DrNick Manganas

I am the Head of School of Communication and Social Sciences, where I work with a diverse academic community engaged in teaching, research, and creative practice across the communication disciplines. I am interested in how communication brings together cultural, social, and political questions, and in how academic communities can create spaces for generous and open exchange.

 

My research sits at the intersection of politics, culture, and communication. My book, Crisis Cultures: Narratives of Western Modernity in the Digital Age (2024), argues that crisis should be understood not as a series of isolated events but as a constitutive state intrinsic to modern Western societies. I examine how both digital and traditional media perpetuate crisis narratives that significantly influence contemporary cultural identities and shape global political discourses.

 

My first book, Las dos Españas: Terror and Crisis in Contemporary Spain (2016), examines how narratives of terror and crisis intertwine with the concept of las dos Españas ("the two Spains") in contemporary Spanish society. This work engages directly with the politics of terrorism and state security narratives, offering a critical lens on how such discourses are mobilised by democratic states. 

 

My current research projects are:

 

1. The Politics of Gendered Life Stories in Spain: From Private Lives to Public Revolution (Dec 2025, Palgrave Macmillan) with Dr. Macarena Gordillo de Paz. Examines how gendered life stories in Spain move from the private realm into public discourse, where they acquire political force and shape collective imaginaries.

 

2. A Cultural History of Child Abduction: Stolen Innocence (forthcoming, Routledge), explores how child abduction is represented and politicised in both domestic and international contexts, with attention to the intersection of memory, trauma, and state power.

Educating and mentoring are central to my professional identity. With over a decade of teaching experience across Spain and Australia, I believe in creating learning environments that empower students to question, connect and contribute. 

I live and work on Gadigal land and I am committed to a higher education system defined by social justice. I welcome PhD and MA proposals on topics related to crisis and securitisation, terrorism and political violence, cultural narratives in global politics, contemporary European studies, digital governance, and international political communication.

Current Supervision:

 

Nikita Kapahi, doctoral candidate. Topic: An Exploration of Conflict Mediation Practices in Intercultural Contexts