ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

University of Antwerp

Department: Department of Communication Studies

Regime Full-time

Let’s shape the future - University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, forward-thinking, European university. We offer an innovative academic education to more than 20000 students, conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service-providing role in society. We are one of the largest, most international and most innovative employers in the region. With more than 6000 employees from 100 different countries, we are helping to build tomorrow's world every day. Through top scientific research, we push back boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape. 

Position

The Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Communication, The Visual and Digital Cultures Research Center is looking for a full-time PhD-student within the ERC-funded project WALLS2BRIDGES -Media Production of Prison Communities.

The ERC project WALLS2BRIDGES investigates how prison communities produce media and how these practices reshape understandings of justice across France, Turkey, the UK, and the US. Against the backdrop of expanding incarceration regimes and enduring racial and social inequalities, WALLS2BRIDGES examines how incarcerated people, their families, and anti-prison activists engage in media production (from letters and newspapers to podcasts, films, and digital platforms) to contest dominant narratives and reimagine justice.

The project conceptualizes prison communities as active media producers, foregrounding the interplay between media practices, systems of surveillance, sensory experience, and struggles for justice.

Using a transnational and interdisciplinary approach, the project combines:

• Archival research on prison-produced media since the mid-1960’s century;
  
• Qualitative interviews and collaborative research with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, families, and activists;
  
• Analysis of diverse media forms, including print, audiovisual, and digital content.
  

Your role

• You will conduct in-depth research in the United States and the United Kingdom, focusing on prison journalism as both a historical and contemporary practice. Your research will combine archival work on newspapers produced by incarcerated people from the 1970s onwards with the study of current journalistic practices inside prisons and the civil society organisations that support them.
  
• You will examine how incarcerated individuals have used journalism as a form of communication, documentation, and critique, and how these practices have evolved over time in both national contexts. You will also investigate the infrastructures that enable or constrain prison journalism, including access to media technologies, institutional regulations, censorship regimes, and collaborations with NGOs, advocacy groups, and independent media initiatives.
  
• You will contribute to the project’s comparative and transnational framework alongside team members working on Türkiye and France.
  

Research strands:

• Studying prison journalism “from above”
  

Analysing policy frameworks, censorship regimes, institutional regulations, and media infrastructures that shape the production, distribution, and visibility of prison journalism in the US and the UK, both historically and in contemporary contexts.

• Studying prison journalism “from below”
  

Examining the everyday practices of prison journalism, including writing, editing, and publishing processes by incarcerated individuals, as well as collaborations with journalists, NGOs, and advocacy organisations supporting prison-based media.

• Exploring lived experience, journalism, and knowledge circulation
  

Investigating how incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals engage in journalistic practices as forms of self-representation, testimony, and critique; analysing prison newspapers and other media as sites of knowledge production; and examining how these materials circulate (or fail to circulate) beyond prison walls. This includes attention to questions of access, visibility, preservation, and the afterlives of prison-produced journalism.

For this position, the University of Antwerp will serve as your home base, with extended research stays in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Profile

What do we expect from you?

• A Master’s degree in media studies, journalism, history, sociology, anthropology, criminology, or a related field;
  
• Fluency in English;
  
• Familiarity with, or willingness to develop engagement with NGOs and organisations working to improve media access to prisons in the US and the UK;
  
• Experience with archival and/or qualitative research methods (e.g. interviews, ethnography, discourse analysis); and an interest in working with creative and media-based materials;
  
• Sensitivity to ethical questions related to working with vulnerable communities and to issues of representation, access, and consent.
  

You will:

• Conduct independent doctoral research leading to a PhD dissertation;
  
• Publish in peer-reviewed academic journals and contribute to collective project outputs;
  
• Present research at international conferences;
  
• Contribute to the organisation of workshops and public-facing events;
  
• Engage in societal dissemination of research findings, particularly with NGOs and educational organisations;
  
• Work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and international research team.
  

Assets (not required, but considered an advantage):

• Experience researching prisons, carceral systems, or social justice issues;
  
• Experience with archival research, particularly working with newspapers, periodicals, or historical media collections;
  
• Familiarity with journalism practices, media production, or independent/ alternative media;
  
• Experience working with NGOs, non-profit organisations;
  
• Interest in or experience with publishing, editing, or curating media content;
  
• Familiarity with debates on media justice, prison abolition, or critical prison studies;
  
• Existing networks with organisations working on prison journalism, prison media, or prison education in the US and/or the UK.
  

What we offer

• We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of one year. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed for another three years.
  
• The planned start date is September 2026, or as soon as possible after that date.
  
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders.
  
• You will receive eco cheques, Internet-connectivity allowance, and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
  
• As a doctoral researcher, you will have access to a wide and varied range of courses and an educational credit through the Antwerp Doctoral School.
  
• Apart from the fieldwork, you will do most of your work at the City Campus of the University of Antwerp in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
  
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.
  

Want to apply?

You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including June 15, 2026 (by midnight Brussels time).

Click on the 'Apply' button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:

• Your CV (including the contact details of two referees);
  
• a motivation letter outlining your interest in the project and relevant experience;
  
• a writing sample in English (e.g. master’s thesis, student or academic paper);
  
• your course transcript and diploma (not applicable for University of Antwerp alumni).
  
• A short research proposal (max 2 pages, excluding references) in relation to the project, outlining how you would approach research on prison journalism in the US and the UK.
  

Selection process 

• Step 1: initial selection based on the application file;
  
• Step 2: interview with shortlisted candidates.
  

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview (online or in person) in July 2026.

As part of the interview process, candidates will be asked to present their short research proposal aligned with the objectives of the WALLS2BRIDGES project.

If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to jobs@uantwerpen.be. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact İpek A. Çelik Rappas, Principal Investigator (ipeka.celik.rappas@uantwerpen.be).  

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.

Apply here.

University of Antwerp

Departement: Departement Communicatiewetenschappen

Regime Voltijds

Let’s shape the future - University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, forward-thinking, European university. We offer an innovative academic education to more than 20000 students, conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service-providing role in society. We are one of the largest, most international and most innovative employers in the region. With more than 6000 employees from 100 different countries, we are helping to build tomorrow's world every day. Through top scientific research, we push back boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape. 

Position

The Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Communication, The Visual and Digital Cultures Research Center is looking for a full-time PhD-student within the ERC-funded project WALLS2BRIDGES -Media Production of Prison Communities.

The ERC project WALLS2BRIDGES investigates how prison communities produce media and how these practices reshape understandings of justice across France, Turkey, the UK, and the US. Against the backdrop of expanding incarceration regimes and enduring racial and social inequalities, WALLS2BRIDGES examines how incarcerated people, their families, and anti-prison activists engage in media production (from letters and newspapers to podcasts, films, and digital platforms) to contest dominant narratives and reimagine justice.

The project conceptualizes prison communities as active media producers, foregrounding the interplay between media practices, systems of surveillance, sensory experience, and struggles for justice.

Using a transnational and interdisciplinary approach, the project combines:

• Archival research on prison-produced media since the mid-1960’s century;
  
• Qualitative interviews and collaborative research with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, families, and activists;
  
• Analysis of diverse media forms, including print, audiovisual, and digital content.
  

Your role

You will conduct in-depth research in the United States, focusing on prison education programs, and NGOs and universities working in prison education and re-entry. You will examine media infrastructures that shape access to education–including digital platforms (such as prison tablets), communication technologies, and institutional access regimes–as well as to the role of universities and NGOs as key intermediaries in these processes. You will contribute to the project’s comparative and transnational framework alongside team members working on Türkiye, the UK, and the US.

Research strands

• Studying education systems and infrastructures “from above”
  

Analysing policy frameworks, institutional structures, media access, and public discourses shaping educational programs in prison contexts.

• Studying prison education “from below”
  

Examining how these programs are implemented in everyday practice by NGOs, universities, artists, and institutional actors.

• Exploring lived experiences, education and communicative practices
  

Investigating how incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals engage with educational programs, including literacy, higher education, and informal learning; exploring how education fosters forms of self-representation and mediated expression, including writing, testimony, and other communicative practices; analysing how knowledge produced within prison education circulates (or fails to circulate) beyond prison walls; engaging with questions related to media access, visibility, and the circulation of prison-based knowledge and communication.

For this position, the University of Antwerp will serve as your home base, with extended research stays in the United States.

Profile

What do we expect from you?

• A Master’s degree in media studies, sociology, anthropology, criminology, education, or a related field;
  
• Fluency in English;
  
• Familiarity with, or willingness to develop engagement with NGOs and organisations working in prison education in the US;
  
• Experience with qualitative research methods (e.g. interviews, ethnography, discourse analysis); and an interest in working with creative and media-based materials;
  
• Sensitivity to ethical questions related to working with vulnerable communities and to issues of representation, access, and consent.
  

You will:

• Conduct independent doctoral research leading to a PhD dissertation;
  
• Publish in peer-reviewed academic journals and contribute to collective project outputs;
  
• Present research at international conferences;
  
• Contribute to the organisation of workshops and public-facing events;
  
• Engage in societal dissemination of research findings, particularly with NGOs and educational organisations;
  
• Work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and international research team.
  

Assets (not required, but considered an advantage):

• Experience researching prisons, carceral systems, or related social justice issues;
  
• Experience working with NGOs, non-profit organisations, or educational programs;
  
• Experience with participatory or collaborative research methods;
  
• Interest in or experience with digital platforms, communication technologies, or mediated learning environments in restricted settings;
  
• Interest in or experience with publishing, editing, or curating media content;
  
• Familiarity with debates on media justice, prison abolition, or critical prison studies;
  
• Existing networks with organisations working in prison education in the United States.
  

What we offer

• We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of one year. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed for another three years.
  
• The planned start date is September 2026, or as soon as possible after that date.
  
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders.
  
• You will receive eco cheques, Internet-connectivity allowance, and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
  
• As a doctoral researcher, you will have access to a wide and varied range of courses and an educational credit through the Antwerp Doctoral School.
  
• Apart from the fieldwork, you will do most of your work at the City Campus of the University of Antwerp in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
  
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.
  

Want to apply?

You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including June 15, 2026 (by midnight Brussels time).

Click on the 'Apply' button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:

• Your CV (including the contact details of two referees);
  
• a motivation letter outlining your interest in the project and relevant experience;
  
• a writing sample in English (e.g. master’s thesis, student or academic paper);
  
• your course transcript and diploma (not applicable for University of Antwerp alumni).
  
• A short research proposal (max 2 pages, excluding references) in relation to the project, outlining how you would approach research on prison education and media in the US.
  

Selection process

• Step 1: initial selection based on the application file;
  
• Step 2: interview with shortlisted candidates.
  

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview (online or in person) in July 2026.

As part of the interview process, candidates will be asked to present their short research proposal aligned with the objectives of the WALLS2BRIDGES project.

If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to jobs@uantwerpen.be. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact İpek A. Çelik Rappas, Principal Investigator (ipeka.celik.rappas@uantwerpen.be)

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.

Apply here.

University of Antwerp

Departement: Departement Communicatiewetenschappen

Regime Voltijds

Let’s shape the future - University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, forward-thinking, European university. We offer an innovative academic education to more than 20000 students, conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service-providing role in society. We are one of the largest, most international and most innovative employers in the region. With more than 6000 employees from 100 different countries, we are helping to build tomorrow's world every day. Through top scientific research, we push back boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape. 

Position

The Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Communication, The Visual and Digital Cultures Research Center is looking for a full-time PhD-student within the ERC-funded project WALLS2BRIDGES-Media Production of Prison Communities.

The ERC project WALLS2BRIDGES investigates how prison communities produce media and how these practices reshape understandings of justice acrossFrance, Türkiye, the UK, and the US. Against the backdrop of expanding incarceration regimes and enduring racial and social inequalities, WALLS2BRIDGES examines how incarcerated people, their families, and anti-prison activists engage in media production (from letters and newspapers to podcasts, films, and digital platforms) to contest dominant narratives and reimagine justice.

The project conceptualizes prison communities as active media producers, foregrounding the interplay between media practices, systems of surveillance, sensory experience, and struggles for justice.

Using a transnational and interdisciplinary approach, the project combines:

• Archival research on prison-produced media since the mid-1960’s century;
  
• Qualitative interviews and collaborative research with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, families, and activists;
  
• Analysis of diverse media forms, including print, audiovisual, and digital content.
  

Your role

You will conduct in-depth research in the UK and Northern Ireland, focusing on NGOs and charities working at the intersection of arts, media, and prison education. You will explore how these actors mobilize media for communication, advocacy, and knowledge production, and how they intervene in public debates on incarceration and justice. You will contribute to the project’s comparative and transnational framework alongside team members working on Türkiye, the UK, and the US.

Research strands 

• Studying prison media and arts initiatives “from above”
  

Analysing policy frameworks, institutional structures, funding models, and public discourses shaping arts, media, and educational programs in prison contexts.

• Studying prison media and arts initiatives “from below”
  

Examining how these programs are implemented in everyday practice by NGOs, charities, educators, artists, and institutional actors.

• Exploring lived experiences, creative practices, and archiving
  

Investigating how incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals engage with arts and media initiatives, while also documenting and archiving these creative outputs. This includes attending to questions of preservation, access, ethics, and the afterlives of prison-produced media.

For this position, the University of Antwerp will serve as your home base, with extended research stays in the UK and Northern Ireland.

Profile

What do we expect from you?

• A Master’s degree in media studies, sociology, anthropology, criminology, or a related field;
  
• Fluency in English;
  
• Familiarity with, or willingness to develop, engagement with organisations working in prison education, arts, and media in the UK and/or Northern Ireland;
  
• Experience with qualitative research methods (e.g. interviews, ethnography, discourse analysis), and an interest in working with creative and media-based materials;
  
• Sensitivity to ethical questions related to working with vulnerable communities and to issues of representation, access, and consent.
  

You will:

• Conduct independent doctoral research leading to a PhD dissertation;
  
• Publish in peer-reviewed academic journals and contribute to collective project outputs;
  
• Present research at international conferences;
  
• Contribute to the organisation of workshops and public-facing events;
  
• Engage in societal dissemination of research findings, particularly with NGOs charities, and community organisations;
  
• Work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and international research team.
  

Assets (not required, but considered an advantage):

• Experience in researching prisons, carceral systems, or related social justice issues;
  
• Experience working with or researching NGOs, charities, or community-based organisations;
  
• Familiarity with media production (e.g. film, audio, digital media) or collaborative creative practices;
  
• Interest in or experience with publishing, editing, or curating media content;
  
• Familiarity with debates on media justice, prison abolition, or critical prison studies;
  
• Existing networks with organisations working in prison education in the UK.
  

What we offer

• We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of one year. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed for another three years.
  
• The planned start date is September 2026, or as soon as possible after that date.
  
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders.
  
• You will receive eco cheques, Internet-connectivity allowance, and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
  
• As a doctoral researcher, you will have access to a wide and varied range of courses and an educational credit through the Antwerp Doctoral School.
  
• Apart from the fieldwork, you will do most of your work at the City Campus of the University of Antwerp in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
  
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.
  

Want to apply?

You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including June 15, 2026 (by midnight Brussels time).

Click on the 'Apply' button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:

• Your CV (including the contact details of two referees);
  
• a motivation letter outlining your interest in the project and relevant experience;
  
• a writing sample in English (e.g. master’s thesis, student or academic paper);
  
• your course transcript and diploma (not applicable for University of Antwerp alumni).
  
• A short research proposal (max 2 pages, excluding references) in relation to the project, indicating how you would approach research on prison arts, media, and education in the UK and Northern Ireland.
  

Selection process

• Step 1: initial selection based on the application file;
  
• Step 2: interview with shortlisted candidates.
  

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview (online or in person) in July 2026.

As part of the interview process, candidates will be asked to present their short research proposal aligned with the objectives of the WALLS2BRIDGES project.

If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to jobs@uantwerpen.be. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact İpek A. Çelik Rappas, Principal Investigator (ipeka.celik.rappas@uantwerpen.be)

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.

Apply here.

September 7, 2026

Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

Deadline: May 10, 2026

Joint Communication, Social Justice and Democracy IAMCR Working Group conference & ECREA 2026 pre-conference

Call for contributions

Political ideology, religious faith, science and art are all informed by visions of hope, the promise or prospect of a good state of affairs in the future. While hope is shaped by ideas of the present (and the past), it is mainly forward-looking, articulating visions of possible futures.

Hope can be a powerful motivator for mobilisation and societal change. At the same time, aspirations for a better future may be instrumentalised or manipulated for political gain or financial profit. This conference focuses on the constructive force of hope, addressing visions, discourses, and practices of hope for democracy, peace and justice, as articulated in media representations and communicative practices.

By focusing on hope, the conference aims to foster intellectual reflection and dialogue, through diverse approaches and methods, on how spaces, practices, cultures, and technologies of communication can give visibility to or help articulate claims and inform struggles for fairer societies, dignity, and freedom.

A wide range of settings, fields and practices may serve as objects or loci of study (e.g., journalism, political communication, campaigning, activism, popular culture, art, history, education, religion), exploring how hope is represented, negotiated, rearticulated and performed by actors and groups in the social realm.

We welcome contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following thematic areas:

• how societal phenomena, challenges, and crises (e.g., climate change, migration, war and conflict, extremism) are mediated and reconfigured through narratives of hope at national and international levels;
  
• how different actors, social groups, and institutions (e.g., media, political parties, education, religion, art) negotiate their visions of hope in mediated environments;
  
• how visions of peace and justice are communicated in public discourse and through people’s struggles;
  
• how history is mobilised in communicative practices and public debates in articulations of better presents and futures;
  
• how space, time and technology inform narratives and imaginaries of hope;
  
• how imaginaries of hope are constructed in contexts of persistent curtailment of freedoms and rights, and increasing authoritarianism;
  
• how viable democratic presents and futures are imagined, under dire conditions of ongoingconflict, violence, or war;
  
• how struggles against injustice, oppression and authoritarianism inform, and are informed by, cultures and epistemes of hope.

Abstract length and submission deadline

Abstracts of 400–500 words should be submitted by 10 May 2026 via email to vaia.doudaki@fsv.cuni.cz

Please note that this conference will be held in person only; no arrangements will be made for online participation.

Decisions will be announced by 10 June 2026.

Date and location 

Date: 7 September 2026

Location: Centrum Voršilská, 5th floor, Charles University/Voršilská 144/1, Prague, Czech Republic 

The conference is scheduled for the day before the ECREA 2026 main conference begins. Brno, the host city of this year’s ECREA conference, is approximately a 2.5–3 hour train ride from Prague, with very frequent connections. 

Conference organisers

This is a joint Communication, Social Justice and Democracy IAMCR working group conference &ECREA 2026 pre-conference.

The conference is endorsed by the International and Intercultural Communication ECREA section, and is hosted by the Culture and Communication Research Centre (CULCORC) @ the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism(ICSJ) (Charles University)

Contact: Vaia Doudaki, vaia.doudaki@fsv.cuni.cz

Scientific Committee

• Vaia Doudaki (Charles University, Czech Republic)
  
• Nico Carpentier (Charles University, Czech Republic)
  
• Ilija Tomanić Trivundža (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
  
• Andrea Medrado (University of Exeter, UK)
  
• Fernando Oliveira Paulino (University of Brasilia, Brazil)
  
• Tania Cantrell Rosas-Moreno (Loyola University Maryland, United States) 
  

For more information: https://iksz.fsv.cuni.cz/en/research/conferences/communicating-narratives-imaginaries-and-epistemes-hope

October 8-9, 2026

Potsdam, Germany

Deadline: May 31, 2026

Few topics are currently as widely and often emotionally debated as the impact of digital and social media on young people. But what does empirical research actually tell us? The inaugural “Youth in a Digital Society” conference aims to move beyond public debates by bringing together interdisciplinary, evidence-based perspectives.

This new initiative, the University Research Focus “Education for the Future” at the University of Potsdam, is designed as an annual event that connects international researchers across the broad field of digital media research.

The English-language conference focuses on the use of digital media and its effects on children, adolescents, and young adults. It addresses both psychological outcomes (e.g., mental health) and sociopolitical outcomes (e.g., political engagement and radicalization), as well as interventions to prevent problematic use and mitigate adverse effects.

The program features two keynote lectures and four symposia with leading researchers from Germany, Europe, and beyond. In addition, an open call for poster presentations offers opportunities to share ongoing research. Roundtable sessions will provide space for discussion, exchange, and the development of new collaborative ideas.

• October 8–9, 2026
  
• Neues Palais, University of Potsdam
  
• Registration and Call for abstracts for posters: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/education-for-the-future/events-of-the-division/conference
  

We warmly invite you to join us and contribute to this interdisciplinary exchange.

University of Antwerp

Departement: Departement Communicatiewetenschappen

Regime Voltijds

Let’s shape the future - University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp is a dynamic, forward-thinking, European university. We offer an innovative academic education to more than 20000 students, conduct pioneering scientific research and play an important service-providing role in society. We are one of the largest, most international and most innovative employers in the region. With more than 6000 employees from 100 different countries, we are helping to build tomorrow's world every day. Through top scientific research, we push back boundaries and set a course for the future – a future that you can help to shape. 

Position

The Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Communication, The Visual and Digital Cultures Research Center is looking for a full-time PhD-student within the ERC-funded project WALLS2BRIDGES -Media Production of Prison Communities.

The ERC project WALLS2BRIDGES investigates how prison communities produce media and how these practices reshape understanding of justice across France, Türkiye, the UK, and the US. Against the backdrop of expanding incarceration regimes and enduring racial and social inequalities, WALLS2BRIDGES examines how incarcerated people, their families, and anti-prison activists engage in media production (from letters and newspapers to podcasts, films, and digital platforms) to contest dominant narratives and reimagine justice.

The project conceptualizes prison communities as active media producers, foregrounding the interplay between media practices, systems of surveillance, sensory experience, and struggles for justice.

Using a transnational and interdisciplinary approach, the project combines:

• Archival research on prison-produced media since the mid-1960’s century;
  
• Qualitative interviews and collaborative research with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals, families, and activists;
  
• Analysis of diverse media forms, including print, audiovisual, and digital content.
  

Your role

You will conduct in-depth research in France, focusing on abolitionist groups and prison-related NGOs and their media, cultural, and educational practices. You will explore how these actors establish communication with people in prison, mobilize media for advocacy, and how they intervene in public debates on incarceration and justice. You will contribute to the project’s comparative and transnational framework alongside team members working on Türkiye, the UK, and the US.

Research strands 

• Studying NGOs and abolitionist groups “from above”
  

Analysing policy frameworks, institutional structures, funding models, and public discourses shaping prison-related media and cultural initiatives.

• Studying NGOs and abolitionist groups “from below”
  

Examining everyday practices of NGOs, educators, artists, and activists, including their interactions with prison administrations and municipalities.

• Exploring lived experience, and communicative practices
  

Investigating how incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals engage with NGOs and abolitionist groups, media and cultural initiatives, and analysing their creative outputs (letters, films, audio, digital media), with attention to preservation, access, ethics, and afterlives.

The University of Antwerp will be your home base, with extended research stays in France.

Profile

What do we expect from you?

• Master’s degree in media studies, sociology, anthropology, criminology, or a related field;
  
• Fluency in English and French;
  
• Familiarity with, or willingness to develop, engagement with organisations working in prison abolition, education, arts, and media in France;
  
• Experience with qualitative research methods (e.g. interviews, ethnography, discourse analysis), and an interest in working with creative and media-based materials;
  
• Sensitivity to ethical questions related to working with vulnerable communities and to issues of representation, access, and consent;
  

You will:

• Conduct independent doctoral research leading to a PhD dissertation;
  
• Publish in peer-reviewed academic journals and contribute to collective project outputs;
  
• Present research at international conferences;
  
• Contribute to the organisation of workshops and public-facing events;
  
• Engage in societal dissemination of research findings, particularly with NGOs and educational organisations;
  
• Work both independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary and international research team.
  

Assets (not required, but considered an advantage):

• Experience researching prisons, carceral systems, or social justice issues;
  
• Experience working with NGOs or community-based organisations;
  
• Familiarity with media production or collaborative creative practices;
  
• Interest in or experience with publishing, editing, or curating media content;
  
• Familiarity with debates on media justice, prison abolition, or critical prison studies;
  
• Existing networks related to prison or abolitionist work in France or Europe.
  

What we offer

• We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of one year. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed for another three years.
  
• The planned start date is September 2026, or as soon as possible after that date.
  
• Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts for doctoral scholarship holders.
  
• You will receive eco cheques, Internet-connectivity allowance, and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
  
• As a doctoral researcher, you will have access to a wide and varied range of courses and an educational credit through the Antwerp Doctoral School.
  
• Apart from the fieldwork, you will do most of your work at the City Campus of the University of Antwerp in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
  
• Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here.
  

Want to apply?

You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including June 15, 2026 (by midnight Brussels time).

Click on the 'Apply' button and complete the online application form. Be sure to include the following attachments:

• Your CV (including the contact details of two referees);
  
• a motivation letter outlining your interest in the project and relevant experience;
  
• a writing sample in English (e.g. master’s thesis, student or academic paper);
  
• your course transcript and diploma (not applicable for University of Antwerp alumni).
  
• A short research proposal (max 2 pages, excluding references) in relation to the project, indicating how you would approach research on NGOs, media and prisons in France.
  

Selection process

• Step 1: initial selection based on the application file;
  
• Step 2: interview with shortlisted candidates.
  

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview (online or in person) in July 2026.

As part of the interview process, candidates will be asked to present their short research proposal aligned with the objectives of the WALLS2BRIDGES project.

If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions or send an email to jobs@uantwerpen.be. If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact İpek A. Çelik Rappas, Principal Investigator (ipeka.celik.rappas@uantwerpen.be)

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.

Apply here.

July 6-10, 2026

University of Manchester, UK

Deadline: June 15, 2026

We would like to invite you to our 3rd Digital Methods Summer School at The University of Manchester, which will take place between 6 and 10 July 2026. 

This year, we'll focus on:

• Visual Methods
  
• Sensing AI Methods
  
• Creative AI Methods
  
• Text Analysis with R
  
• Data Visualisation
  
• Geospatial Methods
  
• Ethics & Open Science

For more details, see: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/53uwG1yp7TISE

University of Manchester 

The University of Manchester invites applications from suitably qualified candidates for three full-time Lectureships (Teaching and Scholarship) in Digital Media and Culture. These posts are fixed-term for two years, commencing 1 August 2026 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The successful candidates will contribute to the delivery, development and administration of the BA (https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2026/21197/ba-digital-media-culture-and-society/) and MA (https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/masters/courses/list/20641/ma-digital-media-culture-and-society/) programmes in Digital Media, Culture and Society, and will join the core team of The Centre for Digital Humanities, Cultures and Media, https://www.digital-humanities.manchester.ac.uk/about/people/)

Colleagues on Teaching and Scholarship contracts are typically allocated 80% of their time for teaching and administrative duties, and 20% for scholarship, which is currently defined as discipline-based educational or pedagogic research, and the development, application and synthesis of disciplinary knowledge to inform teaching (e.g. research-informed teaching).

Further details, including the full job description and person specification, are available here: https://www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetail?JobId=34755

Informal enquiries may be directed to Dr Łukasz Szulc, Senior Lecturer in Digital Media and Culture, at lukasz.szulc@manchester.ac.uk

June 11, 2026

Barcelona, Spain

We invite you to “PERCIENTEX 2026: Journalism for Scientific Integrity” taking place on June 11th in Barcelona.

On its tenth anniversary, PerCientEx project brings together leading experts to discuss the role of science journalism as a key tool for promoting integrity in science. Speakers include Pilar Paneque, director of ANECA, Rodrigo Pérez Ortega, journalist at Science, and Mira Petróvic, researcher and whistleblower.

The event will explore how watchdog science journalism helps uncover fraud, misconduct, and unethical practices in research.

 DATE & TIME: Thursday, June 11, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

LOCATION: CosmoCaixa Barcelona

 ORGANIZED BY: ACCC, with the support of CosmoCaixa and in collaboration with the Gabinete de Comunicación y Educación (UAB)

If you would like to attend the event, please fill out this form: https://cosmocaixa.org/es/p/percientex-2026-periodistas-que-investigan-la-ciencia

Dechun Zhang

The book investigates how digital propaganda in China operates as a platform-shaped practice under soft authoritarianism, where nationalism functions as a discursive technology that organizes meaning, structures visibility, and channels public affect. Propaganda is no longer purely top-down; it emerges from a dynamic co-production between state narratives, platform affordances, and public emotions. Governance is enacted subtly through emotional guidance, algorithmic visibility, participatory cues, and discursive standardization, while overt censorship persists in the background. At the same time, citizens are active participants: they use nationalist discourse to express identity, perform loyalty, reshape official narratives, and voice critique. In this system, the public and the state co-produce political meaning, creating fragmented yet structured nationalist expressions that circulate within a platformized governance model. This highlights a form of participatory propaganda, where control is affective and publics negotiate legitimacy, belonging, and authority through digital nationalism. While the book focuses on China, it also provides insights into the broader dynamics of digital politics, affective governance, and authoritarian or semi-authoritarian regimes.

You can pre-order the book https://www.routledge.com/p/book/9781041308775, 20% Discount with code CISYCDNAG20, and I would be delighted if you share it with colleagues interested in digital politics, digital nationalism, propaganda, online participation, media, governance, and China. I also welcome feedback, discussion, and engagement with anyone working on related topics.