Research output per year
Research output per year
Accepting PhD Students
PhD projects
Language, politics and identity (especially language policy and linguistic landscapes); socio-onomastics; critical toponomastics; translation of Norwegian; modern and contemporary Nordic (especially Norwegian) social, cultural and historical topics.
Dr Guy Puzey was appointed Lecturer in Scandinavian Studies at the University of Edinburgh in 2015 and Senior Lecturer in 2022. He first came to Edinburgh as an undergraduate student, graduating with first class honours in Italian and Scandinavian Studies in 2006. He went on to study for an AHRC-funded MSc by Research, which he was awarded with distinction in 2007. He then continued with AHRC-funded doctoral research on language policy in Italy and Norway, which he completed in 2011. Before taking on his current role, he was employed by both the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures and the Office of Lifelong Learning (now the Centre for Open Learning) in a number of roles from 2006 to 2015.
His principal research interests concern the interactions between languages, politics and identity, particularly in the social and cultural contexts of Norway, Scotland and Italy.
Guy's doctoral thesis examined the political dimension of language activist campaigns in Norway (with the Nynorsk language) and Italy (with a focus on Lombard dialects). Guy has also carried out extensive work in the emerging field of linguistic landscape studies, focusing on the relative visibility of languages in public spaces. He has been consulted by policy‐makers and has participated in several externally‐funded research projects related to Gaelic language policy, applying his comparative European perspective to the Scottish policy context and collaborating with colleagues from the Celtic & Scottish Studies subject area.
In the field of socio-onomastics, focusing on the social implications of names and naming processes, Guy’s work deals with the links between power, identity and place naming, especially with regard to minority languages, but also in connection with renaming, place branding, and onomastic capital. He has engaged in collaborative research in these areas with colleagues from Australia, Finland, and Germany. He has also carried out work on psychological aspects of personal names.
Other research interests include connections between Norway and Scotland from the 1800s to the present day, especially during and after the Second World War, the social and cultural history of the Cold War era, and memory studies.
Guy is also a translator of Norwegian literature and contributes to Translation Studies programmes at the University of Edinburgh.
School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (undergraduate courses)
School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (postgraduate courses)
Office of Lifelong Learning (now Centre for Open Learning)
Scandinavian Studies / Italian, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Wars of Position: Language Policy, Counter-Hegemonies and Cultural Cleavages in Italy and Norway, University of Edinburgh
2007 → 2011
Scandinavian Studies / Celtic & Scottish Studies, Master of Science, Planning the Linguistic Landscape: A Comparative Survey of the Use of Minority Languages in the Road Signage of Norway, Scotland and Italy, University of Edinburgh
2006 → 2007
Italian and Scandinavian Studies, Master of Arts, University of Edinburgh
2002 → 2006
Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Puzey, G. (Speaker)
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
De Vivo, E. (Invited speaker), Helander, K. R. (Invited speaker) & Puzey, G. (Invited speaker)
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Puzey, G. (Invited speaker)
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Public Engagement – Public lecture/debate/seminar
Puzey, G. (Invited speaker)
Activity: Academic talk or presentation types › Invited talk
Puzey, G. (Invited speaker)
Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in conference
12/02/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
12/02/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
12/02/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
5/10/23
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment