Marie Briese // Data world syntheses of the incompatible? Styles, content, dynamics and motives of collaborations between right-wing populist and Christian stakeholders on Instagram.

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Research Associate

Name

Marie Briese

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Organization Name

Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden

Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden

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Z21, Room 302 Zellescher Weg 21

01217 Dresden

Rooms 302, 302A, 302B, 010

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TUD Dresden University of Technology Schaufler Kolleg@TU Dresden

01062 Dresden

Doctoral project

Working title: Data world syntheses of the incompatible? Styles, content, dynamics and motives of cooperation between right-wing populist and Christian stakeholders on Instagram.

Subject area: Protestant Theology
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Birte Platow, Prof. Dr. Simon Meier-Vieracker

Abstract

"You can guess which party I would root for," says a fundamentalist infuencer in his Instagram story. He is against abortions, queer orientations and Islam.
As part of the doctorate, the question of interactions between stakeholders from fundamentalist Christian and right-wing milieus will be investigated. The aim is to use the (AI-supported) analysis of social media publications to work out under which conditions and from which motives the synthesis of right-wing populism and fundamentalist Christianity arises.

The respective world (view) of the content creators flows into their own publications, which, however, overlap in terms of style and content. On this technically mediated basis, alliances seem to form that generate further data. Through joint publications, right-wing populist and Christian stakeholders create synthetic worlds online. These worlds are characterized by certain conventions, styles, content and dynamics that also influence larger realities.

Through their postings, religious populist stakeholders technically convey a reality for which they (and their followers) claim truth. At the same time, such publications indirectly shape a larger reality, as they influence social developments, religious cultures and political elections. Only with the help of technical implementation as well as the styles and content in graphics, images and videos do religious and right-wing populist stakeholders create a synthetic reality.

The dissertation is guided by the questions of the construction of religious-right-wing populist data worlds, their relationship to reality and the social consequences that arise from this. I want to investigate how foreign worldviews (Christian vs. right-wing) intersect in data worlds in the real world, how new worlds (Christian-legitimized right-wing populism) are created in this way and how this diffuses into our reality.

Curriculum Vitae

Core research areas

• Religion and social media
• Gender and religion
• Feminist theology
• Reception of the bible in digital cultures

Publications

• Invited lecture “Women, Right-Wing Conservatism, and Religion: Tradwives on Social Media” AG 7 of SFB 1472 Transformations of the Popular University of Siegen November 20, 2025

• Invited lecture “Amen Digga. Christian Influencers on Social Media” KPH Vienna November 19, 2025

• TV report “Christfluencer: Likes for a reactionary worldview” arte Journal November 12, 2025 https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/129760-000-A/christfluencer-likes-fuer-ein-reaktionaeres-weltbild/ 

• Invited lecture “Radicalization on Social Media. How Christian Fundamentalists, the New Right, and Algorithms Interact” as part of a training course for religious education teachers in the Diocese of Paderborn November 4, 2025

• Lecture “Intertextuality in Christfluencing. Functions of references to the Bible by fundamentalist and right-wing populist influencers on Instagram” as part of the networking meeting “Weltanschauliches Influencing” (Ideological Influencing) at the University of Erfurt, October 15-17, 2025

• Invited lecture “From ‘Jesus Glow’ to Christian Yoga. Christian Influencing on Instagram” as part of the trainee teachers' conference at rpi Loccum October 8, 2025

• Project presentation as part of the CiTRS Summer School “Religions and (Right-wing) Populism” at the Humboldt University of Berlin 14-17.07.2025

• Paper at the Joint Meeting: EABS Annual Conference & SBL International Meeting 2025 in Uppsala: "Al-Generated Depictions of the Afterlife and Their Role in Fundamentalist-Right Wing Populist Influencing by @liebezurbibel" https://eabs.net/EABS/Research-Units/Research_Units/EABS_Research_Units/Politization.aspx 26.06.2025
• Invited Paper at University of Bonn, Faculty für Protestant Theology, HerStory, hybrid: "Antigenderismus und Antifeminismus im rechtspopulistischen und christlich-fundamentalistischen Influencing", 07.05.2024
• Invited Paper at Konferenz der Leiterinnen und Leiter der Schulabteilungen der deutschen Diözesen und Katholischer Schulen in freier Trägerschaft, Deutsche Bischofskonferenz, digital: „Fundamentalistisch-christliche und rechtspopulistische Radikalisierung in den Sozialen Medien“, 27.03.2025
• Public Lecture at Kunstverein POOOL Siegen: "Ist das noch christlich oder schon rechts? Visuelle Kommunikationsstrategien des rechten Christentums in den Sozialen Medien", 22.02.2025
• Public Lecture at Martinikirche Siegen:  "Ist das noch christlich oder schon rechts? Überschneidungen von Christentum und Rechtspopulismus in Geschichte, Wahlprogrammen und den Sozialen Medien", 20.02.2025
• Invited Paper at Vernetzungstreffen "Weltanschauliches Influencing 2024" in Aachen: "Fundamentalistisches Influencing und Rechtspopulismus bei @ketzerderneuzeit, @liebezurbibel & Co." https://bak-ac.de/bilden-begegnen/veranstaltungen/veranstaltung/Weltanschauliches-Influencing-2024.11.22/?instancedate=1732273200000 22.11.2024
• Paper at EABS Annual Conference 2024 in Sofia: "Biblically Legitimised Right-wing Populism on Instagram. An Example-based Analysis of Postings by Christian and Right-wing Actors." https://eabs.net/EABS/Research-Units/Research_Units/EABS_Research_Units/Politization.aspx 17.07.2024
• Radio interview: "Net phenomenon propagates traditional gender roles" Deutschlandfunk Tag für Tag. https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/netzphaenomen-propagiert-traditionelle-geschlechterrollen-dlf-2229db04 -100.html 04.04.2024.
• Radio interview: "How much pop is there in RTL's Passion story?" Deutschlandfunk Corso. https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/wie-viel-pop-steckt-in-rtls-passionsgeschichte-dlf-4a896497-100.html 27.03.2024.
• Blog post: Briese, Marie. 24.10.2023. "Passion und Popkultur", SFB 1472 Blog. https://sfb1472.uni-siegen.de/publikationen/passion-und-popkultur
• Lecture in the lecture series "Krawall und Remmi Demmi. Popular dispute strategies between scholarly polemics, hate speech and diss culture" of the SFB 1472 in WiSe 2023/24: "KetzerDerNeuzeit, LiebeZurBibel & Co. Religiöse Populismen auf Social Media", Siegen 19.10.2023.
• Podcast episode: "Marie Briese - Populism in the "Heretic of Modern Times" and in "Love for the Bible", Schöner glauben. https://schoener-glauben.blogs.audiorella.com/63-new-episode 02.10.2023.
• Podcast episode: "Religion and Popularity" SFB 1472 Podcast. https://sfb1472.uni-siegen.de/publikationen/ralph-van-doorn-religion-und-popularitaet 09.01.2023.

Teaching:

• Winterterm 2024/25: Religious education as prevention of extremism (Co-Teaching)
• Winterterm 2024/25: Working with biblical figures in RE (Co-Teaching)

Memberships:

EABS - European Association of Biblical Studies, Chair of the research unit "Bibles, Politisation and Digital Cultures", Call for Papers 2026

Further links
Academia.edu: https://dresden.academia.edu/MarieBriese