Robert Gould

Robert Gould is an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University’s Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (EURUS) and the School of Linguistics & Language Studies, and an Associate of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence. Trained in German studies (Ph.D. Princeton), he researches political discourse, immigration rhetoric, right-wing populism, and EU digital policy.

Education:

• Ph.D. – Princeton University
• Undergraduate studies – England and the United States

Research Interests:

Gould’s work dissects how political actors deploy language to construct identities and exclude minorities. He compares discourses across Germany, Spain, Austria, Ireland, and Switzerland, tracing how terms like “integration,” “Christian values,” or “digital sovereignty” become tools of populist messaging. Recent projects examine EU efforts to globalise its AI-ethics norms and the identity politics of parties such as Vox and AfD.

Publication Trends:

Since 2010 he has authored numerous policy briefs and peer-reviewed articles that link nationalist rhetoric with EU-level responses. His 2022 brief on EU AI regulation extends his long-standing interest in the ‘Brussels Effect’ and normative power, while earlier pieces analyse Islamophobia, Roma expulsions, and the German headscarf debate.

Grants & Projects:

• Consultant, EU-funded “Shrinking Citizenship” project (Latvia, 2006-2008)
• Expert Adviser, University of Fribourg “Sprache und Identitätspolitik” project
• Contributor, Carleton Centre for European Studies policy-brief series

Graduate Supervision:

He has served as external doctoral examiner (University of Potsdam) and welcomes graduate researchers working on European political discourse, minority representation, and EU digital governance.