Volha Kananovich is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at Appalachian State University, United States, where she teaches journalism and multimedia storytelling. She holds an MA in Journalism and a PhD in Mass Communication from the University of Iowa, and a PhD in Economics from the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. Her research examines the role of political and media discourse in (de)legitimising various forms of politically meaningful citizen engagement with the state across authoritarian and democratic contexts. Her recent publications include ‘#presidentspartingwords at a critical juncture: Reclaiming the autonomous subject in social media discourse on coronavirus in Belarus’ (Journal of Communication Inquiry, 2021) and ‘Audience as journalistic boundary worker: The rhetorical use of comments to critique media practice, assert legitimacy and claim authority’ (co-authored with Gregory Perreault, Journalism Studies, 2021).
