ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

September 18-19, 2025

Lisbon (Portugal)

Deadline: January 31, 2025

We would like to invite you to submit a proposal for the off event of the ECREA Gender, Sexuality and Communication Section organised in collaboration with ICNOVA – NOVA Institute of Communication.

In 2025, we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), an international policy framework adopted at the Fourth UN World Conference on Women in 1995, which established global objectives for advancing gender equality. Section J deals with gender equality in the media and calls for the participation of women in media roles and a balanced, non-stereotypical portrayal of women. It took decades of feminist activism to include Section J in the Platform. These initiatives led to the launch of the Global Media Monitoring Project, a comprehensive analysis of the portrayal of women in the news in different countries.

Despite this foundation, gender and intersectional inequalities still exist. The media landscape of the last 30 years has seen a concentration of ownership, a decline in budgets for journalism, the rise of large tech companies and a challenging regulatory environment — all of which emphasise the need for initiatives on gender and intersectionality in the media. Although Section J advocates for women’s participation, stereotypical representations are still prevalent and women are often excluded from media decision-making processes. Gender-based violence online has increased as digital platforms have failed to effectively combat misogyny and protect women’s digital rights. This has added new forms of abuse, especially for those belonging to different minority groups and facing other forms of discrimination such as ableism, racism, lgtbqphobia, aporophobia, classism or ageism.

At a time when rights are under threat, it is necessary to continue to develop strategies for action and exchange ideas on methods to support demands for a fairer media environment. This conference aims to foster a dialogue on changes, challenges and future directions in realising gender and intersectional equality in the media.

Format

We invite scholars, policymakers, journalists, media professionals and activists to submit a contribution on topics such as feminist media policy, digital harassment, intersectional discrimination, media representation and the role of feminist movements in shaping media policy or other topics mentioned below. Contributions dealing with intersectional and comparative approaches to media and gender issues are particularly welcome. Presentations can be inspired by research, creative, media, activist, and interdisciplinary practices and will be arranged in thematic sessions by the organising team.

Potential topics could include (but are not limited to):

- The role of feminist movements in media and gender policy-making

- Gender and media regulation

- Online gendered harassment and abuse

- Gender and intersectional issues in media production

- Manifestations of misogyny in digital and popular media

- Gendered implications of AI / automated technologies and algorithmic communications

- Intersections of sexism, ableism, racism, lgtbqphobia, ageism, classism and other forms of oppression

- Shortcomings and possibilities of the Beijing Platform for Action

- Pervasiveness of (neo)colonial framings in the global representation of women

- The role of affect, emotion, and authenticity within gender and communication

- Disinformation, misinformation, malinformation and threats to gender and intersectional equality

- Far-right communication, social media and women’s rights

- Alternative feminist media practices

- Possibilities for building solidarity in and through the media, especially within the Global South and the Global North

- Specific policy issues such as privacy, surveillance, issues of data justice and others

- Feminist utopias in media production and representation. 

Submission

https://easychair.org/cfp/WomComRights25

Please submit your proposal by 31st January 2025, 23:59 (CET) highlighting how your work relates to the conference topic, methods used, and perspectives you would like to bring to the discussion. Abstracts should be no longer than 300 words.

Registration

The cost of (in-person) attendance is 100 euros for salaried academics and other professionals, and 50 euros for students and unwaged participants. Requests for fee exemption will be handled case-by-case by the organising committee. This covers conference registration and coffee breaks. Booking for the conference dinner will be available once registration is opened.

Organisation

This conference is co-organised by ICNOVA (Lisbon) and ECREA’s Gender, Sexuality and Communication Section with the support of the Digital Culture and Communication Section. The conference is partially supported by National Funds through FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology under Project refª: UIDB/05021/2020. Hosted and sponsored by ICNOVA (Universidade NOVA de Lisboa). 

For questions, please email us at WomComRights25@fcsh.unl.pt

September 17-19, 2025

Karlstad University, Sweden 

Deadline: April 14, 2025

We would like to inform you that the call for papers for the 6th International Geomedia Conference "Transforming Passions" is now open.

The conference is organized by the Centre for Geomedia Studies and will take place at Karlstad University in Sweden from 17th to 19th September 2025.

It marks 10th anniversary of the Geomedia conference series and explores, among other dimensions: refocusing emotional energy to imagine alternative futures and push for systemic changes; questioning the role of media in relation to individuals’ and groups’ emotional investments into space and place; reorienting personal affective experiences into collective action; reevaluating the risks associated with commodified or exploited passion in digital labor; and redefining current understandings of passion into new forms that are artistic, social, political, or technologically mediated.

We welcome contributions that address issues of, but do not have to be limited to:

• spaces and places of mediated intimacy and (com)passion
  
• affective dimensions of digital (media) labor
  
•  passion in representations of space and place 
  
• feelings and experiences of connection / disconnection 
  
• passion’s states of being and modes of becoming
  
• passions and desires of the self and their surroundings
  
• (geo)media and love of place and/or environment
  
• geopolitics and the mediation of affect 
  
• passion, media and territorialization
  
• temporalities and proximities of passion
  
• affective dimensions of mobility and tourism 
  
• (social) media and performance of love, hate, and everything in-between
  
• solid and unstable forms of passion, passion and privilege, passion and glitches, failures and uncertainties
  
• passion and the public sphere
  
• transformative potential of passion’s fragilities and vulnerabilities
  
• passion and its boundaries or excessiveness
  
• environmental and sustainable passions
  
• mediating emotions in times of political and social turmoil
  
• the democratic role of passion
  
• passion as a form of agency
  
• passion as a concept and/or method in research and activism
  
• cocreating passion in and through artistic practice
  
• transmedia and transdisciplinary perspectives of passion
  

The theme Transforming Passions will also be addressed through invited keynote sessions, plenary panels and workshops, audiovisual screenings and conversations. Participants are encouraged to submit proposals for individual papers, artistic contributions, audiovisual essays, workshops or paper sessions addressing the conference theme.

The theme Transforming Passions will be addressed through invited keynote sessions, plenary panels and workshops, audiovisual screenings and conversations. Participants are encouraged to submit proposals for individual papers, artistic contributions, audiovisual essays, workshops or paper sessions addressing the conference theme.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

• Paul C. Adams (University of Texas at Austin, USA)
  
• Mark Deuze (University of Amsterdam, NL)
  
• Annette Hill (Jönköping University, SE)
  
• Jyoti Mistry (University of Gothenburg, SE)
  
• Kaarina Nikunen (Tampere University, FI)
  
• Erika Polson (University of Denver, USA)
  
• Jenny Sundén (Södertörn University, SE)
  

The Geomedia Conference 2025 invites proposals for individual papers, thematic panels, audiovisual essays, workshops or paper sessions in English through the conference submission system opening in February 2025.  

Each proposal should include the following information: Title; Abstract; Presentation format; Biographical note of max. 100 words; 3-5 keywords.

The submission system opens for proposals in February 2025, and the deadline for submission is 14th April 2025.

For more information on specific proposal guidelines and conference timeline, see: https: www.kau.se/transformingpassions

If you have any questions, feel free to email us at: geomedia2025@kau.se

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Category:  Academic Staff & Researchers

1 - Working at the VUB

For more than 50 years, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has stood for freedom, equality and solidarity, and this is very much alive on our campuses among students and staff alike.  

At the VUB, you will find a diverse collection of personalities: innovators pur sang, but above all people who are 100% their authentic selves. With some 4,000 employees, we are the largest Dutch-speaking employer, in the private sector, in Brussels; an international city with which we are only too happy to connect and where (around) our 4 campuses are located. 

Add to this our principle of free research - in which self-reflection, a critical attitude and an open, creative mind around scientific and social issues are central - and you have a university that is fundamentally groundbreaking and pioneering in education and research. In short: the VUB all over again. 

Moreover, the VUB is a member of EUTOPIA, an alliance of like-minded European universities, all ready to reinvent themselves.

2 - Position description

The Faculty Social Sciences & Solvay Business School, Department Communicatiewetenschappen, Research Group Studies in Media, Innovation and Technology is looking for a PhD-student with a doctoral grant. 

More concretely your work package, for the preparation of a doctorate, contains: 

Your PhD research will apply to the animation industry, with the objective of analysing its current state in Europe, the changes brought by the domination of video streaming services and online platforms, and the potential role of film policy.

Your PhD research will be part of the European, interdisciplinary ANIMA MUNDI project (IP, discoverability and partnerships: reviving the international promotion of european values through European animation industry ecosystem). It will allow you to collaborate with professionals from the (animation) film industry and other researchers. You will analyse the distribution of European animation films, with the aim of improving its discoverability on platforms and its circulation outside Europe.

Your tasks will include:

• Design of a research set-up
  
• Business models and market analysis
  
• Interviews with professionals in the (animation) film industry
  
• Literature review and desk research
  
• Daily project management and reporting to coordinator
  
• Working on publications (peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters) and presenting research findings internally and to a broader academic community 

For this function, our Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus (Elsene) will serve as your home base. 

3 - Profile

What do we expect from you?

• Master’s degree in communication sciences, economy, management, political sciences or similar with outstanding academic results
  
• Knowledge of, or affinity with, animation or the European audiovisual industries is a strong asset
  
• Good knowledge of social science research methodologies (both qualitative and quantitative) or prepared to acquire this knowledge in a short timeframe
  
• Ability to work independently, good self-management and planning skills
  
• Flexible attitude when working in a dynamic environment with a variety of professional interlocutors
  
• Interdisciplinary mindset
  
• Analytical thinking and strong communication skills in English (including academic writing skills)

You have not performed any works in the execution of a mandate as an assistant, paid from operating resources, over a total (cumulated) period of more than 12 months.

The VUB wants to be a reflection of the society where everyone's talent is valued, regardless of gender, age, religion, skin color, migration background, disability and neurodiversity.

4 - Offer

Are you going to be our new colleague?

You’ll be offered a full-time PhD-scholarship, for 12 months (extendable up to max. 48 months, on condition of the positive evaluation of the PhD activities), with planned starting date 15/02/2025. 

You’ll receive a grant linked to one of the scales set by the government.

IMPORTANT: The effective result of the doctorate scholarship is subject to the condition precedent of your enrolment as a doctorate student at the university.

At the VUB, you’re guaranteed an open, involved and diverse workplace where you are offered opportunities to (further) build on your career.

As well as this, you will also enjoy various other benefits:

• Extensive homeworking options, a telework allowance of 50 euros per month OR an internet fee of 20 euros per month;
  
• An open and informal working environment where attention is paid to work-life balance, and exceptional holiday arrangements with 35 days of leave (based on a fulltime contract), closure between Christmas and New Year and 3 extra leave days;
  
• Cost-free hospitalisation insurance;
  
• Full reimbursement of your home-to-work commute with public transport according to VUB-policy, and/or compensation if you come by bike; 
  
• A wide selection of meals in our campus restaurants at attractive prices;
  
• Excellent and affordable facilities for sport and exercise, a range of discounts via Benefits@Work (in  all kinds of shops, on flights, in petrol stations, amusement parks...) and Ecocheques; 
  
• Nursery near campus, discount on holiday camps; 
  
• The space to form your job content and to continuously learn through our VUB learning platforms and training courses;
  
• And finally: great colleagues with a healthy drive.
  

5 - Interested?

Is this the job you’ve been dreaming of?

Then apply, at the latest on 17/01/2025, via jobs.vub.be, and upload the following documents:

• your CV;
  
• your motivation letter;
  
• your diploma (not applicable for VUB alumni).
  

Do you have questions about the job content? Contact Heritiana Ranaivoson at heritiana.renaud.ranaivoson@vub.be or on 026148540.

Would you like to know what it’s like to work at the VUB? Go to jobs.vub.be, and find all there is to know about our campuses, benefits, strategic goals and your future colleagues. 

Would you like more information about EUTOPIA? Go to eutopia-university.eu, and read more about the role of the VUB in the development of the EUTOPIA alliance.

June 6-7, 2025

Zadar, Croatia

Deadline: February 28, 2025

The Department of Sociology at the University of Zadar in cooperation with the ECREA Central and East European Network is organizing the 15th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference CEECOM 2025 from June 6-7, 2025 in Zadar, Croatia.

The theme of the 15th Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference is Journalism, Audiences, and Platform Power in the Age of Transformation.

This conference will address key issues including but not limited to:

•      Digital Media Ecosystems

•      Journalism in the Digital Age

•      Audience Engagement

•      Traditional Media

•      Public Media

•      Media Literacy

•      Ethical Considerations

We invite researchers to submit abstracts for upcoming conference.  The length should not exceed 250 words and it should clearly describe the objectives, methods, results, and conclusions of the paper. Each submission must include the first and last name of the submitting author as well as the representing institution if applicable. The deadline for submission is February 28, 2025. Late submissions will not be accepted. Please submit your abstract to CEECOM2025@gmail.com. Accepted abstracts will be reviewed by a conference committee and the author will be notified of the decision by April 4, 2025.

Important dates and information

• Submission Deadline: 28.02.2025.
  
• Notification of Acceptance: 4.4.2025.
  
• Conference Dates: 6. – 7.6.2025.
  

Further details about the conference can be found at the conference website.

University of Sheffield

Apply here: https://jobsite.sheffield.ac.uk/job/Research-Associate/584-en_GB

Posting Start Date:  18/12/2024

Job Id:  584

School/Department:  Information, Journalism & Communication

Work Arrangement:  Full Time (On site)

Contract Type:  Fixed-term

Salary per annum (£):  £37,999 - £46,485

Closing Date:  21/01/2025

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

We have an exciting opportunity for a 12-month postdoctoral research position working under the supervision of Dr Irini Katsirea, conducting research on EU and national legal and regulatory instruments to combat the spread of false or misleading scientific narratives. The project centres on identifying and preventing misinformation in the media that has a scientific origin, such as a retracted article or a misleading press release. It is part of a team of seven researchers from the European Media and Information Fund project on 'Unreliable science: Unravelling the impact of mainstream media misrepresentation'. The job will involve online and in person collaboration with researchers in other disciplines and with international collaborators at the University of Turku, Finland. The successful candidate should hold a PhD in law and have knowledge of, and research experience, in the area of media and communication law, digital media regulation and the right to freedom of expression.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Research EU and national legal and regulatory instruments to combat the spread of false or misleading scientific narratives.
  
• Lead on the identification and analysis of primary and secondary sources (legislation, case law, policy documents, academic literature).
  
• Read and review up to date academic literature as appropriate.
  
• Coordinate with, and support, other members of the EMIF project.
  
• Attend and contribute to project and research group meetings.
  
• Attend and contribute to conferences, as relevant.
  
• Co-produce peer reviewed publications and reports derived from the project.
  
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.
  

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Essential criteria

• Have completed a PhD in law (assessed at application)
  
• Research experience in the area of media and communication law, digital media regulation and the right to freedom of expression (assessed at application)
  
• Interest in learning about law and policy on mis- and disinformation (assessed at interview)
  
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, report writing skills, experience of delivering presentations (assessed at interview)
  
• Proven ability to write for academic publication (assessed at application)
  

Desirable criteria (max 2)

• Knowledge of German language (assessed at application)
  
• Knowledge of contemporary debates around media, technology and AI policy (assessed at interview)
  
• Interest in science communication (assessed at interview)
  

Further Information

Grade: 7

Line manager: EMIF project researcher

Direct reports: None

For informal enquiries about this job contact 

Dr Irini Katsirea, EMIF project researcher: on i.katsirea@sheffield.ac.uk

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place in the weeks following the closing date. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage within two weeks of the closing date. If you are shortlisted for interview and require reasonable adjustments please contact i.katsirea@sheffield.ac.uk

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 41 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
  
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
  
• Generous pension scheme.
  
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
  
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
  
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
  
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; integrated with our Academic Career Pathways / Professional Services Shared Skills Framework
  
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  
• • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society.

We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognizes and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.

Inês Amaral, Rita Basílio de Simões, Ana Marta M. Flores

https://bookstore.emerald.com/young-adulthood-across-platforms-hb-9781837535255.html

Digital media and mobile-based technologies have changed how young people interact in different spheres of their experiences. Considering the centrality of digital media in young adults’ lives, Young Adulthood Across Digital Platforms explores how they engage with mobile applications, incorporating them into their everyday lives and embodying them in their daily practices.

Rooted in an intersectional and feminist approach, authors incorporate a future focus on new horizons for researching youth uses of apps and their (re)negotiation of gender and sexual identities from a Media Studies perspective. Adopting a critical lens towards contemporary digital media, chapters consider how young adults navigate digital technologies and mobile applications' technicity and conceptual underpinnings, seamlessly integrating them into their daily routines and utilising them to create engagement between communities that promote health and deconstruct myths of disinformation disorder.

As sociocultural products actively reshape gender relations, sexual practices and other core aspects of young people’s lives, Young Adulthood Across Digital Platforms posits technology as a potent generator of meaning, subjectivity and agency intricately intertwined with power dynamics.

Edited By Inês Amaral, Rita Basílio de Simões, Sofia José Santos

https://www.routledge.com/Renegotiating-Masculinities-in-European-Digital-Spheres/Amaral-BasiliodeSimoes-JoseSantos/p/book/9781032378015?srsltid=AfmBOoohe7wabUPMQUQZXqPeYAc7OuuD5EjOF3c8yyyjYvQM7UDLeMAi

This book explores, from a feminist and intersectional perspective, how masculinities have been (re)negotiated in today’s European digital sphere. By considering new gender-based European trends and scenarios – for example, #metoo, gender ideology, and cultural backlash – the book addresses masculinities in a time of social, political, economic, and cultural transformations in Europe. 

Bringing together research focused on online media representations of what it means to be and behave “like a man” in today’s Europe, and the way audiences have reacted to those representations, the analysis contributes to a comprehensive reflection on the stereotypes that underlie discourses in online media and how audiences co-opt, confront, criticize, renegotiate, and seek to promote gender alternatives that challenge gender (in)equity. 

This timely volume will be of interest to all scholars and students of media studies, digital and new media, gender and masculinity, feminism, digital cultures, critical cultural studies, European cultural studies, and sociology.

Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Call for Applications RTG 2806

 “Literature and the Public Sphere in Differentiated Contemporary Cultures“ at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

The research training group 2806 “Literature and the Public Sphere in Differentiated Contemporary Cultures” at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, funded by the German Research Foundation, is offering 11 Doctoral Positions (m/f/d) (65%, E-13 TV-L) for a duration of three years respectively, starting 01.10.2025. Extensions for the doctoral positions (6 months) are possible.

The interdisciplinary Research Training Group (RTG) aims to analyze contemporary literatures since 1945 in different public and cultural contexts. It examines the conditions that enable and influence different literatures in the public sphere, thereby focusing on their cultural specificities, potentials and functions. It uses a broad concept of literature, including the digitalization of society and its consequences, socio-cultural political and economic contexts, (inter-)mediality and media competition, institutional conditions, the literary industry and literary life as objects of enquiry.

The RTG considers literatures from different cultural and language areas, including ‘small literatures’ and minority cultures on different continents. Accordingly, the RTG investigates the interactions between literatures and public spheres in a differentiated manner. Adopting a comparative and transnational perspective, the RTG takes into account digital, praxeological, cultural studies and philological methods and supports research projects from social, media, material, ethical or economic studies.

If your field of study was Digital Humanities, Book Studies, (Cultural) Sociology, Media/Communication Studies, Romance Studies, Comparative Literature, American Studies, English Studies or German Studies and you have a suitable project idea, please apply by May 1, 2025!

For more information on the research program, the respective advisors, and contact information, see: https://www.literaturundoeffentlichkeit.phil.fau.de/en/

If you have any content-related questions, please contact the speakers of the research training group: dirk.niefanger@fau.de and antje.kley@fau.de, for organizational matters please address the coordinators: grk2806-koordination@fau.de.

Requirements:

• an excellent academic degree in a relevant subject
  
• an innovative project idea
  
• intercultural competence and an interest in interdisciplinary work
  
• proficiency in abstract theoretical thinking
  
• methodological competence
  
• adequate language skills: B2 German and English, C1 German or English
  
• first publications, academic talks, or academic administrative experience (e.g. as a student assistant) are desirable
  

Documents to submit:

• cover letter
  
• CV
  
• research proposal (ca. 8-10 pages)
  
• degree certificates (MA, State Exam, or equivalent degree)
  
• certificate(s) of language skills (may be submitted within the first year if necessary)
  
• work sample (e.g. master thesis)

Please submit your application (English or German) electronically as one single PDF file (plus writing sample in a separate PDF file) to kontakt-grk2806@fau.de by May 1, 2025. 

FAU is a modern, cosmopolitan and family-friendly employer. We welcome your application regardless of your age, gender, cultural and social background, religion, ideology, disability or sexual identity. If you have a severe disability or are equivalent to severely disabled persons, we will give you preferential consideration if your suitability, performance and qualifications are essentially equal.

Stina Bengtsson and Sofia Johansson

Volume 46 in the series De Gruyter Contemporary Social Sciences

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111340654

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111340654/html

News today is a genre "in flux". New kinds of news producers and novel means of distributing, sharing and using news align with alternative ways of understanding what news is. Based on an extensive ethnography of news practices and perceptions among a broad range of young adults in Sweden, this book discusses how the rapid digitisation of news has shaped young people’s understanding of it, as well as how news is made relevant, trusted and used in the temporalities and spatialities of everyday life. This cutting-edge volume analyses the blurring boundaries between news and social media, facts and stories, highlighting how new media categories such as influencers and memes can take on the status of news for young audiences and shape their understanding of themselves and the world.

• Develops a phenomenological approach to the study of news.
  
• Situates the use of digitised news in its everyday contexts.
  
• Goes beyond a merely descriptive study of news use, through an abductive analysis of interviews and small focus groups.
  

Author / Editor information

Stina Bengtsson is professor of Media and Communication Studies at Södertörn University. She has conducted a broad range of research projects and published several books and articles in the fields of youth studies, media and everyday life, media audience studies and digital culture.

Sofia Johansson is associate professor of Media and Communication Studies at Södertörn University. Her research interests cover media audiences, popular journalism, celebrity culture and audiences and digital culture. She has authored and contributed to several books and anthologies, as well as published articles in various international journals.

April 9, 2025

University of Manchester (UK)/online

Deadline: January 3, 2025

MADS (Methodological Approaches to Digital Spaces) is a FREE interdisciplinary symposium launched under the guidance and funding of NWCDTP to promote methodological and ontological advancements in the studies of digital spaces. MADS aims to explore diverse academic approaches to increasingly complex digital spaces, specifically focused on:

• new methods for exploring and preserving digital archives
  
• novel approaches to the collection and analysis of digital data
  
• consideration of inclusivity and ethics-based concerns
  

Examples of contemporary digital spaces that might be explored at MADS are internet forums and interactive websites, social media, video games, and the concept of the metaverse. A diverse array of panels will invite researchers in a wide variety of fields, including theoretical, methodological, and practice-based spheres (as well as interdisciplinary combinations thereof) to present their findings and explore the continuously shifting landscape of digital spaces.

MADS welcomes researchers of diverse backgrounds and research that centres intersectionality and inclusivity.

Please submit a 250-word abstract, contact information, and a 50-word biography through the following form.

3rd January 2025 - Abstract submission deadline

9th April 2025 - Symposium

Keynote information:

The symposium will feature a keynote speech from Dr Łukasz Szulc, Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Culture and Co-Director of the Centre for Digital Humanities, Cultures and Media at the University of Manchester. Dr Szulc's talk, entitled 'Doing Research in the Digital Age', reflects on his experiences of the challenges and opportunities that digital media can present whilst studying queer and other marginalised communities. See website for Dr Szulc's full bio and the abstract for his talk.

Logistics:

The MADS symposium will take place in Room C1.18 and the Atrium of the Ellen Wilkinson Building at The University of Manchester, M15 6JA.  The building is wheelchair accessible.

The event will include a complimentary vegetarian lunch and refreshments throughout the day. 

The conference will be conducted in a hybrid format and will also be live streamed on social networks.

Travel Bursaries:

This symposium can offer 15 travel bursaries to PGRs studying at any of the NWCDTP’s member institutions.

If you need additional information, please contact us at mads2025x@gmail.com. 

This symposium is supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council through the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership’s Cohort Development Fund.