Dr Hugh Ortega Breton
Senior Research Assistant - Psychosocial Research Unit, Institute of Citizenship, Society and Change, Visual Culture Research Group
School of Social Work, Care and Community
Hugh’s research applies object relation psychoanalysis to investigate the role of emotions in communication. He is particularly interested in the impact of risk aversion and therapeutic discourse on political agency, and how this impacts on other areas of social life. In doing so, his work draws on interdisciplinary scholarship including psychocultural studies, sociology, object relations psychoanalysis, media studies and the Birmingham School of Cultural Studies. His many research collaborations attest to his advocacy of transdisciplinary and team working. He has designed and delivered research-informed teaching on the screen representation of armed conflicts and international terrorism, and the role of emotions in political and popular culture. He has taught both social workers and media production students.
Hugh carries out process and outcome evaluations of arts organisations, as part of a small team called the Psychosocial Research Unit. We work with many National Portfolio Organisations across Lancashire and the North West. Hugh has recently completed a one year research programme at The Harris. A key feature of this evaluation work is the application of psychoanalytic and psychosocial theories to understand the processes that produce meaningful engagement and outcomes in socially engaged arts practice. Hugh is also the Module Leader for Psychosocial Studies.
Hugh always knew he wanted to work as an academic researcher, but needed to take a long and circuitous route to get there. After short periods working as a researcher in daytime talk television, and as an administrator in local schools, Hugh embarked on a study of emotions in politics in his local university library after work. From there he won a bursary to carry out his research full time at Roehampton University, London. There he learnt about psychoanalysis, in the context of understanding the power of representations, particularly in television and film. His completed doctorate is an analysis of how the 'war on terror' was depicted on American and British television screens. Whilst completing his doctorate Hugh played a part in the establishment of the Media and Inner World Research Network, led by Caroline Bainbridge and Candida Yates. This network brought together media academics, students and psychodynamic professionals in London and the south east of England. Together and separately they developed what they describe as a psychocultural approach to understanding the significance and affective dynamics of media in various forms.
Teaching
- Social Work, BA (Hons)
- Applied Community and Social Care Studies, BA (Hons)
- SW1826 Introduction to Relational Practice
- SW2805 Researching Social Inequalities
- SW2900 Applied Community Practice
- SW3074 Psychosocial Studies
- SW4906 Researching Critical Themes and Debates for Social Work
- PhD Media and Cultural Studies, Roehampton University, London, 2011
- MSc Sociology, University of Bristol, 2002
- MA Hons Philosophy and Sociology, University of Glasgow, 1997
- Arts organisations
- Television
- Film
- Risk
- Emotions
- Therapeutic culture
The central theme of all Hugh's published research has been how ideology works through social and individual fantasies, attachments, desires, fears and anxieties. Hugh has explained and demonstrated how and why television and film programmes 'work' to produce or evoke particular responses in audiences. This is only possible by paying significant attention to who produces the programmes, and the cultural and political context that they produce in. For Hugh, first and foremost in this is the extent to which therapeutic language and consciousness of risk shape the way humans respond to crises, and think of themselves and how they relate to others. This results in limited responses and a gradual decline in political subjectivity - what we collectively think is possible.
Use the links below to view their profiles:
- Researchgate
- View their unique and persistent identifier on the ORCiD registry
- Full list of publications and articles on CLoK
- Institute for Citizenship, Society and Change (ICSC)
- Psychosocial Research Unit
- Evaluation Consultant Cherish the Past, Create the Future, Gawthorpe Textiles Collection
- Evaluation Consultant Cultural Hubs St Helens Library Service
- Lead Evaluator Heart of Glass St Helens Creative People and Places programme
- Lead Evaluator Flux Rotherham Creative People and Places programme
- Evaluator The Super Slow Way Pennine Lancashire Creative People and Places programme
- Dance/movement studies
- Cross-sector media production practicesCultural citizenship in Creative People and Places programmes
- Politics in socially engaged arts practice
- Healthy Ageing: UK National and North West regional research mapping 2021
- St Helens Libraries National Portfolio Organisation Artist Development Programme Evaluation 2020-22
- June 2013 Melancholia: Imaging the End of the World. International Conference Organized by Central Connecticut State University and Philipps University, Marburg, Germany
- The Eco-Apocalypse: A psycho-cultural approach to Melancholic Loss, Political Alienation and the Desire for annihilation (with Philip Hammond)
- June 2013 12th Biennial Conference on Communication and Environment (COCE) International Environmental Communication Association, Uppsala University, Sweden
- Therapeutic redemptions? The secular eco-apocalypse in environmental advocacy films
- Oct. 2012 ECREA - 4th European Communication Conference, Bilgi University, Istanbul, Turkey An Emotional Climate: Melancholic Agency in Environmental Film (with Professor Philip Hammond, Head of Centre for Media and Culture Research London Southbank University)
- May 2012 Skepsi Fifth Annual Conference: Don’t Panic, The Apocalypse in Theory and Culture, School of European Culture and Languages, University of Kent
- Loss, Alienation and the Desire for Annihilation: Phantasies in the Politics of the Eco-Apocalypse (with Philip Hammond)
- Jan. 2012 Annual MeCCSA Conference, University of Bedfordshire
- The Emotional Engagements of Environmental Television and Film (with Philip Hammond)
- Sept. 2010 Screens of Terror: Representations of war and terrorism since 9/11 in film, TV drama & documentary, Centre for Media & Culture Research, London South Bank University
- Screening for Meaning: Terrorism as the product of a Paranoid Style in Politics and Popular Culture
- July 2010 Screen Annual Conference, University of Glasgow
- Near Disasters and Fears: The Paranoid Style in Spooks / MI-5.
- April 2010 Iberian Association for Cultural Studies 14th International Conference: ‘Culture and Power, Identity and Identification’, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Facultad de Letras, Cuidad Real, Spain
- Fear as Identity Construct: The Paranoid Style in Spooks
- Jan 2010 Annual MeCCSA Conference, LSE
- Emotional Populism and Television Feedback: a Psycho-cultural approach to analysing public issues in popular drama and documentary
- Nov. 2009 ‘Representing the War on Terror: post 9/11 Television Drama and Documentary, Cardiff School of Creative and Cultural Industries, University of Glamorgan
- Catastrophe, Surveillance, Conspiracy, Identity: The Paranoid Style in British Drama
- Sept 2009 Invited Speaker, Media & the Inner World Bournemouth Skillset Screen & Media Academy Master class, Bournemouth University Paranoia and Television
- April 2008 Political Studies Association International Conference, University of Swansea
- Hegemony in a Paranoid Style: Critiquing Risk Anxiety ‘Ideology’ through a mapping of Popular Political Discourse
- Sept 2006CRESC (ESRC) Media Theory and Social Change, University of Oxford
- Cultural-Political Analysis and Foucauldian Technologies for Understanding Subject Formation and Media Representation
Email: Email:Dr Hugh Ortega Breton
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