Staff Profile

Darren Kelsey is Reader in Media and Collective Psychology at Newcastle University. He is currently Deputy Head of School in the School of Arts and Cultures. 

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. 

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's 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. 

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

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.

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.  

• Kelsey D. Storytelling and Collective Psychology: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Life and the Work of Derren Brown. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2022.
• Yannopoulou N, Chandrasapth K, Kelsey D. Conflicts over Authenticity and Overtourism in Destination Branding. In: Theodoropoulou I; Tovar, J, ed. Research Companion to Language and Country Branding. London: Routledge, 2021, pp.389-406.
• Kelsey D. Archetypal Populism: The “Intellectual Dark Web” and the “Peterson paradox”. In: Kranert, M, ed. Discursive Approaches to Populism Across Disciplines - The Return of Populists and the People. Palgrave Macmillan, 2020, pp.171-198.
• Budd K, Kelsey D, Mueller F, Whittle A. Payday loans in the press: a discourse-mythological analysis of British newspaper coverage of the payday loan industry. Social Semiotics 2020, 30(1), 25-44.
• Kelsey D. Psycho-discursive constructions of narrative in archetypal storytelling: a discourse-mythological approach. Critical Discourse Studies 2020. In Preparation.
• Chandrasapth K, Yannopoulou N, Schoefer K, Kelsey D. The Power of Collective Brand Defending in Mitigating Negative eWOM: An Abstract. In: Wu S; Pantoja F; Krey N, ed. Marketing Opportunities and Challenges in a Changing Global Marketplace : Proceedings of the 2019 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference. Berlin: Springer Nature, 2020, pp.425-426.
• Budd K, Kelsey D, Mueller F, Whittle A. Metaphor, morality and legitimacy: A critical discourse analysis of the media framing of the payday loan industry. Organization 2019, 26(6), 802-829.
• Kelsey D. News, discourse and ideology. In: Wahl-Jorgensen, K; Hanitzsch, T, ed. The Handbook of Journalism Studies (Second Edition). London, UK: Routledge, 2019, pp.246-260.
• Chandrasapth K, Yannopoulou N, Schoefer K, Kelsey D. Online conflicts regarding innovation-based brand positioning: The case of Samsung versus Huawei smartphones. In: 10th INEKA Conference. 2019, Verona, Italy: INEKA. In Press.
• Chandrasapth K, Yannopoulou N, Schoefer K, Kelsey D. The power of collective brand defending in mitigating negative eWOM: The case of a Samsung Galaxy Note8 Club devoted Thai consumer-organized community. In: Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference. 2019, Vancouver, Canada: Academy of Marketing Science.
• Kelsey D. Affective Mythology and 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor: Monomyth, Mysticism and Mixed Martial Arts. Martial Arts Studies 2018, (5), 15-35.
• Kelsey D. Journalism and critical discourse studies. In: Richardson, J; Flowerdew, J, ed. The Routledge Handbook of Critical Discourse Studies. Abingdon: Routledge, 2018.
• Kelsey D. Mythology, metaphor and ideology: Moral storytelling during the 2011 England riots. In: Hart, C; Kelsey, D, ed. Discourses of Disorder: Representations of Riots, Strikes and Protests. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press, 2018.
• Budd K, Whittle A, Mueller F, Kelsey D. ‘Metaphors we lend by’: Media discourse, legitimacy and metaphors of the payday loan industry. Organisation Studies 2017. Submitted.
• KhosraviNik M, Kelsey D. Digital discourse analysis and participatory media: Contemporary spaces of power and critique. London: Bloomsbury, 2017. In Preparation.
• Hart C, Kelsey D, ed. Discourses of Disorder: Riots, Strikes and Protests in the Media. Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press, 2017.
• Kelsey D. Media and Affective Mythologies: Discourse, Archetypes and Ideology in Contemporary Politics. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.
• Kelsey D, Mueller F, Whittle A, KhosraviNik M, ed. The Discourse of Financial Crisis and Austerity : critical analyses of business and economics across disciplines. London: Routledge, 2017.
• Kelsey D, Mueller F, Whittle A, KhosraviNik M. Financial crisis and austerity: Interdisciplinary concerns in critical discourse studies. Critical Discourse Studies 2016, 13(1), 1-19.
• Kelsey D, Mueller F, Whittle A, KhosraviNik M, ed. The discourse of crisis and austerity: Critical analyses of business and economics across disciplines. 2016. In Press.
• Kelsey D. Defining the ‘sick society’: Discourses of class and morality in British, right wing newspapers during the 2011 England riots. Capital and Class 2015, 39(2), 243-264.
• Kelsey D. Discourse, affect and surveillance: Gender conflict in the omniopticon. Journalism and Discourse Studies 2015, 1(2), 1-21.
• Kelsey D. Hero Mythology and Right-Wing Populism: A discourse-mythological case study of Nigel Farage in the Mail Online. Journalism Studies 2015.
• Kelsey D. Interdisciplinary collaboration and interaction: Opportunities for Journalism and Discourse Studies. Journalism and Discourse Studies 2015, 1(1).
• Kelsey D. Media, Myth and Terrorism: A discourse-mythological analysis of the ‘Blitz Spirit’ in British Newspaper Responses to the July 7th Bombings. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015.
• Kelsey D, Bennett L. Discipline and resistance on social media: Discourse, power and context in the Paul Chambers 'Twitter Joke Trial'. Discourse, Context and Media 2014, 3, 37-45.
• Kelsey D. The myth of the city trickster: storytelling, bankers and ideology in the Mail Online. Journal of Political Ideologies 2014, 19(3), 307-330.
• Baines D, Kelsey D. Journalism education after Leveson: Ethics start where regulation ends. Ethical Space 2013, 10(1).
• Kelsey D. Myths, Monarchs and Prime Ministers: Blitz Spirit Discourses of Royalty and Tony Blair in British Newspaper Responses to the July 7th Bombings. JOMEC Journal - Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies 2013, (3).
• Kelsey D. The myth of the "Blitz spirit" in British newspaper responses to the July 7th bombings. Social Semiotics 2013, 23(1), 83-99.
• Kelsey D. Pound for pound champions: the myth of the Blitz spirit in British newspaper discourses of the City and economy after the 7 July bombings. Critical Discourse Studies 2012, 9(3), 285-299.
• Kelsey D. Remembering to forget: Supporting and opposing the war on terror through the myth of the Blitz spirit after the July 7th bombings. Critical Approaches to Discourse Analysis Across Disciplines 2012, 6(1), 23-37.
• Kelsey D. The Myth of the “Blitz Spirit” in British Newspaper Responsesto the July 7th Bombings. In: Baybars-Hawks, B., Baruh, L, ed. If It Was Not For Terrorism: Crisis, Compromise, and Elite Discourse in the Age of “War on Terror”. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Scholars Press, 2011, pp.50-65.