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Lauren Alex O' Hagan

Researcher in the School of English, Communication and Philosophy, Cardiff University
I am currently a visiting professor at Örebro University in Sweden in the Department of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences. I have a growing interest in the history of food advertising and packaging and have recently become a member of a European research group – FoodKom – that is exploring food communication from an interdisciplinary perspective.

In September 2018, I completed my PhD in Language and Communication at Cardiff University. My doctoral research explored class and social mobility in Edwardian book inscriptions using a multimodal ethnohistorical framework. I am keen to develop this research further by creating a digital archive of Edwardian book inscriptions with adequate metadata that is available for researchers and the public, and to develop tools for viewing individual inscriptions or categories of inscription from a large corpus.

I am also interested in ‘deviant’ (i.e. coin and stamp defacing) and alternative (i.e. Socialist Sunday schools, marching banners) inscriptive practices of the early 20th century, particularly concerning the working- and lower-middle classes. I am in the process of editing a book - Rebellious Writing: Marginalised Edwardians and the Struggle for Symbolic Power - which focuses on symbolic acts of resistance by marginalised groups in the early 20th century in Britain.

Alongside my research, I run B_Abel Linguistic Services - a company that offers translation, proofreading and EFL tutoring. I hold an MA in Applied Linguistics, BA Hons in Modern Language Studies and various professional qualifications in Spanish, Italian, French, German, BSL and EFL.

Forget fast cars and shiny Rolexes – rich people used to show off their wealth with pineapples and celery

Jan 02, 2020 18:09 pm UTC| Insights & Views Life

A stack of pancakes ladened with syrup, a frothy latte posed next to a white MacBook, a deep pan pizza oozing with cheese. Instagram has made food porn images that portray food in an appetising or aesthetically appealing...

Celebrity greens kale and seaweed were long considered food of last resort

Nov 24, 2019 14:37 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Many of our diets are, to some extent, determined by the whims of fashion. This is not an astute observation, nor a particularly new one just consider the 1970s obsession with pineapple and quiche. But social media is...

Mindful eating: the Victorian food trend that could help you lose weight and transform your health

Feb 10, 2019 10:51 am UTC| Health

In recent years, mindfulness defined as a mental state or attitude in which one focuses ones awareness on the present moment has become embedded into our everyday language. Mindfulness has helped many people to develop...

Economy

Jackson Hole Symposium Focuses on Financial Innovation Amidst Inflation Concerns

Today, August 27, 2026, the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium opens in Wyoming with a focus on Financial Innovation: Implications for Payments and Policy. The conference will explore key topics including...

Asian Currencies Mixed as Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Jackson Hole

Asian currencies traded mixed on Thursday as the U.S. dollar hovered near a one-week high, supported by hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data that kept expectations of another Federal Reserve interest rate hike alive....

US Stocks Finish Flat as Inflation Data, Nvidia Earnings Keep Investors Cautious

U.S. stocks ended Wednesday largely flat as investors digested July inflation data and remained cautious ahead of Nvidias highly anticipated quarterly earnings. The SP 500 closed unchanged at 7,677.00, while the Nasdaq...

Japan Firms Ramp Up Yen Hedging as Currency Weakness Persists

Japanese companies are increasingly turning to currency hedging as persistent yen weakness drives up import costs and creates uncertainty for businesses dependent on overseas goods. Taku Ueno, CEO of Takara MC, which...

Oil Prices Fall as Middle East Ceasefire Hopes Rise

Oil prices declined on Wednesday, extending their weekly losses as signs of diplomatic progress in the Middle East raised hopes that hostilities could ease and the Strait of Hormuz could gradually reopen to commercial...

Politics

U.S. Probes Apex Logistics Over Nvidia AI Chip Shipments to China

The U.S. government is investigating Singapore-based Apex Logistics over allegations that the freight company helped transport Nvidia AI chips and computer systems to China despite U.S. export restrictions, Bloomberg...

Pentagon Eyes U.S. Troop Cuts in Europe Amid NATO Review

A Pentagon review of U.S. military deployments in Europe is expected to produce at least four options for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by November 6, as Washington considers potentially reducing its troop presence across...

Judge Rejects Minnesota Bid to Force ICE Agent Extradition

A federal judge has rejected Minnesotas attempt to force Texas Governor Greg Abbott to immediately extradite a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer accused of shooting a Venezuelan man during a major...

U.S. Disrupts China-Linked Hacking Campaign Targeting Government Agencies

The United States has disrupted a China-linked cyber operation accused of targeting sensitive government agencies, including the Justice Department, NASA, Federal Reserve and U.S. Senate, authorities said Wednesday. The...

34 Australians Missing After Deadly Nepal Floods

At least 34 Australians are missing after catastrophic floods struck Nepal and parts of Chinas Tibet, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Thursday, as rescue teams struggle to assess the full scale of the Himalayan...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

OpenAI AI Agent Swarm Behind Hugging Face Hack

A swarm of roughly 700 AI agents developed by OpenAI carried out a July breach of open-source AI platform Hugging Face, with some agents attempting to conceal their actions, according to reports released Wednesday. The...

Meta Agrees to $18 Billion Settlement, Tightens Teen Social Media Rules

Meta Platforms has agreed to pay up to $18 billion over the next decade and impose stricter protections for teenagers using Facebook and Instagram, settling claims from nearly all U.S. states that its platforms were...

Nvidia Revenue Soars 106% as AI Demand Hits ‘Inflection Point’

Nvidia reported stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday as booming demand for artificial intelligence hardware pushed revenue up 106% from a year earlier, prompting CEO Jensen Huang to declare that AI has...

Salesforce Shares Surge as AI Demand Powers Q2 Earnings Beat

Salesforce Inc. (NYSE: CRM) delivered stronger-than-expected second-quarter fiscal 2027 results, fueled by rapid growth in artificial intelligence products, improved profitability and rising customer demand. Salesforce...

HP Stock Drops 9% Despite Q3 Earnings Beat and Raised 2026 Outlook

HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) delivered stronger-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, supported by robust Personal Systems sales and tariff refunds. However, HP stock fell more than 9% in after-hours trading Wednesday as...