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FABIO I. M. POPPI

ABOUT

 

Fabio I. M. Poppi (BSc, MSc, MA, PhD) is
Chief Research Fellow at Vilnius Tech (Lithuania).


His research examines how language, narrative, and interaction shape social reality, moral evaluation, identity, belonging, and relations of power. Grounded in Critical Discourse Studies and qualitative social research, his work treats discourse as a form of social action through which people justify conduct, negotiate responsibility, construct legitimacy, and make some identities and futures more recognizable than others.

This agenda develops across four interconnected strands: 1) discourse, ideology, and social representation, examining how collective meanings are produced, stabilized, and contested; 2) narrative, identity construction, legitimacy, and moral positioning, with attention to how people narrate turning points, conflict, stigma, responsibility, and possible futures; 3) pragmatics, interaction, and accountability, investigating how meaning, recognition, trust, shame, humour, care, and social relations are negotiated in situated encounters; and 4) language in contexts of mobility, marginality, and deviance, bringing together recent work on migration, exploitation, criminalization, masculinities, intergenerational memory, ageing, and care.
 

Rather than approaching academic work as a narrow technical specialization, he has developed a research profile shaped by substantive questions and by a willingness to pursue them across disciplinary boundaries.

He has published over 60 Scopus-indexed journal articles in international outlets including Journal of Pragmatics, Migration Studies, European Journal of Criminology, Ethnos, Critical Criminology, Journal of Rural Studies, Emotion, Space and Society, and Information, Communication & Society.

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WORK

(Latest work experiences. For a detailed version of my curriculum vitae, send a request via the contact form)

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VILNIUS TECH
(VILNIUS, LITHUANIA)
 


2022 - 

Faculty of Creative Industries

UNIVERSITY OF ŁÓDŹ 
(ŁÓDŹ, POLAND)

 
2019 -2026

Department of Pragmatics
Department of Italian Studies

SECHENOV UNIVERSITY
(MOSCOW, RUSSIA)

2019 - 2022

Institute of Linguistics and Intercultural Communication

UNIVERSITY OF GDAŃSK
(GDAŃSK, POLAND)

​

2018- 2019

Institute of English and American Studies

EDUCATION

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SOCIETY, LANGUAGE & COMMUNICATION STUDIES
(PHD)

2013-2017

UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA - UEA
(UNITED KINGDOM)

SOCIOCULTURAL LINGUISTICS
(MA)

2012-2013

GOLDSMITHS COLLEGE,
UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

(UNITED KINGDOM)

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
(BSC + MSC)

2005-2010

UNIVERSITY OF TRIESTE
(ITALY)

PUBLICATIONS
(Click on the titles to open a link to the publication.)

 

2026


​Poppi F. I. M.

"De Simulatione et Veritate: The Pragmatics of Hypocrisy in the Criminological Discourse of a High-Ranking Mafia Informant”
Theoretical Criminology

​

Poppi F. I. M.

"Furor et Vindicta: Joint Revenge Fantasizing and Impossible Harm in the Narrative Criminology of Balkan Route Migrants”
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

 

Poppi F. I. M.

"Culturae Materia: Materiality, Intergenerational Conflict, and the Negotiation of Belonging in Migrant Families”
Ethnos: Journal of Anthropology

​

Poppi F. I. M.

"Motus Internus: Narrative Turning Points and the Intragroup Emergence of Dehumanizing Ideologies among Migrants”
International Migration Review

​

Poppi F. I. M.​

"Tempus Mutans: Temporal Change in the Crafting Styles of Forced Migrants’ Narratives about Host Societies”
Narrative Inquiry

​

​2025

Poppi F. I. M.

"De Rationibus Caporali: Justification and Denial in Emerging Social Representations and Ideologies of Caporali in Migrant Agricultural Exploitation"

Social Semiotics

​

Poppi F. I. M.

"Pudor et Silentium: Shame as a Barrier to Migrant Resistance in the Context of Work Exploitation in the Caporalato System"
Emotion, Space and Society

​

Poppi F. I. M.

"Tempora et Spatia Disrupta: Space-Temporal Disruptions and the Hauntological Shaping of Migrants’ Narrative Identities on the Balkan Route"
Population, Space And Place

​

Poppi F. I. M.

"Futuri Rupti: A Hauntological Perspective on Understanding the Motivations and Justifications of Crime Among Young Migrants"
Journal of Youth Studies

​

Poppi F. I. M.

"Tempus Disiectum: Hauntology and Fractured Chronotopes in the Narratives of Migrant Deviance"
Deviant Behavior
​

Poppi F. I. M. & Copes, H.
"Visio Colletiva: The Role of Joint Fantasizing in Qualitative Social Research"
International Journal of Qualitative Methods
 

Poppi F. I. M.

"Iniqua Praxis: Social and criminal liability among caporali and agricultural entrepreneurs in the exploitation of irregular migrant farm workers"
Journal of Rural Studies

​

Poppi F. I. M.
"Solidaritas et Mercatus: Discursive Constructions and Contested Social Representations of Cross-Border “Facilitators” in Irregular Migration"
International Migration Review

Poppi F. I. M.

"Liminalis Voces: Migrant Identity Construction and Positionality in a Balkan Route Digital Messaging Research Group"

Ethnicities

​

Poppi F. I. M.

"De Vindicta et Resistentia: The Failure of Migrants’ Narrative Resistance and the Emergence of Revenge Narratives"
International Journal of Intercultural Relations

​

Poppi F. I. M.

"De Figuris Caporali: The Emerging Social Representations and Ideologies of Caporali in Narratives of Power and Control"
Discourse & Society

​

Poppi F. I. M.
"Limen Transitus: Negotiating Identities of Criminality and Solidarity Among Border-Crossing Facilitators"
Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power

Poppi F. I. M.
“Conformans Novas Selves: The Significance of Balkan Route Migrants’ Possible and Future Narrative Identities.”
Migration Studies.

​

Poppi F. I. M.
“In Tempore Repetito: The Crafting Style of Crime Narratives and Its Role in Recidivism and One-Time Offending.”
Deviant Behavior.
 

2024

Poppi F. I. M.
“Resistentia Feminarum in Visionibus: Joint Fantasizing as a Practice of Migrant Women's Narrative Resistance to the Caporalato System.”
The International Review of Victimology.
 

Poppi F. I. M.
“Ad Nauseam: Nationalism and Racism in Italian Food Stories.”
Food, Culture & Society.
 

Poppi F. I. M.
“Abyssus Abyssum Invocat: Victim/Criminal Dynamics in the Construction of Successful Criminal Identities.”
Deviant Behavior.
 

Poppi F. I. M.
“Alter Ego: The Impact of Criminal Identity on Situational Identities in the Narratives of an Organized Crime Member.”
Social Identities.
 

Poppi F. I. M.
“Modus Narrandi Sceleris: Temporal Shifts in the Style of Crafting Crime Stories.”
Narrative Inquiry.
 

Poppi F. I. M.
“Per Imaginem ad Veritatem: Joint Fantasizing of Crime.”
Criminal Justice Studies.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Copes H.
“Identitas per Fabulam: Joint Fantasising in the Construction of Criminal Group Identities.”
Critical Criminology.
 

2023

Poppi F. I. M.
“In Dubio Pro Reo: The Impact of Certainty and Uncertainty on the Identities and Beliefs of an Organized Crime Member.”
Deviant Behavior.
 

Poppi F. I. M.
“Non Serviam: Narrative Dimensions of Organized Crime Resistance and Susceptibility.”
International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice.
 

Travaglino G. A., d’Aniello C., Poppi F. I. M., Pacilli G. A.
“Naming the Threat: Investigating Lay Definitions of Organized Crime in Italy and the US.”
Psychology, Crime & Law.
 

Poppi F. I. M.
“Mater Familias: Counter-Narratives of Sexism and Heteronormativity in the Italian Food Culture.”
Food, Culture & Society.
 

Poppi F. I. M.
“Principiis Obsta: Strategies of Narrative Resistance to Italian Organized Crime Governance.”
Deviant Behavior.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Ardila A.
“In Nomine Diaboli: The Ideologies of Organized Crime.”
European Journal of Criminology.
 

2022

Poppi F. I. M.
“Melita, Domi Adsum: Sessismo e Eteronormatività nelle Narrative Enogastronomiche.”
Italian Culture.
 

Poppi F. I. M.
“Fiat Panis: Identity Representation and Identity Change in Food Narratives.”
Consumption Markets & Culture.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Beccaria F.
“Vinum Regum: Classic Themes in Fine Drinking Stories.”
Leisure Studies.
 

2021

Poppi F. I. M., Sandberg S.
“Ex Malo Bonum: Ambiguity in Stories of Organized Crime.”
Deviant Behavior.
 

Dynel M., Poppi F. I. M.
“Fidelis ad Mortem: Multimodal Discourses and Ideologies in Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter (Non)Humorous Memes.” Information, Communication & Society.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Urios-Aparisi E.
“Erga Omnes: Multimodal Metaphors of Consumerism.”
Lege Artis.
 

Poppi F. I. M.
“Sancte et Sapienter: Joint Fantasizing as the Interactional Practice of Micro and Macro Contextual Understanding.”
Pragmatics and Society.
 

2020

Poppi F. I. M., Bolognesi M., Ohja A.
“Imago Dei: Metaphorical Conceptualization of Pictorial Artworks Within a Participant-Based Framework.”
Semiotica.
 

Poppi F. I. M.
“Pro Domo Sua: Narratives of Sexual Abstinence.”
Sexuality & Culture.
 

Dynel M., Poppi F. I. M.
“Caveat Emptor: Boycott Through Digital Humor on the Wave of the 2019 Hong Kong Protests.”
Information, Communication & Society.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Dynel M.
“Ad Libidinem: Forms of Female Sexualisation in RoastMe Humor.”
Sexualities.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Sandberg S.
“A Bene Placito: Narratives of Sex Work.”
Narrative Inquiry.
 

2019

Dynel M., Poppi F. I. M.
“Quid Rides?: Targets and Referents of RoastMe Jocular Insults.”
HUMOR: International Journal of Humor Research.
 

Poppi F. I. M. 

“Omnia Vincit Amor: Narratives of Sexual Promiscuity.” 

Sexuality & Culture.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Verde A.
“Odi et Amo: Discursive Strategies and Ambiguity in the Narratives of Violence.”
European Journal of Criminology.
 

Dynel M., Poppi F. I. M.
“Arcana Imperii: The Power of Humorous Retorts to Insults on Twitter.”
Journal of Language Aggression & Conflict.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Kravanja P.
“Aurora Musis Amica: Metaphoric Conceptualization of Depression in Online Visual Representations.”
Visual Communication.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Kravanja P.
“Actiones Secundum Fidei: Antithesis and Metaphoric Conceptualization in Banksy’s Graffiti Art.”
Metaphor and the Social World.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Urios-Aparisi E.
“De Corporibus Humanis: Ideology and Metaphor in the Representation of the HUMAN BODY Domain in Cinema.”
Metaphor & Symbol.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Kravanja P.
“Sic Vita Est: Visual Representation in Painting of the Conceptual Metaphor LIFE IS A JOURNEY.”
Semiotica.
 

Dynel M., Poppi F. I. M.
“Risum Teneatis Amici?: The Socio-Pragmatics of RoastMe Humor.”
Journal of Pragmatics.
 

2018

Poppi F. I. M.
“Machina Ex Homine, Homo Ex Machina: Metaphor and Ideology in Shinya Tsukamoto's Tetsuo: The Iron Man.”
Metaphor and the Social World.
 

Dynel M., Poppi F. I. M.
“In Tragoedia Risus: Analysis and Function of Dark Humour in a Post-Terrorist Attack Discourse.”
Discourse & Communication.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Di Piazza S., Travaglino G. A.
“Talis Pater, Talis Filius: The Role of Discursive Strategies, Thematic Narratives and Ideology in Cosa Nostra Family Discourse.”
Critical Discourse Studies.

​

Poppi F. I. M., Gattinara P.
“Aliud Pro Alio: Context and Narratives Within a Neo-Nazi Community of Practice.”
Journal of Language and Politics.
 

2017


Poppi F. I. M., Di Piazza S.
“In Nomine Patris: Discursive Strategies and Ideology in the Cosa Nostra Family Discourse.”
Discourse, Context & Media.
 

Poppi F. I. M., Kravanja P.
“Annuntiatio Domini: Metaphoric Conceptualization and Gesture Analysis in Painted Representations of the Annunciation.”
Public Journal of Semiotics.

MEDIA

Google Scholar

GOOGLE SCHOLAR

NEWS
(Click on the news item to access full details.)

November 2025:

Research Project: Intergenerational conflict in migrant families: The analytical phase has begun for a series of articles on intergenerational conflicts within first-generation and recently arrived migrant families in Italy, with planned applications in the fields of identity studies and deviance.

December 2025:

Media: Interview with the Swiss daily Le Temps on nationalist and racist ideology in the Italian government’s discourse on identity, tradition, and food-related cultural heritage
(click to access the article).

December 2025:

Publications: In 2025, 14 Scopus Q1 articles were published, including 13 single-authored papers, bringing the total number of Scopus-indexed articles to over 50.

Maggio 2026:

Publications: Officially registered in Scopus and Web of Science: 60 articles, 85% in Q1 journals, and 65% as sole author, within nine years of obtaining the PhD — a productivity rate higher than that of 98% of academics with comparable seniority in the same research field.

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©2025 by Fabio I. M. Poppi.

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