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Berend Barkela
About
Berend Barkela is an assistant professor at the Institute for Strategic Organizational Communication in the Department of Business Communication at the Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU). Previously, he worked as a research assistant at the Rhineland-Palatinate Technical University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) and the University of Koblenz-Landau. In addition to his academic career, he gained practical communications experience in the cultural sector, including as a PR manager at the Sandkorn Theater in Karlsruhe.
Research Interests
Berend Barkela’s research focuses on two interrelated areas. First, he examines strategic science communication and its politicization. He investigates how scientific knowledge is communicated strategically by interest groups in academia, politics, business, and civil society. He is particularly interested in how scientific uncertainty is misrepresented in public debates, for example in the context of sustainability discourses and the acceptance of future technologies.
Second, he researches strategic communication at the intersection of communication studies, cultural studies, and the sociology of art. This includes leadership communication and internal communication within arts organizations, particularly the collaboration between the arts and administration. In addition, Berend Barkela investigates the role and impact of art and cultural practices in sustainability discourses.
A full list of publications and research activities can be found in PURE.
Contribution to conference proceedings
| 2021 | Barkela, Berend. 2021. Leadership Communication with Multiple Managers and Its Influence on Internal Integration of Different Functional Areas In: Conference Proceedings Trends in Business Communication 2020. Hrsg. Schneckenleitner, Peter, Reitberger, Wolfgang, Brunner-Sperdin, Alexandra, Haller, Andre. Read more |
Chapter in edited volume
| 2026 | Welzenbach-Vogel, Ines, Barkela, Berend. 2026. Politische Diskurse über den Klimawandel im Deutschen Bundestag In: Ökologische Diskurse heute. Hrsg. Christ, Katharina, Janich, Nina, Lüdicke, Corinna, Simon, Niklas. Read more |
| 2025 | Barkela, Berend, Schäfer, Christina. 2025. Kunst oder Aktivismus? Eine explorative Studie zur Anerkennung künstlerischer Protestaktionen als Kunst durch das Publikum In: Plurale Verschränkungen. Zur Entdifferenzierung von Kunst, Politik, Wissenschaft und Wirtschaft. Read more |
| 2022 | Barkela, Berend, López, Teresa Gil, Klöckner, Christian A. 2022. A License to Disrupt? Artistic Activism in Environmental Public Dissent and Protest In: Disruptive Environmental Communication. Read more |
| 2021 | Barkela, Berend, Glogger, Isabella, Maier, Michaela, Schneider, Frank M. 2021. Ziele und Wirkung der internen Organisationskommunikation In: Handbuch Mitarbeiterkommunikation. Hrsg. Einwiller, Sabine, Sackmann, Sonja A., Zerfaß, Ansgar. Read more |
| 2021 | Werling, Kristen, Barkela, Berend. 2021. COVID-19 Contextual Conditions’ Influence on Employees’ Internal Social Media Usage Intention In: Journal of Social Media for Organizations. Read more |
| 2019 | Richter, Simon, Barkela, Berend, Faas, Thorsten, Maier, Jürgen, Maier, Michaela. 2019. TV-Duelle In: Zwischen Polarisierung und Beharrung: Die Bundestagswahl 2017. Hrsg. Roßteutscher, Sigrid, Schmitt-Beck, Rüdiger, Schoen, Harald, Weßels, Bernhard, Wolf, Christof. Read more |
| 2018 | Maier, Michaela, Günther, Lars, Ruhrmann, Georg, Barkela, Berend, Milde, Jutta. 2018. Kommunikation ungesicherter wissenschaftlicher Evidenz – Herausforderungen für Wissenschaftler, Journalisten und Publikum In: Unsicherheit als Herausforderung für die Wissenschaft. Reflexionen aus Natur-, Sozial- und Geisteswissenschaften. Hrsg. Janich, Nina, Rhein, Lisa. Read more |
| 2017 | Barkela, Berend, Maier, Jürgen. 2017. Das Studiendesign In: Merkel gegen Steinbrück. Das TV-Duell 2013. Hrsg. Faas, Thorsten, Maier, Jürgen, Maier, Michaela. Read more |
| 2016 | Milde, Jutta, Barkela, Berend. 2016. Wie Rezipienten mit wissenschaftlicher Ungesichertheit umgehen: Erwartungen und Bewertungen bei der Rezeption von Nanotechnologie im Fernsehen In: Wissenschaftskommunikation zwischen Risiko und (Un-)Sicherheit. Hrsg. Ruhrmann, Georg, Kessler, Sabrina H., Günther, Lars. Read more |
| 2014 | Schneider, Frank M., Retzbach, Andrea, Barkela, Berend, Maier, Michaela. 2014. Psychologie der internen Organisationskommunikation In: Handbuch Unternehmenskommunikation. Hrsg. Zerfaß, Ansgar, Piwinger, Manfred. Read more |
Doctoral thesis
| 2020 | Barkela, Berend. 2020. Führungskommunikation in Theatern. Read more |
Journal article
| 2026 | Filler, Signe E., Barkela, Berend, Maier, Michaela, Winter, Stephan, von Sikorski, Christian. 2026. Dealing With Uncertain Futures. Read more |
| 2026 | Zinnatullin, Aidar, Fock, Lukas, Barkela, Berend. 2026. Evidence in the service of dissent: strategic communication of science by German corona-protest movements. Read more |
| 2026 | Barkela, Berend, Ress, Julia. 2026. Does Art Make a Difference? – An Experimental Investigation of Differential Perception and Processing in the Reception of Artistic and Non-Artistic Apocalyptic Climate Images. Read more |
| 2026 | Zinnatullin, Aidar, Barkela, Berend. 2026. News under pressure? Politicization of scientific expertise in German mainstream news during COVID-19. Read more |
| 2025 | Kopp, Sonja, Barkela, Berend, Paleit, Maxi, Bruns, Maren, Muñoz, Katherine. 2025. Identity-based motivated reasoning and moral judgements in sharing behavior: A case study on mycotoxin risk in Germany. Read more |
| 2025 | Barkela, Berend, Schäfer, Christina, Altenmüller, Marlene Sophie. 2025. Artistic activism: Can aesthetic reception reduce adverse effects of disruptive protest?. Read more |
| 2024 | Barkela, Berend, Altenmüller, Marlene S. 2024. Künstlerische Protesttaktiken als Antwort auf das Activist Dilemma? Eine experimentelle Annäherung. Read more |
| 2024 | Ennenbach, Sabrina, Barkela, Berend. 2024. Effects of CSR-Related Media Coverage on Corporate Reputation. Read more |
| 2024 | Christner, Clara, Merz, Pascal, Barkela, Berend, Jungkunst, Hermann, von Sikorski, Christian. 2024. Combatting Climate Disinformation. Read more |
| 2022 | Welzenbach-Vogel, Ines C., Werling, Kristen, Barkela, Berend, Milde, Jutta. 2022. Plastics in Mass Media. A Content Analysis of German Media Coverage of Plastic-Associated Risks and Sustainable Alternatives to Plastics. Read more |
| 2021 | Barkela, Berend. 2021. Leadership Communication and Knowledge Integration across the Artistic, Technical and Administration Area in Theaters. Read more |
| 2021 | Barkela, Berend, Werling, Kristen, Filler, Signe Elisa, Heidbreder, Lea Marie. 2021. Fasting plastic—the role of media reports in a ‘window of opportunity’ to reduce plastic consumption. Read more |
| 2019 | Barkela, Berend. 2019. Theatre leadership from a communication perspective. Read more |
| 2016 | Maier, Michaela, Milde, Jutta, Post, Senja, Günther, Lars, Ruhrmann, Georg, Barkela, Berend. 2016. Communicating scientific evidence: scientists’, journalists’ and audiences’ expectations and evaluations regarding the representation of scientific uncertainty. Read more |