Dr Kirsty Blewitt

Assistant Professor

School: Humanities and Social Sciences

Kirsty Blewitt joined Northumbria University in 2023. She is a Lecturer in Criminology and Sociology, with a specialism in language use in legal settings.

Kirsty completed her PhD in Applied Linguistics at Newcastle University, focusing on a linguistic analysis of US courtroom interactions. Her current research and interests include: the (co)construction of narratives in legal interactions; domestic violence; identity and narrative(s) of victims/surviours; crime and identity in media; and ethics in research.

Email Kirsty

Research Themes and Scholarly Interests

(co)construction of narratives in legal interactions; domestic abuse/violence; identity and narrative(s) of victims/surviours; crime and identity in media; ethics in research

Key Publications

Please visit the Pure Research Information Portal for further information
The last word: power, resistance, and interactional authority in courtroom testimony, Blewitt, K., Duffy, S. 20 Feb 2026, In: Frontiers in Communication
The role of narrative time in legal storytelling: a comparative analysis of opening statements in the Grant and Amanda Hayes trials, Blewitt, K., Duffy, S. 2 Mar 2026, In: Linguistics Vanguard
The Routledge Handbook of Ethics in Forensic Linguistics, Nick, I., Blewitt, K. 22 Jan 2026
Time on trial: Narrative time and discourse strategies in criminal courtroom closing statements, Duffy, S., Blewitt, K. 2026, In: International Journal of Legal Discourse
Police gaslighting in UK domestic abuse cases, Blewitt, K., Canning Pask, P. 9 Dec 2025, In: Discourse and Society
‘I hurt her. I hurt her bad. She’s dead.’: An interdisciplinary exploration of interactions between the state and the individual in legal settings, Blewitt, K. Jun 2018