Students

Gal Ron

I am a PhD student in the department of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, working with Odelia Oshri and Shaul Shenhav. I hold a BA in International Relations and English Literature, and an MA in Cultural Studies, both from the Hebrew University. My research explores the instrumental use and behavioral effect of emotions in political and social discourses through quantitative text analyses. Looking at social media conversations, I analyze the dynamics of hate speech and its counter-responses to identify effective ways for mitigating online hate. In the political sphere, I examine emotional mobilization in populist presidential campaign speeches. I focus on the interaction between positive and negative emotional appeals, while also accounting for the audience responses heard throughout the speeches, to better understand how such leaders rally their supporters.

Roni Shapira

I am a Political Science MA student at Hebrew University, working under the guidance of Odelia Oshri and Shaul Shenhav. I hold an MBA with a focus on Strategy and Entrepreneurship and a BA in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, both from Hebrew University. My research interests include narratives and national identity, particularly in relation to Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Specifically, I am interested in uncovering different discourses on Israeli nationalism and their interactions with each other.

Vered Porziki

I am a PhD student in the Advanced Graduate Studies Program in the Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University, working under the supervision of Dr. Odelia Oshri and Prof. Shaul R. Shenhav.I hold a BA and an MA in Political Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. My dissertation focuses on the representation of women and female MPs through discourse in the political arena. Specifically, I analyze the relationship between the descriptive representation of women in parliament and their substantive representation, as influenced by political party institutions and party characteristics.

Amit Farag

I am a graduate student in the Advanced Graduate Studies program at the Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. With an interdisciplinary B.A. from HUJI’s renowned PPE (Philosophy, Economics, and Political Science) program, my research interests converge at the intersection of climate change, contemporary politics, and gender studies. I aim to examine how current political landscapes shape responses to climate change, with a particular focus on incorporating gender perspectives into this analysis. I seek to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies within the context of modern political systems and gender dynamics.

Noam Peterburg

I am a PhD student at the Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University, under the guidance of Odelia Oshri and Noam Gidron. Prior to my doctoral studies, I obtained a BA in International Relations and Business Administration and an MA in European Studies from the Hebrew University. My research interests lie at the intersection of electoral politics, nationalism, and political centrism. I am particularly intrigued by the electoral behaviour of national minorities in multinational states, and my research seeks to unravel the factors that motivate their support for secessionist parties and the strategies they adopt in different political environments.

Avishai Green

Avishai Green studies the relationship between populist rhetoric and different forms of appeals to truthfulness, and finds that there is a positive relationship – especially in Western countries – between populist messaging and appeals to sincerity.

Elvira Songoro

I am a master’s student in the Department of International Development(Glocal program) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, working under the guidance of Odelia Oshri. I hold a BA in Sociology and Psychology from the University of Nairobi Kenya. My research focuses on the influence of legislative gender equality on cultural norms in Rwanda, where I evaluate the impact of gender quotas on societal attitudes toward women in political leadership. Through this study, I aim to assess whether gender quotas effectively foster genuine societal acceptance of women in leadership roles or if they risk creating a surface-level parity without addressing deeper cultural biases.