number of themes and topics such as mental health, philosophy for life, self-help, popular culture, family life, leadership, interpersonal relations, the Intellectual Dark Web, Mixed Martial Arts, military advertising, celebrity persona, and surveillance culture. 

Darren has a BA (Hons) in Journalism, Film and Broadcasting, an MA in Political Communication, and a PhD from the School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies at Cardiff University. His research and teaching combines theories of mythology and psychology with discourse analysis to study the role of storytelling in society. Darren's research has shown how the mythological, psychological and ideological dynamics of storytelling play an affective role in our personal and collective lives. 

Darren teaches on the following modules: Storytelling and Collective Psychology; Media Fusions; Politics, Power and Communication; Media Research Methods; Introduction to Scholarly Practice.

Research

Darren's latest monograph, Storytelling and Collective Psychology: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Life and the Work of Derren Brown, reflects on the social disconnection and political polarisation of recent times. Darren considers how we can rebuild a sense of collective cohesion and common good, weaving together contemporary psychology with ancient Stoicism to cut through the noise of modern life. Darren shows that Brown is more than a stage performer: he’s an enlightened magician who offers us guidance for navigating the challenges life throws at us, using his skills and wisdom to help us better understand ourselves and enable human flourishing. In this rigorous examination of Brown’s work, Darren makes a compelling case for paying closer attention to our personal, cultural and political stories and beliefs to help create a better future – for ourselves, our communities, and the planet.

Darren’s 2017 monograph, Media and Affective Mythologies introduced a psycho-discursive framework to provide timely political insights on topics such as Brexit, bankers, institutional scandals, the far right, and Russell Brand’s “revolution”. More recently, Darren has published a number of research outputs on various topics relating to mythological storytelling - including but not limited to celebrity persona, narrative theory, populism and the Intellectual Dark Web.

Darren's other research interests focus on the role of media and journalism in society and the relationships between media, culture and politics. His has conducted research and published papers on the role of moral storytelling and ideology in relation to a number of topics, including the London riots, the banking crisis, payday loans, financial discourse and austerity. Darren has also published research on power, surveillance and national security on social media. This work saw Darren developing critical theoretical frameworks around discourse, ideology, context, affect, gender and surveillance to help us understand more about digital media cultures from socio-political and discursive perspectives.   

Darren's early research - including his first monograph, Media, Myth and Terrorism - focused on war, propaganda and mythology in media responses to terrorism. This research provided rigorous case studies of the myth of the Blitz and other Second World War mythology in British newspaper responses to the July 7th bombings. Considering how the press, politicians and members of the public were caught up in popular accounts of Britain's past, Darren explores the ideological battleground that took place in the weeks following the bombings as the myth of the Blitz was invoked. By providing conceptual discussions of myth, discourse, and ideology, Darren has developed a discourse-mythological framework designed for analysing discursive constructions of mythology. His own research considers multiple recontextualisations of the Blitz myth when popular memories of 1940 recurred in 2005. Darren encourages us to understand the politics of remembering by showing how popular yet inaccurate stories from the past have a significant impact on our perceptions of the present. Heroism, trauma, economics, Royalty, rituals, human rights, foreign policy, immigration and multiculturalism are just some of the topics covered in his work on this fascinating topic.

Darren has teaching experience in the following areas: Storytelling and Collective Psychology; Storytelling, Mind and Culture; Media and Mythology; Politics, Power and Communication; Journalism Studies; Media and Cultural Theory; Public Affairs; History of Mass Communication; Research Methods; Popular Culture; War and Propaganda.


Teaching

Darren has teaching experience in the following areas: Storytelling and Collective Psychology; Storytelling, Mind and Culture; Media and Mythology; Politics, Power and Communication; Journalism Studies; Media and Cultural Theory; Public Affairs; History of Mass Communication; Research Methods; Popular Culture; War and Propaganda.

Darren believes in research-led teaching and draws on his work in class. Students interested in the role of storytelling in practical, personal, professional, fictional and non-fictional contexts benefit from his teaching. Focusing on storytelling in film, journalism, politics, popular culture, social media, literature, collective psychology and our daily, personal lives, his teaching offers tools for personal, professional, theoretical and research-based development.  

In his 2017 book, Darren expressed his passion for research-led teaching through his praise for our students in the School of Arts and Cultures:

"Our students are fantastic. It is a pleasure to deliver research-led teaching to such talented and enthusiastic minds with great prospects. I must take this opportunity to thank all of my students who have taken my module on media and mythology. Sharing and developing ideas from this project with students on that module was a wonderful and inspiring teaching experience and I thoroughly look forward to delivering this module again in future. The input, engagement and critique I receive from students provides me with enormous hope for the future, with many bright young talents moving into professions, careers, industries and positions that will make a significant contribution to society. Academics must never forget what a privilege it is to teach and share our research with students."

Darren delivers public lectures on his research whilst demonstrating the importance and value of media education and public engagement. He also visits schools in the local community and welcomes invitations from teachers at any time.

Darren supervises PhD students and BA / MA dissertations relating to any of his research and teaching interests.  


Publications