ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

May 14-16, 2024

Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

Deadline (EXTENDED): February 25, 2024

This multi- and interdisciplinary conference explores cinematic adaptation as a transnational practice between the area formerly known as Mitteleuropa and the US over the last century from different angles and perspectives, with particular emphasis on German- American relations. The conference will examine Hollywood films by expatriate directors, German films based on American literary works, and American films based on German literary works, including remakes and international co-productions from the early twentieth to the twenty-first century. Particular attention will be given to émigré and exiled directors, stars, and crews of the Pre- and Post-World-War years, to the Junger/Neuer Deutscher Film of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, but also to contemporary co-productions and international blockbusters. We welcome proposals addressing the manifold forms that adaptation can take in order to reflect on its discursive effects on both sides of the Atlantic.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

- The “literary canon” of US-Mitteleuropean cinematic adaptation (Eric Maria Remarque, Patricia Highsmith, Vera Caspary, James L. Cain, etc.)

- Adaptation and expatriate directors (Michael Curtiz, Fritz Lang, Ernst Lubitsch, Otto Preminger, Robert Siodmark, Douglas Sirk, Erich von Stroheim, Josef von Sternberg, Billy Wilder, Fred Zinnemann, etc.)

- Adaptation and the Junger/Neuer Deutscher Film (Schlöndorff, Fassbinder, Wenders, etc.)

- Audiovisual translation as adaptation

- Post-adaptation effects: paratexts (book packaging: retitling, book covers, etc.) and reception (book reviews, etc.)

- The mediating role of authors/scriptwriters/producers/actors in the adaptation process

- Adaptation and film genres

- Adaptation and film remakes

- Adaptation and film scores

- Adaptation and place: the double careers of expatriate/international stars

- International co-productions (Wes Anderson, Wolfgang Petersen, Tom Tykwer, etc.)

Proposals should be written in English and sent to all the organizers, simone.francescato@unive.it, ashleymerrill.riggs@unive.it, stefania.sbarra@unive.it, and klaus.benesch@lrz.uni-muenchen.de no later than February 25th, 2024.

Notification of acceptance will be sent no later than March 3rd, 2024.

Selected References

- Haase, Christine. When Heimat meets Hollywood: German filmmakers and America, 1985-2005. Camden House, 2007.

- Koepnick, Lutz. The Dark Mirror: German Cinema Between Hitler and Hollywood. University of California Press, 2002.

- Leitch, Thomas M. Film Adaptation and Its Discontents: From Gone with the Wind to The Passion of the Christ. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007.

- Leitch, Thomas. The History of American Literature on Film. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2019.

- McFarland, Douglas and Wieland Schwanebeck, eds. Patricia Highsmith on Screen. Springer International Publishing, 2018.

- Murray, Simone. The Adaptation Industry: The Cultural Economy of Contemporary Literary Adaptation. Taylor & Francis, 2012.

- , Claudia, Deniz Göktürk, Erica Carter, Tim Bergfelder. The German Cinema Book. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.

- Scholz, Anne-Marie. From Fidelity to History: Film Adaptations as Cultural Events in the Twentieth Century. Berghahn Books, 2016.

- Smith, Iain Robert. Transnational Film Remakes.Edinburgh University Press, 2017.

- Vansant, Jacqueline. Austria Made in Hollywood. Boydell & Brewer, 2019.

- Cahir, Linda Costanzo. Literature into film: theory and practical approaches. McFarland, 2014.

- O’Sullivan, Carol. Translating Popular Film. Palgrave MacMillan, 2011.

- Perdikaki, Katerina. “Film adaptation as the interface between creative translation and cultural transformation: The case of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby.” JoSTrans: The Journal of Specialised Translation 29 (2018).

- Pérez-González, Luis (ed.). The Routledge Handbook of Audiovisual Translation. Routledge, 2019. Sandberg

 - Yau, Wai‐Ping. “Translation and film: Dubbing, subtitling, adaptation, and remaking.” A Companion to Translation Studies (2014): 492-503.

August 21-22, 2024

Gothenburg (Sweden)

Deadline: May 31, 2024

Publishing in international journals is a given for researchers. Nevertheless, it can often be difficult to get an overview of the range of journals and to understand the different steps involved in the publication process. There are many pieces that need to be in place before a manuscript reaches its readers. Among other things, there is a review process where you – as a scholar – make sure that another’s manuscript meets the highest standards of scientific quality.  

To help sort things out, Nordicom is organising a workshop on academic journal publishing. The workshop is aimed at doctoral students in journalism, media and communication studies, and related subjects in the Nordic countries, and the goal is to give participants a thorough orientation in the academic publishing process. The main points of the workshop are: 

• The publishing landscape: What does it look like, and how do you select a journal to submit your work to? 
  
• Preparing a manuscript for submission: Why is it essential to be nitty gritty with references, language, formatting, etc., and what can you do to make it less tedious? 
  
• Writing a good review: What makes a good review and how do you succeed in writing one? 
  
• Receiving reviews of your work: How do you make sense of reviews, and how should you respond to them? 

The workshop includes presentations from Nordicom's experienced editors and exercises where participants get feedback from other participants as well as Nordicom’s editors. 

Prior to the workshop, all participants will be given exercises to do on their own, which will then be followed up on during the workshop that takes place 21–22 August in Nordicom's premises in Gothenburg. 

The workshop corresponds to 3 ECTS credits. After completing the workshop, all participants will receive a certificate if they have done the preparatory exercises and participated throughout the workshop. 

Read more about the workshop and how to apply: https://www.nordicom.gu.se/en/latest/news/workshop-academic-publishing-doctoral-students  

Bournemouth University

Bournemouth University is delighted to announce 10 fully-funded PhD studentships. The Faculty of Media and Communication (FMC) is keen to encourage applications across all our research interests.  

FMC is an amazing place to undertake a PhD. We are a world-leading centre for the study of media and communication. You will you be joining a vibrant, rich, and rapidly expanding research community. Ranked number one in the UK for Research Power in Media, Communication and Cultural Studies (UoA34, REF 2021), FMC been awarded around £3,000,000 in research grants in 2023-24. We have 10 research centres, including the National Centre for Computer Animation (NCCA), the Centre for Excellence in Media Practice (CEMP), the Centre for Comparative Media and Politics Research, the Centre for Intellectual Property Policy and Management (CIPPM) and the Centre for Science, Health and Data Communication Research. All students are linked to a research centre.  

The Faculty has a community of approaching 200 PhD students. We offer a vibrant PhD training program; a PhD Summer School in Digital Methods; and a host of research events, seminars and conferences – including the internationally-recognised Research Process Seminar Series. Students receive up to £3,000 to support their research.   

You can find a searchable list of supervisors here, but it is worth also looking on the staff pages of our four departments: Communication and Journalism, Computer Animation, Humanities and Law, and Media Production.

Please reach out to potential supervisors in the first instance.  

Full details can be found here and in the Fully Funded Studentship Policy. Applicants will be asked to complete a bespoke application form and attach this to their online application.

May 23-24, 2024

University of Bologna (Italy)

Deadline: February 29, 2024

 5th Media Mutations Conference

Organized by Paola Brembilla and Marco Cucco (Università di Bologna), Christopher Meir (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid)

Confirmed Keynote Speaker: Courtney Brannon Donoghue (University of North Texas) 

In an age defined by digital transformation and the global circulation of cultural products, intellectual property has assumed a central role in shaping the landscape of media industries.  From film and television to music, literature, and beyond, the management and governance of intellectual property are pivotal to the production, distribution, and reception of creative content.

Intellectual property (as expressed and protected by copyrights, trademarks, patents, etc.) encompasses the intangible assets that form the foundation of creative and cultural expression in the media industries. IPs are the driving force behind the economic vitality of media sectors, influencing revenue streams, market dynamics, and business models. Politically, they are subject to complex legal frameworks, international agreements, and debates about access and regulation, making them a powerful instrument for shaping the global media landscape. Narratively, they are the building blocks of captivating stories, beloved characters, and transformative storytelling experiences. Culturally, they define the identity of societies, influence social norms, and play pivotal roles in fostering dialogue, reflecting diversity, and preserving heritage.

The International Conference Media Mutations 15 – The Matter of Intellectual Property invites scholars, researchers, and practitioners to explore and engage with the multifaceted dimensions of intellectual property and specific intellectual properties in media industries. This conference aims to foster a comprehensive dialogue that analyzes both the economic and legal aspects of the concept but that also delves into the political and cultural dimensions of intellectual property management. 

In our pursuit of a deeper understanding of intellectual property management in media industries, we encourage collaboration across diverse academic disciplines. Intellectual property is a multifaceted field, and its management touches upon economics, law, political science, cultural studies, and more. We seek to bring together scholars and researchers from these various disciplines to evaluate how different research methods can be brought together to generate new insights, approaches and collaborations. Through this interdisciplinary exchange, we can address the complex challenges and opportunities that intellectual properties present in media and work collectively toward holistic solutions to the problems found in the media industries.

Acknowledging the global nature of media and cultural exchange, this conference also emphasizes the need to explore intellectual property management practices, policies, and challenges from diverse regions around the world, in order to shed light on the nuances and variations that exist in IP management on a global scale. For instance, we are interested in how global phenomena (such as that of the Korean Wave) exemplify how effective intellectual property management can lead to economic growth, cultural diplomacy, and a global presence for emerging economies. How does the strategic management of IPs contribute to the global recognition and commercial success of these emerging cultural forces?

Media Mutations 15 encourages submissions that use diverse approaches and methodologies, such as:

The Economy of Intellectual Properties:

·   IP management and business models.

·   Monetization strategies, royalties, and revenue distribution.

·   The role of intellectual property in investment and financing.

·   Corporate strategies and ownership.

·   Market trends, consumer behavior, and the economics of content creation.

The Politics of Intellectual Property:

·   Copyright law, trademark, and patent regulation in the media sector.

·   Policy-making, international agreements, and their implications.

·   Intellectual property enforcement.

·   Ethical considerations in IP governance.

·   The politics of open access, open source, and public domain.

The Cultural Aspects of Specific Intellectual Properties:

·  Cultural impact, diversity, and representation in IP management.

· Opportunities and problems of IPs in preserving and promoting cultural heritage.

·  The relationship between IPs and creative freedom.

·  Fan cultures, remix culture, and participatory media in the digital age.

·  Franchise storytelling and IPs in the convergence era.

The official language of the conference is English. Abstracts (300-500 words for 20-minute talks) should be sent to submissions@mediamutations.org by February 29th, 2024. Please attach a short biography (maximum 150 words) and an optional selected bibliography (up to five titles) relevant to the conference theme. The conference will be in person, with no option for remote presentation. Notification of acceptance will be sent by March 18th, 2024. A registration fee will be requested after notification of paper acceptance (€80 for speakers and professional attendants).

This Conference is promoted by the Media Mutations Association and financially supported by DAMSLab, Dipartimento delle Arti, Università di Bologna, the Master in Management del Cinema e dell’Audiovisivo (Università di Bologna), and The Academy of Korean Studies, in collaboration with Centro Dipartimentale La Soffitta.

The Conference is sponsored by the Film Studies Section and the Television Studies Section of ECREA. 

 University of Fribourg 

The Department of Communication and Media Research at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) offers two fully funded PhD positions for graduates with advanced skills in French.

PhD at the Chair in Communication and Media Studies (Prof. Dr. Thilo von Pape)

• qualitative or quantitative methods of social research,
  
• uses, effects, and social issues of media innovations: equal access, everyday appropriation, well-being, privacy, sustainability…
  
• digital communication: social networks, smartphones, artificial intelligence..
  
• Complete job ad: https://www.unifr.ch/dcm/de/assets/public/files/jobs/2402-DiplomassistenzCommMedia.pdf

PhD at the Chair in Political Communication and Media (Prof. Dr. Alexandrea Feddersen)

• political communication,
  
• the functioning of the media and media selection mechanisms,
  
• social media and democratic challenges
  
• Complete job ad: https://www.unifr.ch/dcm/de/assets/public/files/jobs/2402-DiplomassistenzCommPol.pdf

Percentage of employment: 100%

Application deadline: March 15

Start of employment: April 15 or later.

July 17-18, 2023

Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici e del Patrimonio Culturale, Università degli Studi di Udine, Italy

Deadline (EXTENDED): February 14, 2024

Scholarship addressing actors and actresses has traditionally focused on theories and issues of stardom. The centrality of the star as a prominent signifier in film texts, as well as a major asset in the production and commercialisation of film products, has been variously and fruitfully investigated by star and celebrity studies. Stars’ performances and personas have been analysed as the epitome of their actual or perceived national identities, as the expression of their coeval cultural and political context, as well as marketing mainstays for their respective national film industries (e.g., Gundle 1995; Leahy 2003; Reich 2004; Spicer 2022). Less explored has instead been the labour of and around acting. This conference, which originates from the research project funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research titled F-ACTOR. Forms of Contemporary Media Professional Acting. Training, Recruitment and Management, Social Discourses in Italy (2000-2020), therefore wishes to study labour issues in connection not just to stardom, but to screen acting in Europe. In the Old Continent, the ‘fluidity of identities’ (Bergfelder 2005: 329) that characterises the region from a cultural and geo-political standpoint is echoed in the transnationality of many film actors, such as the French Juliette Binoche (Vincendeau 2015), the Italian Ksenia Rappoport (Faleschini Lerner 2012), or the Spanish Daniel Brühl (Vidal 2016). Transnationality is regarded as one the distinctive features of Europe’s predominant mode of film production (Jäckel 2003), as it relies to a great extent on international co-productions, funded through bi- and multi-lateral agreements, supranational schemes like Creative Europe and Eurimages, as well as dedicated film festivals’ initiatives (Iordanova 2015). How does the relationship between film actors, (trans)national identity, policy framework, and production system play out in labour practices and individual decision-making within Europe? If, as Richard Dyer (1986) observes quoting Marx, the star image is an example of ‘“congealed labour”, something that is used with further labour (scripting, acting, directing, managing, filming, editing) to produce another commodity, a film, what are the material and symbolic conditions in which such labour is performed, and by whom? How is the labour of and around screen acting performed within the framework of European cinema produced over the last two decades? How are digital technologies impacting on acting and acting-related practices and labour within Europe? What part, if any, does transnationality play in shaping the values and practices of actors and non-acting professionals in European film industries? 

This conference aims to explore the multiple forms of labour that constitute, inform, and surround contemporary screen acting. In this sense, we are not only interested in the labour of contemporary European screen actors, and how it intersects with individual traits such as gender and age. We also wish to examine the varied forms of labour that prepare, accompany, manage, circulate, manipulate, consume, and evaluate the screen actor’s performance against the backdrop of an increasingly globalized and corporatized European film industry. 

The conference invites proposals for presentations that explore symbolic, social, organizational, economic and/or juridical dimensions of labour performed by and around screen actors in the context of contemporary European film industries (ca 2000-present time). The list of possible topics includes, but is not limited to:

• The labour of acting across national and trans-national production cultures;
  
• Intersectional approaches to screen acting;
  
• Actors and promotional labour: (self-)branding, transmedia persona, digital intimacy;
  
• Actors and the law: labour rights, welfare, contracts;
  
• Labour organizations, unions, and industry associations;
  
• The labour around acting: coaches, casting directors, talent agents, PR professionals;
  
• Training actors: schools and institutions, professions, methods; 
  
• Making up actors: make-up and hairstyling artists, fashion stylists, image consultants;
  
• Voice acting: dubbing professions, cultures and practices across Europe;
  
• Acting and digital technologies;
  
• Acting and film criticism;
  
• Actors and the economy of prestige: Festivals, awards, accolades; 
  
• Actors and fandom.

We invite proposals for individual papers and pre-constituted panels. All proposals should be written in English. Abstracts for 20-minutes individual papers should be of 300 words (max). Panel proposals should include a 300-word (max) description of the panel, including a title, plus a 200-word (max) description of each individual paper (min 3, max 4 papers of 20 minutes each per panel). All proposals should include also a 100-word bio of the presenter(s), 5 keywords descriptive of the proposal, and 3 to 5 key bibliographic references.

The conference will be held in-person. 

Participation in the conference is free, no fee required.

Further details about the conference programme and keynote speakers will follow.

For more information and resources about F-ACTOR. Forms of Contemporary Media Professional Acting. Training, Recruitment and Management, Social Discourses in Italy (2000-2020), please visit https://italianperformers.it/en/

Proposals should be submitted to workandplayuniud@gmail.com no later than 11:59PM (CET) on February 14 , 2024 (EXTENDED).

Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by March 31st, 2024.

For any questions, do not hesitate to contact the conference organizing committee: workandplayuniud@gmail.com 

Edited by: Pedro Jerónimo  

“Local journalism, global challenges: news deserts, infodemic and the vastness in between” is the result of a dialogue which started around these topics at the ECREA 2022 Post Conference “The State of Local Media”, held online, on October 24th of the same year. It continues in this book and in what will come after and from it.

Introduction - Pedro Jerónimo

Part I – Making the local news

Mapping the terrain of journalism: the state of local news in Romania - Carmen Neamţu

Can automated news help local journalism? An exploratory study in Portugal - Adriana Gonçalves & Ricardo Morais

Restoring trust in local media through journalistic collaboration: European Union level iniciatives focused on investigative journalism - David Parra Valcarce, Elvira García de Torres, Pedro Jerónimo & Giovanni Ramos

Lupa NH Project: experimental strategy to combat the scarcity of local coverage in Brazil - Walter Teixeira Lima Junior, Alan Milhomem da Silva, Jéssica de Souza Carneiro & Tiago Eduardo

Part II – Local news in Asian at times of pandemic

Do media attributes determine news production? A comparative study of local and central newsrooms after the easing of pandemic restrictions in China - Carl Zhou, Linyi Gao, Jinao Li, Ranjun Hua

The changing socialized role of Chinese local media in the infodemic: a case study of the Shanghai 2022 pandemic rumours - Hongxu Zhu & Mengyao

The impact of local media on social psychology in an “infodemic” context: take Wenzhou Daily Newspaper Group as an example - Lin Shike & Chuchu Zhao

“The Power of the Civilian Hero”: effective strategies for local media coverage in response to information epidemics - Chuchu Zhao & Rongyi Chen

Available at https://labcomca.ubi.pt/local-journalism-global-challenges-news-deserts-infodemic-and-the-vastness-in-between/

University of Zurich, Switzerland

The Media & Internet Governance Division (Prof. Dr. Natascha Just) of the Department of Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich invites applications for an open position of Senior Research and Teaching Associate/Postdoc (80%). Start of employment: at the earliest possible / upon agreement.

The Media & Internet Governance Division studies media policy and media economics in the convergent communications sector. Alongside research on traditional mass media, the division focuses on Internet Governance and Platform Studies. The successful applicant will work on dedicated topics that align with the division's research program. 

Further information and application details: https://jobs.uzh.ch/offene-stellen/senior-research-and-teaching-associate-postdoc-position-media-internet-governance-division-ikmz/21f37d67-c170-4b92-ad39-72eae07c6f58

Review of applications starts immediately, but the position will remain open until a qualified candidate is found.

Please contact Alena Birrer, MA (a.birrer@ikmz.uzh.ch) if you have any further questions.

NECSUS (Special section)

Deadline: March 5, 2024

https://necsus-ejms.org/cfp-autumn-2024_enough/ 

How much is enough? Who has enough and who is deprived of it? What is the use of limits – and of pushing past them? For this special section of NECSUS, we encourage more reflection about the notion and meaning of #enough and invite media scholars to problematize the notion from aesthetic, industrial, environmental, historical, economic and (socio)political perspectives.

Like other industries, the media sector runs on overproduction. Whether in news journalism, the music industry, or print magazines, media companies often put out large volumes of content or copies to maintain a competitive presence in the market. At the same time, these new releases are programmed to become obsolete in short seasonal cycles, requiring more production and faster consumption. Content libraries are constantly expanding and require bigger, more efficient data centres, pushing at the limits of storing, archiving, and accessing media. Between an increasing library of media content and an awareness of the environmental cost of hosting digital content, thinking about #Enough also connects the material and immaterial dimensions of media consumption. Is there ever enough content? The critique of growth-based economic models and the emergence of perspectives such as degrowth (cf. Hickel; Coyle), circular, or ‘doughnut’ economics has started to resonate in cultural policy and media sustainability discussions. How can these ideas transform media studies and industry research in particular? Are regulations like, for instance, carbon budgets for media productions viable ways to determine how much is enough? What could be the specific contributions of media, and of media studies, to broader discussions about limits and sufficiency? #Enough is necessarily also a question about justice. Global inequality extends to media representations and industries, where minoritised voices and experimental approaches struggle to break through the volume of repetitive content. This question also connects to practices of remaking, rebooting, and reusing existing narrative and formats, something Martine Beugnet has referred to as Hollywood’s ‘potential exhaustion of its own form’ (2017). In a more frugal media landscape, what spaces would open – or close – for new visions and underrepresented voices?

On the other side of overproduction, concerns about overconsumption underpin common anxieties about media and wellbeing. Digital technologies and social media have been held responsible for widespread mental health issues, prompting several European countries to attempt to curb media use, for instance by banning smartphones in schools. In doing so, the notion of enough traverses the line discourses of excessive media consumption and the construction of a sufficient – healthy – ‘media diet’. Can a notion of enough help media scholars articulate critical stances towards these developments? Questions of excess trouble the border between morality and aesthetics, in representation and form. From Triangle of Sadness to White Lotus, The Menu to Succession, critically acclaimed and highly successful films and television series of the past years have highlighted themes of excessive wealth and luxury, while also centering characters that do not – but aspire to – belong to these worlds of privilege. In doing so, these media examples also challenge their own industrial conditions of possibility, in turn resonating with larger political discussions about taxation and the (re)distribution of wealth. Can enough become too much? Contrasting this mediated excess, the idea of a more ‘minimalist’ way of living resonates through diverse media examples. From television shows like Tidying Up with Marie Kondo to highly popular YouTube channels like Clutterbug, the mediation of decluttering and (re)organising constructs the idea that ‘less’ might be more than enough. At the same time, the suggestion to ‘own’ less is looped back into cycles of consumption and commodification through products, services, and media promoted as crucial in achieving a minimalist lifestyle. 

Approaching enough from a labour perspective – beyond but entangled with questions of industrial production and consumption – also points to emerging strategies and structures of feeling that question the drive for endless self-optimisation and productivity. Individual interventions like the ‘Email Charter’ by Chris Anderson and Jane Wulf and public guidelines like France’s ‘Right to Disconnect’ move the discursive framing of work between expectation and exhaustion. Widely reported social media trends such as ‘quiet quitting’ and ‘lazy girl jobs’ are pitched against the ‘hustle’ or ‘grindset’ as forms of individualised resistance  to unrealistic expectations and absent structures of support. Rejecting (over)work opens up discussions about current economic practices and fits into broader reflections on the political value of refusal, recently affirmed by feminist scholar Bonnie Honig. At what point have we worked enough? Enough – with an exclamation point – can also be a resounding political statement, drawing a line against the perpetuation of systems of violence, exploitation, dispossession, and extraction. It can draw attention to historical injustice and start to imagine a different future beyond it. How have social movements and activist media understood this call? At the same time, the notion of #enough has also become entangled with the populist call for more (national) control of economies and borders. 

For this special section of NECSUS we welcome contributions that engage with the theme #enough in varying media forms. As an interdisciplinary journal, we are interested in critical discussions on film, television, (audio)visual art, digital and social media, and other media, approached from different theoretical, academic, and methodological perspectives. Potential topics include but are not limited to:

• (Over)Production in the media industry
  
• Aesthetics of enough, for instance minimalism, reused/found footage, re-/upcycle aesthetics, repair culture, small-file media
  
• Practices of excessive data collection and storage
  
• Excess and restraint as aesthetic modes
  
• Media and consumer culture (e.g. advertising)
  
• Representations of excess and luxury in different media forms
  
• (Over)consumption and its connection to mental health, for instance through information overload, choice fatigue, fear of missing out, and shortened attention spans
  
• Alternative economic models, economies of enough
  
• Degrowth and (un)sustainability in cultural sectors
  
• Labour and exhaustion, for instance through discourses on overwork and ‘quiet quitting’ or the ‘right to disconnect’, downshifting
  
• Politics of refusal, civil disobedience, protest
  

We also invite submissions on the intersection between academic research and artistic practice – especially ones drawing excess and scarcity conceptually or methodologically. We look forward to receiving abstracts of 300 words, 3-5 bibliographic references, and a short biography of 100 words by 5 March 2024 via this online form. On the basis of selected abstracts, authors will be invited to submit full manuscripts by 15 July 2024 (5,000-8,000 words) which will subsequently go through a blind peer review process before final acceptance for publication. Please check the guidelines at: https://necsus-ejms.org/guidelines-for-submission/   

NECSUS also accepts proposals throughout the year for festival, exhibition, and book reviews, as well as data papers and proposals for guest edited audiovisual essay sections. Please note that we do not accept full manuscripts for consideration without an invitation. 

Edited volume  for Palgrave Macmillan's Global Ethics Series

Deadline March 31, 2024

David Ramírez Plascencia (Universidad de Guadalajara, México) and Rosa María Alonzo González (Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, México) invite abstracts for the edited collection “Ethical and Legal Dilemmas of Artificial Intelligence in Latin America”, which will be submitted to Palgrave Macmillan. The editorial has already expressed great interest in the project.

In 2024, due to the global popularization of applications such as ChatGPT, there has been a renewed interest about Artificial Intelligence on considering its potentials, not only for commercial and entertainment activities, but in the financial, scientific, and belligerent sectors. ChatGPT’s capacities have reinvigorated the excitement for developing AI systems and apps that are able to emulate the human capacity of acquiring and applying knowledge. However, along with the enthusiasm, there are worries and deliberations: the use of AI to cheat at school, ethical dilemmas regarding the employment of automatized weapons at battlefields, privacy and security threats related with the companies that develop digital media apps, and the potential risks leaving the financing and defense systems under control AI systems.

The main goal of this volume is to analyze, from a critical and comparative approach, the potential benefits of using artificial intelligence to surpass traditional social and economic problems in Latin America, but to understand, at the same time, the perils and potential barriers derived from the adoption of this technology. Such as the lack of proper legal frameworks and the latent ethical conflicts of using these applications, particularly considering the protection of users from the mistreatment of private data or the use of deep fake to promote misinformation. In addition, the challenges of introducing this app in a region such as Latin America with deep economic and technological disparities, not just at local, but at regional level and global level among the North and the South. Would the adoption of AI reduce this gap, or on the contrary, will the eruption of this novel technology bring more disparity. 

We look for contributions on relevant cases that analyze the ethical and legal dilemmas of incorporating Artificial Intelligence in diverse socio-economic fields in Latin America. Topics associated with inclusion of AI in the production of news (fake news, deepfake, labor precarization), algorithms and genre disparity, the inclusion of AI in education, the prospective impact of AI developments in climate change, the incorporation of AI to combat criminality or in internal and regional conflicts, the development of AI to solve social problems such as pollution and traffic in large metropoles like Mexico City or Sao Paulo, and to promote public transparency and accountability. But at the same time, analyzing the challenges of using this disruptive technology: the potential threats to the regional economy, the invasion of privacy and the misuse of citizen’s data, among other key issues.

You are warmly invited to send us your proposal (maximum three authors per chapter), please include a brief bio for every author (no more than 250 words with titles, affiliations, and contacts) and an abstract (500 words without references). Please send the proposal to the following addresses: davidram@udgvirtual.udg.mx (mailto:davidram@udgvirtual.udg.mx) and rosa.alonzo@uabc.edu.mx (mailto:rosa.alonzo@uabc.edu.mx)

Please feel free to contact us with any of your questions.