On 18 August at 14:15 Hongjin Song will defend his doctoral thesis “Semiotic Anatomy of Rumour: Social Discourse, 'False Memory', and Infection” for obtaining the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Semiotics and Culture Studies).
Supervisor:
Lecturer Anti Randviir, University of Tartu
Opponents:
Professor Paul Cobley, Middlesex University (Great Britain)
Professor Massimo Leone, University of Turin (Italy)
Summary
This doctoral thesis examines rumours from a semiotic perspective, understanding them not simply as false information but as part of the processes through which societies organise knowledge and create meaning. By placing rumours within their cultural and historical contexts, it demonstrates that the distinction between "truth" and "rumour" is historically contingent and socially negotiated.
The thesis first examines the conditions that enable rumours to emerge by investigating how different forms of knowledge are legitimised and distributed through social hierarchies. It then investigates how rumours arise under conditions of uncertainty, when multiple interpretations compete. Finally, it explains how rumours circulate, evolve and spread through society. Rather than simply disappearing, rumours become part of collective memory and may reappear in new contexts.
The thesis argues that rumours reveal how societies cope with complexity, negotiate knowledge and continually reconstruct their understanding of the world.
The defence can also be followed via Zoom (meeting ID: 913 8257 3421, passcode: 970244).
