ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

November 29, 2024

Online

The C&D section is co-organizing an online Zoom talk series titled "Voices of Change: Activism, Democracy, and Social Justice." The first talk will take place via Zoom on Nov. 29, from 10:00 to 11:30 (CET). More information on the talk and free registration can be found here: https://cts.ku.dk/projects/to-use-or-not-to-use/events/prison-media/. We have also attached a flyer for you to help promote the event (here).

This series aims to provide a platform for scholars across disciplines—including communication, sociology, political science, and law—to engage in thought-provoking discussions and pioneering research in these critical areas. It seeks to foster a space for scholars to connect, learn, and grow within a global network dedicated to advancing knowledge and dialogue on democracy, activism, and social justice. The first talk will feature Prof. Anne Kaun from Södertörn University in Stockholm, discussing her book Prison Media: Incarceration and the Infrastructures of Work and Technology (co-authored with Fredrik Stiernstedt). The book won the ICA Best Book Award in 2024.

Mirca Madianou (Goldsmiths - University of London)

Polity, November 1 2024

ISBN: 9781509559039

https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=technocolonialism-when-technology-for-good-is-harmful--9781509559022

With over 300 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, and with emergencies and climate disasters becoming more common, AI and big data are being championed as forces for good and as solutions to the complex challenges of the aid sector.

This book argues, however, that digital innovation engenders new forms of violence and entrenches power asymmetries between the global South and North. Madianou develops a new concept, technocolonialism, to capture how the convergence of digital developments with humanitarian structures, state power and market forces reinvigorates and reshapes colonial legacies. The concept of technocolonialism shifts the attention to the constitutive role that digital infrastructures, data and AI play in accentuating inequities between aid providers and people in need.

Drawing on ten years of research on the uses of digital technologies in humanitarian operations, the book examines a range of practices: from the normalization of biometric technologies and the datafication of humanitarian operations to experimentation in refugee camps, which are treated as laboratories for technological pilots. In so doing, the book opens new ground in the fields of humanitarianism and critical AI studies, and in the debates in postcolonial studies, by highlighting the fundamental role of digital technologies in reworking colonial genealogies.

‘A rich and radical rethinking of digital humanitarianism from the perspective of postcolonial theory. Superbly evidenced and argued, this is a must-read that will define critical scholarship on humanitarianism as well as media and communications for years to come.’

Lilie Chouliaraki, London School of Economics and Political Science 

‘Technocolonialism gets at the very core of how humanitarianism is being redefined in the global context when AI technologies and datafication prevail. With analytical mastery, Madianou reveals the multiple hierarchies embedded in this subject. A must-read and timely intervention.’

Radha Sarma Hegde, New York University 

‘Madianou’s groundbreaking work…sheds light on the tangible repercussions of technocolonialism on the most vulnerable of populations, making it indispensable reading for understanding the contemporary landscape of global aid.’

Cheryll Soriano, De La Salle University, Manila 

Mirca Madianou is Professor in the Department of Media, Communications and Cultural Studies at Goldsmiths, University of London. 

For a 30% discount please use code MM30. Valid until the end of 2024 for purchases made directly on the publisher's site: https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=technocolonialism-when-technology-for-good-is-harmful--9781509559022

November 21, 2024

Sam Hind (University of Manchester) will be in conversation with Alex Gekker (University of Amsterdam) on Thursday 21st November, 4-5.30pm to launch his new book, 'Driving Decisions: How Autonomous Vehicles Make Sense of the World' (Palgrave).

The event is supported by the Centre for Digital Humanities, Cultures and Media.

To sign up for the (online) event, follow the link: https://www.qualtrics.manchester.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_eDqtLrOJ5Cl7nNA 

About the book

Driving Decisions: How Autonomous Vehicles Make Sense of the World examines the phenomenon of autonomous driving, and the ongoing, complex, costly, and contentious quest to automate driving. Principally organized around the concept of algorithmic decision-making, the book considers how different mapping, sensing, and machine learning (ML)-dependent capabilities are gifted to autonomous vehicles through different kinds of technical work: from computer science students annotating visual data in industry-funded research centres to software engineers designing ‘end-to-end’ ML models at autonomous vehicle start-ups.

The book intends to complicate, and question, typical understandings of autonomous driving by going ‘under the hood’, challenging the technological determinism or ‘decisionism’ that advocates offer of an inevitable, fully automated, future. Drawing on seven years of research in a range of empirical contexts, the book will appeal to scholars and students in the fields of science and technology studies, media studies, digital sociology, human geography, and mobilities and transport studies.

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-97-1749-1

January 15, 2025

Södertörn University, Stockholm

Deadline: November 20, 2024

The Centre for Baltic and East European Studies is pleased to announce call for contributions to a workshop that delves into the role of state propaganda in crafting pro-war consensus in Russia. The workshop will take place on January 15th at Södertörn University, Stockholm.

The goal of the workshop is twofold. Firstly, it aims to analyze various forms of propaganda to reconstruct the ideological environment that impacts individuals daily. Secondly, it strives to define recurring narrative structures in different forms of propaganda.

A number of travel grants are available to cover transport and accommodation costs.

More information about the workshop as well as the registration link can be found here.

Important dates:

• Deadline for applications: 20 November 2024
  
• Notification of acceptance: 2 December 2024
  
• Registration deadline for non-presenting participants in the workshop : 17 December 2024
  
• The event takes place on 15 January 2025
  

Form of event: onsite with mandatory registration

For more details, please contact: spr2024@sh.se.

University of Vienna

We are looking for a postdoc in Computational Social Science who would like to co-lead the development and application of new quantitative text models to understand how politicians engage in representing citizens in legislative speech and social media posts. The position is part of the MULTIREP project ("Multidimensional Representation: Enabling An Alternative Research Agenda on the Citizen-Politician Relationship") funded by the European Research Council and conducted at the University of Vienna.

The contract will expire end of August 2028. We offer a salary of ca. 66,500-75,000 € p.a., depending on prior experience.

Applications submitted by 25 November 2024 will receive full consideration.

Detailed information is provided here.

I would be grateful if you could circulate this information to suitable candidates.

Malmö University

Dear colleagues,

At the newly established Digital Work Futures Research Lab at Malmö University, funded by the Swedish Research Council, we offer two fully funded doctoral positions: one in Media and Communication Studies and another in Interaction Design. Our interdisciplinary research lab explores how digital transformations influence the future of work in the digital and creative industries. Please read more about the positions by following the links below. 

Doctoral student in Media and Communication Studies: The future of work with AI-infused platforms in digital and creative industries

https://web103.reachmee.com/ext/I005/1015/job?site=7&lang=UK&validator=e5819a4704cd849685049472c0c17895&job_id=3684

Doctoral student in Interaction Design: Production in digital and creative industries

https://web103.reachmee.com/ext/I005/1015/job?site=7&lang=UK&validator=e5819a4704cd849685049472c0c17895&job_id=3687

The deadline for applications is January 9, 2025. 

You are most welcome to follow the Digital Work Futures Research Lab on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digitalworkfutures/

Journalism (Special Issue)

Deadline: December 20, 2024

Guest Editors 

• Maha Bashri, United Arab Emirates University (UAE) 
  
• Lada Price, University of Sheffield (UK) 
  
• Ola Ogunyemi, University of Lincoln (UK) 
  
• Desiree Hill, University of Oklahoma (USA)  

Conflict reporters face unique psychological challenges due to repeated exposure to traumatic events. Traditionally, conflict journalism has focused on reporting from war zones and areas of armed conflict. However, this special issue adopts a broader definition, recognizing that conflict extends beyond armed warfare to include political and societal challenges. We consider conflict journalism to encompass reporting on organized crime, contentious elections, school shootings, and other situations of heightened tension or violence. This expanded view allows us to explore the complex interplay between trauma, resilience, and post-traumatic growth across a wider spectrum of high-stress reporting contexts. We aim to examine the personal, professional, and organizational factors that enable journalists to withstand and recover from traumatic experiences, contributing to the development of effective support strategies for journalists’ mental health and well-being in high-stress environments. Drawing on the concept of “collective resilience” (Dunkel Schetter & Dolbier, 2011) and recent research on resilience in high-stress professions (Fletcher & Sarkar, 2013; Šimunjak, 2023), we seek to understand how resilience can be fostered within conflict journalism. This issue will pay particular attention to the diverse experiences of journalists from different backgrounds, especially those from the Global South and female reporters in conflict zones.  

 Submission Guidelines 

Abstract submission deadline (500 words max and brief author bio -max 100 words)  should be sent no later than December 20, 2024 to traumajournalism@gmail.com  

If an abstract is selected, authors will be invited to submit a full manuscript. 

Full papers  manuscript submission deadline: September 12, 2025

More details on this call are available here.

January 19-24, 2025

Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa

Deadline: November 15, 2024

Greetings colleagues,

I'm organising a summer school in South Africa this January 2025. The school will focus on the significance that rhetoric and discourse has on material environmental change, and thus might might be of interest to many of you and/or your students. The school is a collaboration between the University of Groningen and Stellenbosch University.

During this summer school, participants will study the relationship between discourse, worldview, ontology and ethics, particularly in regard to questions of just sustainability transitions (in particular just water / food / energy nexus transitions). How are arguments for more sustainable ways to live on this planet being mediated to audiences? Who is doing the mediating, and how does the message change, depending on the speaker and audience?

The goal of the week is to learn the impact that discourse has on material culture and then put this into practice by working with societal stakeholders to develop powerful communicative platforms using rhetoric that is both effective and aligns with their underlying values. 

For example, how can an organic farmer, committed to decolonial ecological values, win agricultural grants from the government without resorting to capitalistic rhetoric?

You can learn more and register here: https://www.rug.nl/education/summer-winter-schools/winter_schools/winter-schools-2023-2024/discourses-of-sustainability-transitions/

Feel free to also direct questions to me at r.l.van.der.merwe@rug.nl.

University of Copenhagen

The Department of Communication, Faculty of Humanities at the University of Copenhagen is inviting applications for a tenure track assistant professorship in film studies starting on June 1, 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.

We are looking for a new colleague within film studies who can complement the research environment in film studies at the department. The candidate is expected to have demonstrated a keen interest in film studies as a distinct field of research; bring a solid research profile in film studies; have teaching experience within film studies; and have a good sense of how to contribute to a sound, vibrant, and healthy teaching and research environment.

The Department of Communication is home to approx. 80 faculty members, 35 PhD students, 20 postdocs, 30 part-time lecturers, 20 administrative staff, and 2000 students.  The department annually generates approx. 30 million DKK in external research funding, and it produces research and scholarship that is world leading, and which sets the agenda for many national initiatives and conversations. The department offers seven degree programs: Philosophy, Rhetoric, Education, Film and Media Studies, Communication and IT, Information Studies, and Cognition & Communication educating successful candidates to many sectors and parts of the Danish society and beyond.

The successful applicant to the position will join the Section for Film Studies and Creative Media Industries and is expected to teach within the BA and MA degree program in Film and Media Studies.

Read more about the Department of Communication: Department of Communication – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Read more about the Section for Film Studies and Creative Media Industries: Film studies and creative media industries – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Copenhagen is a highly diverse and international Scandinavian capital with a green profile. Education is free and child-care is subsidized. Public transport is well-developed, and many Copenhageners take their bikes to work. There are lots of green areas in and around Copenhagen, the water in the harbor is clean enough for swimming, and the city has multiple museums and other cultural venues. The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479 and is the largest in Denmark.

Qualification requirements 

A tenure track assistant professorship has a duration of six years. The main responsibilities consist of research, teaching, societal impact activities, departmental operations and administration. The ideal candidate must complete the university’s Teaching and Learning in Higher Education programme. The Department will appoint a mentor for the assistant professor.

At the end of the sixth year of employment, the Dean will set up an assessment committee for the purpose of evaluating the basis for a promotion to associate professor. For more information about tenure track assistant professorships at the University of Copenhagen: Tenure track at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Appointment as a tenure track assistant professor assumes research qualifications at least at Ph.D. level. Candidates must be able to document competences in research as well as teaching. Candidates are expected to document scholarly research production at international level and must demonstrate the potential to make a significant impact in their field at both local and international levels.

Assessment criteria

Candidates deemed within the scope of the position will then have their academic qualifications assessed by an Assessment Committee and is required to describe how their competences match the following criteria: 

• Research qualifications, including the degree of originality and scope of peer-reviewed scientific production; the applicant’s research plan; participation in research environments; and scientific breadth and depth in relation to the position’s academic profile.
  
• Teaching qualifications, including research-based teaching experience and interest in developing their own pedagogic competencies (e.g. documented didactic training).
  
• Experience and competencies in the dissemination of research, external partnerships and other forms of societal impact in the form of media contributions, advice and knowledge-sharing in the public sphere.
  
• Experience of contributing to organisational work, collaborating with others, and generating a vibrant, inclusive, and healthy work environment.
  
• Experience of with applications for external research funding, and plans to apply for external funding.
  

For more information about the University of Copenhagen’s general criteria for the employment of assistant professors, please visit: Criteria for recognising merit – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

For more information about the qualification requirements for assistant professorships, as stipulated in the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities (2019) see:

Ministerial_Order_no._1443_of_11_December_2019_on_Job_Structure_for_Academic_Staff_at_Universities.pdf (ku.dk)

Further information about the position is available from the head of department Jens-Erik Mai, e-mail: il-komm@hum.ku.dk

All applications must be submitted online, in PDF format, via the link “Apply for the position” at the bottom of the page.

Application 

Applications must be written in English and must include the following attachments:  

1. Application letter (max. one page)

2. CV (max. three pages)

3. Documentation of qualifications (exam certificates, PhD diploma, etc.)

4. Publications: Applicants must submit a maximum of five publications for assessment, of which a minimum of two must have been published within the last five years prior to the deadline for applications. The selected publications must be uploaded as attachments and numbered 1–5. If any of the publications have one or more co-authors, applicants must clearly identify the part(s) for which they are responsible. The university may request statements from co-authors on the scope and nature of their contribution to the work.

5. Complete publication list (attached publications must be marked with an asterisk). The list must be structured systematically and divided into the following categories:

6. A research plan that includes a brief description of previous research, current research projects and upcoming research. Applicants are also asked to account for experience with organising research events (workshop, conferences, etc.) and with research collaborations, and participation in research environments both at the local and international levels (max. five pages

7. Teaching portfolio (max. five pages, documentation appendix max. 10 pages), consisting of a factual overview of teaching experience and areas of responsibility, a paper reflecting on own teaching competencies and a documentation appendix.

All applications must be submitted online, in PDF format, via the link “Apply for the position” at the bottom of the page.

Only material in Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and English will be evaluated.

The recruitment process

Once the deadline has expired, the head of department will set an appointment committee consisting of faculty members and a student representative from the department to give advice on the appointment.  The applicants will be selected based on an overall assessment of their match with the department’s recruitment needs and the qualification requirements outlined above. This will be compared with the applicant’s research and teaching profile, as specified in their CV, list of publications, teaching portfolio, and research plan. All applicants will be notified as soon as possible whether they have been shortlisted for evaluation by the Assessment Committee. The selected applicants will be informed about the members of the Assessment Committee and they will be invited to comment on the committee’s assessment of their application before the appointment is announced.

For more information see: Recruitment process – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

Further information about the recruitment procedure is available from HR, e-mail: hrsc@hrsc.dk. Please state case number 211-0226/24-2N #1

Remuneration and terms of employment 

The appointment will be made in accordance with the collective bargaining agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC).

It will be possible to negotiate supplements on the basis of qualifications. For further information about the Faculty of Humanities’ starter pack for tenure track assistant professors, see: Tenure-track employment – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

It is expected that non-Danish speakers, within 3-6 years, will acquire the necessary language skills to teach in Danish-speaking classrooms and meetings. The department will support and help faculty members to acquire knowledge and skills in the Danish language. 

University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their personal backgrounds. For more information on the diverse working place environment at the University and the University’s participation in the HRS4R HR Excellence in Research, see  HR Excellence in Research – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

The University of Copenhagen offers a broad variety of services for international researchers and accompanying families, including support before and during your relocation and career counselling to expat partners. Please find more information about these services as well as information on entering and working in Denmark here: For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

​​​​​​​A special tax scheme is offered to researchers recruited abroad. Please see:  For international researchers at the University of Copenhagen – University of Copenhagen (ku.dk)

The deadline for applications is 23:59 [CET] on December 8, 2024.

Any applications or additional material submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

APPLY NOW

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.

Info

Application deadline: 08-12-2024

Employment start: 01-06-2025

Department/Location: Institut for Kommunikation

Eva Novrup Redvall

• First comprehensive study of film and TV screenwriting and production for children and young audiences
  
• Includes both a historical account from a small nation context and an in-depth discussion of challenges in the 2020s
  
• Offers general accounts as well as case studies of new strategies for working with audience research and co-creation
  

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the writing and production strategies used in live-action fiction film and television produced for children and young audiences, in a period marked by remarkable change in screen consumption. Building on ideas and research from the fields of screenwriting, production, and media industry studies, the book uses case studies of Danish film and television productions targeting children – from toddlers to teenagers – to explore general challenges for reaching young audiences in the multiplatform mediascape, as well as to identify specific screenwriting practices and production frameworks. The study investigates industry notions of children and adolescents as a particular audience, exploring  new methods of grounding productions for them through more inquiry-driven and co-creative writing and production practices, combined with new forms of knowledge-sharing and talent-training initiatives. 

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-67073-2?sap-outbound-id=36F59086A45F9544590878244E0D8D759210F2B6