ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

November 20-21, 2023

ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Avenida das Forças Armadas, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal

Deadline: June 9, 2023

There is a hopeful narrative running through the scholarship around media and communication studies, arguing that the internet and social media are means of enhancing political and civic participation. While to a certain extent this is the case, at least in the earlier internet days, the rise of gigantic, privately owned, digital platforms as major sites for regulating and disciplining contemporary production, consumption, work and play further gestures towards a global entertainification of online cultures. Looking, for instance, at the most popular influencers in Italian media platforms (Miconi, 2023), we can observe a contrast with recent trends in Internet studies arguing that social media play a key role in mobilizing people in civic and wider political terms (e.g., Vaccari & Valeriani 2021). Coaching advice, parodies, food, fashion and sports seem to be overwhelmingly capturing both the imaginary and the production and consumption cultures of the main media platforms at the expense for example, of news and political debate. As data infrastructures that capitalize on the user’s time, labour and attention (Poell, Nieborg, Duffy, 2022), platforms only care about keeping the user in their space; in this regard, the circulation of online entertainment is more appealing than civic debates.

This conference looks at the gendered dimensions of platform economies focusing specifically on how entertainment interweaves with expertise in the construction of contemporary femininities and masculinities. Platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook enable a seemingly democratization of expertise, as anyone could become an expert in any matter possible among niche communities, ranging from wine tasters, perfume specialists, life coaches, fitness trainers, dieticians and health consultants to sex therapists, pick up artists, mindfulness gurus, city guides and gastronomic bloggers. In this context, popular feminism intertwines with popular misogyny as online media give visibility to emancipatory discourses while simultaneously limit the effectiveness of collective action (Banet-Weiser, 2018).

The entertainification of expert knowledge in the 2000s begins with the proliferation of television talent shows, including song, fashion and cooking contests, that brought to the public realm the creative celebrity-expert as an arbiter of good taste. The occupation of cooking, to take one example, from being a behind the scenes, domestic, unpaid, free and feminine labour became, in the form of the celebrity chef, a creative, if not artistic, genius-male endeavor that can potentially lead to stardom. These chefs are presented as having their own unique artistic vision, cosmopolitan identities and cool instagrammable personas. To the abundance of visible professional experts, we can add the widespread micro-expertise of amateurs found online and offline on trivial or nontrivial matters, from how to raise a child to how to grow cactuses.

Aspirational labour and aspirational consumption in media platforms has a strong gendered dimension. Erin Duffy (2017) argues that the aspirational (unpaid) labour of creative entrepreneurs in media platforms is primarily performed by women while aspirational (curated) consumption creates particular fantasies of femininity, masculinity, queerness and other gender identities. At the same time, while platforms can offer visibility to progressive gender causes in public debate, they can instigate a relation of ‘cruel optimism’ vis-a-vis ideal gender constructions, to use Laurent Berlant’s term, as the latter becomes a desirable object which at the same time creates anxieties and frustration by being unrealizable (2012). The exposure of gendered and classed selves to expert entertainment content, from eating food of celebrity chefs to training with fitness gurus, perpetuates a feeling of self-inferiority against gender and class success.

This conference explores gender in the context of expert entertainment cultures in platform economics. We look for 250-word abstracts in the following themes:

• Optimizing gender and sexuality

• Optimizing womanhood and motherhood

• Life coaches, self-help gurus and self-curating

• Manosphere, pick up artists and new masculinities

• Prank videos and sexism

• Queer identities between entrepreneurialism and empowerment

• ‘How-to-Succeed’ guides and cultures

• Growing plants and pets

• The performance of gender in animal videos (cuteness/ strength)

• Confidence culture and the psy-industries

• Feel-good economy, therapeutic cultures and neo-spiritualism

• The gendered self as a project and work of art

• Fitness, beauty and the body

• Discipline and self-restraint

• Amateur and professional labour

• Individualized gendered practices Vs. collective mobilisation

The Advisory Committee is composed by:

• T onny Krijnen (Erasmus University)

• Joke Hermes (Inholland University)

• Sander De Ridder (Ghent University)

• Sofia Caldeira (Lusófona University)

• Cila Willem (Universitat Rovira i Virgil)

• Maria Helena Santos (CIS, ISCTE-Lisbon University Institute)

• Carla Cerqueira (Lusófona University)

The Organising Committee is composed by:

• Panos Kompatsiaris (IULM)

• Claudia Alvares (CIES, ISCTE-Lisbon University Institute)

• Andrea Miconi (IULM)

• Sofie Van Bauwel (Ghent University)

TIMELINE

9 June 2023 - Abstract submission deadline 

14 July 2023 -  Acceptance/Rejection notification 

8 September 2023 -  Registration to the conference 

20-21 November 2023 - Conference in Lisbon

To submit your abstract, please send an email to: conference@eumeplat.eu

Further details and updated information are available here.

About the project

EUMEPLAT – European Media Platforms: assessing positive and negative externalities for European culture is a Research and Innovation project funded under the Horizon 2020 Programme, aiming at investigating the role of media platforms in fostering or dismantling European identity.

Drawing on the assumption that European dimension has rarely been dominant in media history and focusing on the “platformization” process and its positive and negative externalities, the main research question is whether or not the new platforms are making European culture more European.

Through a multidisciplinary approach and the analysis of relevant indicators related to the production and consumption of media contents and to the representation of sensitive issues – namely gender and migration – the research team looks for similarities and specificities on a national, regional and European level. The data and results collected are also investigated to come out with recommendations addressed to the policy-makers on the evolution of the European media landscapes.

The project runs from 1st March 2021 to 29th February 2024 and is carried out by 12 partners from 10 countries: Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione (Italy) // coordinator; Leibniz- Institut für Medienforschung | Hans-Bredow Institut (Germany); New Bulgarian University (Bulgaria); UNIMED – Unione delle Università del Mediterraneo (Italy); Fundacio per a la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Spain); Universiteit Gent (Belgium); Bilkent Universitesi Vakif (Turkey); National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece); Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Portugal); Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia (Italy); Foreningen IKED (Sweden); Univerzita Karlova (Czech Republic).

For more information, please visit the project website and social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube). The main publications produced in the framework of the project are available in the EUMEPLAT Community on Zenodo.

August 7-11, 2023

Locarno, Switzerland

Deadline: June 16, 2023

Do you have a strong interest in documentary filmmaking and searching for an exceptional learning opportunity? If so, the Documentary Summer School (DSS) is the perfect fit for you! 

Currently in its 24th year, DSS is hosted by the Institute of Media and Journalism (IMeG)<http://www.imeg.com.usi.ch/en> at the University of Lugano (Università della Svizzera Italiana<https://www.usi.ch/en>), along with the Locarno Film Festival<https://www.locarnofestival.ch/en/LFF/home> and the Semaine de la Critique<https://www.locarnofestival.ch/LFF/locarno75/film-sections/semaine-de-la-critique.html>. As always, DSS will bring together experts from academia and the film industry to collaborate, exchange valuable insights, explore fresh concepts, and collectively contemplate the future of documentary filmmaking. 

Registration for the Documentary Summer School 2023 is now open, and we encourage you to submit your application by June 16, 2023. 

With 30 available spots, we recommend that you carefully review all the necessary information provided on this page before completing and submitting your application to dss@usi.ch<mailto:dss@usi.ch>. This will help streamline the process and ensure that you don't miss any important details. 

What is the Documentary Summer School? 

* Established 24 years ago, the DSS offers an exceptional opportunity to meet and learn from globally renowned scholars and filmmakers while soaking up the atmosphere of one of the world's most prestigious film festivals. 

* The DSS program offers a one-of-a-kind experience that includes five half days of engaging lectures and carefully selected films from the prestigious Semaine de la Critique and the Festival's International Competition. By participating in this program, you will have the opportunity to engage in a stimulating exchange between the academic and film communities, immersing yourself in a dynamic dialogue that spans a wide range of topics - from theoretical reflection to creative practice. 

* At DSS, we are dedicated to showcasing the immense potential that hybrid projects - which bring together academia and film practices - can offer to both communities. Our program achieves this by drawing on the insights of renowned film scholars and filmmakers, whose contributions help to bridge the gap between these two domains and generate meaningful benefits for all involved. 

* The DSS strives to emphasize the advantages of hybrid projects that benefit both communities by tapping into the knowledge of world-renowned film scholars and filmmakers. 

* Over the years, we have been honored to host a diverse array of distinguished speakers, including Andrea Segre (an award-winning director who has directed more than 20 films in the documentary and fiction genre), Nevina Satta (managing director of the Sardegna Film Commission and secretary general of the European Film Commission), Till Brockmann (head of the Semaine de la Critique, the independent section of the Locarno Film Festival, organized by the Swiss Association of Film Journalists), Rula Jebreal (journalist, novelist and award-winning screenwriter), Alessandro Comodin (director, screenwriter, and editor of the documentary "Gigi the Law"), Arthur Jafa (American cinematographer), Brian Winston (Emmy winner for the documentary screenplay) and many others! 

Do I fit the bill for the Documentary Summer School? 

If the following criteria resonate with you, then the DSS would be an excellent opportunity for you to explore: 

* I am a university or film school student. 

* I am an emerging filmmaker. 

* I possess a proficient command of the English language, which is vital for interacting with fellow project participants and the various guests at DSS. 

* I have a profound interest in documentary filmmaking. 

* I am eager to engage proactively with experts and colleagues from around the world. 

Which documents are required in the application process? 

To apply for the DSS, we require the following documents: 

* Your resume in English 

* A brief motivational letter (max 600 words) outlining your enthusiasm for documentary filmmaking and the reasons behind your decision to apply to DSS. It is critical for us to understand your interest in this opportunity. 

* A passport-sized digital photograph of yourself, which is necessary for your festival accreditation in the event of selection. 

Please ensure that you submit all required documents, as incomplete applications will not be considered during the selection process for DSS participants. 

Which dates should I remember? 

Here are the key dates to keep in mind: 

* The deadline to submit your application is June 16, 2023. 

* By June 25, 2023, you will receive a response regarding your application to the program. This response will inform you of whether you have been accepted into the program, placed on a waiting list, or unfortunately not selected for participation. 

* The Documentary Summer School will take place from August 7-11, 2023, during which you will participate in various events and activities. 

What does the Documentary Summer School in Locarno offer if I get selected? 

Participating in the DSS in Locarno will be a unique and rewarding experience. 

The participation fee of CHF 600 includes: 

* Overnight accommodation, including breakfast, at the Locarno Youth Hostel<https://www.youthhostel.ch/en/hostels/locarno/> from August 6-12, in a shared room with another participant (shared unisex bathroom). 

* An accreditation that grants access to all Locarno Film Festival screenings. 

* Five days of lectures with a diverse international faculty of film scholars and professionals. * 

* Exclusive Q&A sessions with filmmakers from the festival as well as those selected for the Semaine de la Critique. 

* Networking events and opportunities to connect with individuals from around the world. 

* A certificate of participation. 

* Undergraduate students can earn 3 ECTS credits through their participation in the program. 

The only additional expenses are travel to and from Locarno and meals (apart from breakfast, which is included in the participation fee). 

If this meets your requirements, please send your application to dss@usi.ch<mailto:dss@usi.ch>. 

Organizing Committee 

Dr. Eleonora Benecchi is a lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Media and Journalism at the University of Lugano, Switzerland. She specializes in Audiovisual Theory and Production, Digital Cultures, and Social Media Management. Her research and publications focus on fandom and audiovisual culture. 

Dr. Stefano Guerini Rocco is a research fellow at the University of Bologna and also lectures at the Catholic University of Milan and the SAE Institute of Milan. He has been selected as a curator for the ORLANDO festival programming, and his work as an author of documentary projects has been recognized through selection for the Biennale College in 2018 and the IDS Academy Series in 2021. 

2nd June 2023

Niš, Republic of Serbia

Deadline: May 20, 2023

The third international scientific conference

The Communication and Journalism Department invites you to the international scientific conference “Media and the Challenges of Modern Society in 2023”, which will take place this year on June 2 in a hybrid format (online and live). We are honored to have an opening Keynote Speaker at our conference, Max Ryynänen, Principal University Lecturer, Theory of Visual Culture, University of Aalto, Finland. The title of his virtual presentation is "Seeing With The Body, Hearing With The Body: Notes on the Somaesthetics of Media". 

We are observing the rapid advancement of synthetic media and artificial intelligence, as well as their misuse, such as the addition of desired audio and video to celebrities, the possibility of posthumous voting, the use of artificial intelligence for profit, the escalation of fake news, the influence on voters in elections, etc. All of this raises concerns about privacy and respect. In the domain of media, including media creation, ownership, licensing, and verification, significant change is anticipated. Recently, a petition asking for a six-month pause in artificial intelligence development was signed by 100 international scholars. “Major risks for humanity” are mentioned in that appeal. A more potent technology than ChatGPT-4, which was introduced in mid-March, is mentioned in the plea, and the worry that emerges is the proliferation of fake news, the automation of jobs, and the evolution of intelligence superior to that of humans.

 The organizers of this conference hope to bring together experts in the fields of communication, culture, and related fields to share their expertise and experience. The conference's main themes this year are the difficulties that society and the media face in the age of digital technologies, and they are as follows:

• Artificial intelligence and media
  
• Synthetic media and their misuse
  
• Use of artificial intelligence in propaganda
  
• Traditional media in the age of digital technologies
  
• Digital and media literacy
  
• Media and privacy
  
• Public service media
  
• Legal regulation of the media
  
• Media ethics in the digital environment
  
• Philosophy and media
  
• Popular culture and aesthetics
  
• Social media, digital platforms and media
  

The working languages at the conference are Serbian and English.

Application

Application that should contain the following information:

• Name(s) and surname(s) of author(s)
  
• Affiliation
  
• The first author’s email address
  
• title of the paper
  
• abstract (250 words maximum)
  
• key words (5 maximum)
  

send to the email address: misd@filfak.ni.ac.rs

The application can be submitted by 20th May /2023. On May 25, 2023, submissions that have arrived by the specified deadline will all receive feedback regarding their participation.

Paper publishing

Papers with positive evaluations will be included in a 2023 edition of the journal “Media Studies and Applied Ethics”, issued by the Faculty of Philosophy Niš. The journal is on the list of categorized journals of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, and is indexed in ERIH PLUS. English-language papers must be submitted by August 15th 2023.

Instructions for writing these papers are available at the following link: https://izdanja.filfak.ni.ac.rs/casopisi/2021/media-studies-and-applied-ethics-vol-ii-no-1-2021

Registration fee

For participation in the conference, there is a registration fee of 6000 RSD/50 EUR. Registration fees in dinars should be transferred to the giro account of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš 840-1818666-89, call number 74212142. Instructions for payments in euros are attached. A dinner will be organized as part of the conference. It is optional and the price for the dinner is 3000 RSD/25 EUR.

When registering, please make sure to let us know whether you are interested in the dinner as well. 

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need additional details: 

Department of Communication and Journalism        

Faculty of Philosophy in Niš                                                    

Ćirila i Metodija 2, 18000 Niš, Republic of Serbia        

misd@filfak.ni.ac.rs 

Comunicação Pública

Deadline: June 15, 2023

Comunicação Pública, an online academic journal of the School of Communication and Media Studies, hereby invites members of the academic community and researchers to submit proposals for thematic dossiers for publication in the forthcoming numbers of the Journal (2024-2025).

1. Submission of proposals

Dossier proposals should contain the following items:

1.1. name, title, and institutional affiliation of the organizer(s);

1.2. curricular data of the proponents (maximum 100 words);

1.3. abstract in English and Portuguese (maximum of 600 characters);

1.4. description of the proposal (up to 3500 characters), including the following elements: - title (in Portuguese and English);

- intended focus and objectives;

- justification of relevance;

- list of relevant bibliographic references about the theme (no more than 10);

- a list of relevant subthemes.

Proposals should be submitted in .doc or .docx format for cpublica@escs.ipl.pt (Subject: Dossier proposal - 2024-2025 selection) until 23:59 on June 15, 2023

2. Assessment criteria

2.1. The dossier organizers must have a PhD and recognized leadership in their area. 2.2. The proposals received will be analysed by the Editorial Committee of Comunicação

Pública according to the criteria of this notice.

2.3. The following will be considered as assessment criteria:

- originality, especially in relation to dossiers already published in other volumes of the journal;

- relevance of the proposal to academic discussions;

- clarity and coherence;

- the scope of the proposed theme, in order to foster the national and international diversity of the articles;

- relevance to the editorial policy of the Journal (https://journals.ipl.pt/cpublica/Projedit).

2.4. Proposals which do not comply with the criteria of the submission guidelines will be excluded (https://journals.ipl.pt/cpublica/about/submissions).

2.5. The Editorial Board will be responsible for the evaluation of dossiers and disclosure of results until September 15, 2023.

3. Evaluation process of dossier proposals and related articles

3.1. Once the dossiers have been approved, Comunicação Pública will make a public call for articles on the themes of the approved dossiers.

3.2. The first stage of the evaluation, the selection of articles pertaining to each dossier, will be under the responsibility of the organizer with the supervision of the Editorial Board.

3.3. The second stage of evaluation, concerning the merit of the articles, will follow the same dynamic of individual articles published by Comunicação Pública (double blind refereeing).

3.4. The third stage, under the responsibility of the organizer, with the supervision of the Editorial Board, is the assembly of the dossier and the respective presentation (introduction);

3.5. Once approved, all dossiers and articles will go into production regardless of the publication order established by the Editorial Board. This standard aims to protect the journal from delays and cancellations.

4. Attributes of the organizers of dossiers approved for publication

It is the responsibility of the organizer (s) of the dossier to:

4.1. publicize the dossier and encourage contributions;

4.2. participate, together with the Editorial Board, in the selection of articles to submit to double blind refereeing;

4.3. prepare a presentation text that problematizes, from the academic point of view, the chosen theme, and frame the selected articles;

4.4. organize the final version of the dossier, with the supervision of the Editorial Board; 4.5. inform the editors about any unforeseen events related to publication.

5. Editorial policy related to the dossiers

5.1. Dossier articles will be submitted to peer review, obeying the same rules of individual articles in accordance with publication submission guidelines (https://journals.ipl.pt/cpublica/about/submissions).

5.2. The Editorial Board is responsible for choosing the publication dates for the dossiers within the given time frame.

5.4. The dossier to be published should obtain at least three articles with favourable peer reviews;

5.5. In case the publication of any of the approved dossiers is not possible, the next one will be invited, and so on if necessary;

5.6. The approved articles of the cancelled dossiers may be published as individual articles to mitigate the problems arising from the cancellation.

5.7. Omissive cases will be analysed by the Editorial Board.

Anne Kaun and Fredrik Stiernstedt

MIT Press

https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262545495/prison-media/

How prisoners serve as media laborers, while the prison serves as a testing ground for new media technologies.

Prisons are not typically known for cutting-edge media technologies. Yet from photography in the nineteenth century to AI-enhanced tracking cameras today, there is a long history of prisons being used as a testing ground for technologies that are later adopted by the general public. If we recognize the prison as a central site for the development of media technologies, how might that change our understanding of both media systems and carceral systems? Prison Media foregrounds the ways in which the prison is a model space for the control and transmission of information, a place where media is produced, and a medium in its own right.

Examining the relationship between media and prison architecture, as surveillance and communication technologies are literally built into the facilities, this study also considers the ways in which prisoners themselves often do hard labor as media workers—labor that contributes in direct and indirect ways to the latest technologies developed and sold by multinational corporations like Amazon. There is a fine line between ankle monitors and Fitbits, and Prison Media helps us make sense of today's carceral society.

Special Issue of Communication, Culture & Critique (September 2024)

Extended Abstracts Deadline (about 1,500 words, excluding references): 1st June, 2023

Complete Manuscript Deadline (max. 7000 words, including references): 1st Sept, 2023

Publication Date: September 2024

Co-Editors: Yener Bayramoğlu, Łukasz Szulc, Radhika Gajjala

Extended abstracts should be emailed to: y.bayramoglu@mmu.ac.uk, lukasz.szulc@manchester.ac.uk & radhik@bgsu.edu (include all email addresses).

Queer cultures have long been transnational. People not conforming to traditional gender and sexual roles have long exchanged letters, magazines, or films across borders and traveled to different places to fulfill themselves or meet others (Loist, 2018; Szulc, 2018).

In times of rapid technological developments, large migration flows, and intense cross-cultural exchange, queer connections take on new forms and meanings that develop at the intersection of intertwined scales: urban, regional, national, continental, and global; physical and digital (Friedman, 2017; Pain, 2022; Ramos & Mowlabocus, 2020).

While exciting new research into queer digital cultures has been growing exponentially in the last three decades—including works that go beyond the dominant Anglo-American and Eurocentric perspectives—most academic studies on the topic fall within the confines of national case studies. Nations have not faded into oblivion in the 21st century as they continue to shape the legislative, political, and social conditions, and provide meaningful cultural contexts for queer lives. However, other scales—as well as their imbrication—remain equally important; especially now when, arguably, digital technologies accelerate the transnational interactions and transformations of culture (Brunton, 2022; Szulc, 2023).

Rethinking digital queer cultures from the vantage point of the transnational inevitably foregrounds the modes of becoming beyond gender and sexual identity. The transnational perspective does not only bring questions of how queerness is imagined, experienced, and practiced through digital media across time and space but also how it is entangled with postcoloniality and digital border regimes (Bayramoğlu & Lünenborg, 2018; Boston, 2016; Shield, 2019). As the worrying developments in several countries over the last decade have shown, digital media open doors for equally transnational and digital mobilizations fueled by anti-queer and anti-trans ideologies, racism, and hate speech (Nash & Browne, 2020; Righetti, 2021). Moreover, digital media technologies turn queer lifeworlds into data (Bivens, 2017; Guyan, 2022), ready to be used and abused by national state institutions, international organizations, and multinational corporations.

This Special Issue will address the ambivalences of contemporary queer cultures by zooming in on their intrinsic transnational and digital condition. We invite research-based, theoretically informed, and critically oriented contributions on queer digital cultures that go beyond methodological nationalism. Single or comparative national case studies are welcome insofar as they contextualize the national in relation to other relevant scales of analysis. We seek contributions that highlight the importance of queer transnational cultures, especially in contexts that are underrepresented in Anglophone academia, and that challenge the tendencies towards universalizing digital queer cultures of the Global North.  

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Global platforms, infrastructures, and data affecting queer cultures
  
• Queer transnational counterpublics and safe spaces on the internet
  
• Queer digital activism and solidarity across national borders
  
• Hybridization and creolization of queer cultures through digital media
  
• Queer content creators and their international audiences
  
• Queers’ use of local, national, and global social media platforms and apps
  
• Queer films, shows, and videos on transnational digital media platforms
  
• Queering digital diaspora, digital border, and migration
  
• Mediated transnational and migrant cultures of sex, romance, and dating
  
• Digital gender diversity, trans cultures, and anti-trans campaigns
  
• Digital media and queers in times of conflicts, disasters, and displacements
  
• Race, ethnicity, nationality, language, and religion in queer digital cultures
  
• Postcolonial and decolonial perspectives on queer digital cultures
  

Yener Bayramoğlu (he/him) is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom. His research focuses on queer migration, digital media, communication history, borders, hate speech, and disinformation. His current work explores media practices of belonging within queer diaspora. He is the author of Queere Un/Sichtbarkeiten (Queer In/Visibilities: The History of Queer Representation in Turkish and German Tabloid Journalism) and co-author of Post/pandemisches Leben (Post/Pandemic Life: A New Theory of Fragility), both published in Germany. His work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals including Media, Culture & Society and Ethnic & Racial Studies.

Łukasz Szulc (he/him) is a Senior Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Digital Media and Culture at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. He specializes in critical and cultural studies of digital media at the intersections of gender, sexuality, and transnationalism. His publications include a monograph Transnational Homosexuals in Communist Poland: Cross-Border Flows in Gay and Lesbian Magazines (Palgrave, 2018), an edited collection LGBTQs, Media, and Culture in Europe (Routledge, 2016), and articles in such journals as Communication Theory, New Media & Society, and Social Media + Society. Łukasz sat on the board of directors at the International Communication Association (ICA) and was a co-chair of ICA’s LGBTQ Studies interest group between 2017 and 2021. He is a member of editorial boards at the International Journal of Cultural Studies, International Journal of Communication, and Communication, Culture & Critique.

Radhika Gajjala (she/her) is a Professor of Media and Communication and of American Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University, United States. Her books include: Digital Diasporas: Labor and Affect in Gendered Indian Digital Publics (2019), Online Philanthropy in the Global North and South: Connecting, Microfinancing, and Gaming for Change (2017), Cyberculture and the Subaltern (Lexington Press, 2012), and Cyberselves: Feminist Ethnographies of South Asian Women (Altamira, 2004). She has co-edited collections on Cyberfeminism 2.0 (2012), Global Media Culture and Identity (2011), South Asian Technospaces (2008) and Webbing Cyberfeminist Practice (2008). She has been co-editor of the journal Ada: A Journal of Gender and New Media and continues with the Fembot Collective as Managing Editor. She is currently working on a book with Rutgers Press on Global South Activist Digital Publics.

Detailed Publication Timeline

• 1st June 2023 - Deadline for extended abstracts (1,500 words)
  
• 15th June 2023- SI editors get back to authors with decisions 
  
• 1st September 2023 - Deadline for the first full drafts sent to SI editors (7,000 words)
  
• 1st October 2023SI editors get back to authors with feedback
  
• 1st December 2023 - Deadline for the final submission to the journal
  
• September 2024 - Publication date
  

References

Bayramoğlu, Yener & Lünenborg, Margreth (2018). Queer migration and digital affects: Refugees navigating from the Middle East via Turkey to Germany. Sexuality & Culture, 22(4), 1019-1036.

Bivens, Rena (2017). The gender binary will not be deprogrammed: Ten years of coding gender on Facebook. New Media & Society, 19(6), 880-898.

Boston, Nicholas (2016). Libidinal cosmopolitanism: The case of digital sexual encounters in postenlargement Europe. In: S. Ponzanesi, and G. Colpani (Eds.) Postcolonial Transitions in Europe: Contexts, Practices and Politics (pp. 291–312). Rowman & Littlefield.

Brunton, Douglas-Wade (2022). The digital Creole. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 25(5), 492-499.

Friedman, Elisabeth Jay (2017). Interpreting the Internet: Feminist and Queer Counterpublics in Latin America. University of California Press.

Guyan, Kevin (2022). Queer Data: Using Gender, Sex and Sexuality Data for Action. Bloomsbury.

Loist, Skadi (2018). Crossover dreams: Global circulation of queer film on the film festival circuits. Diogenes, 62(1), 57-72.

Nash, Catherine Jean & Browne, Kath (2020). Heteroactivism: Resisting Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Rights and Equalities. Zed Books.

Pain, Paromita (Ed.) (2022). LGBTQ Digital Cultures: A Global Perspective. Routledge.

Ramos, Regner & Mowlabocus, Sharif (Eds.) (2020). Queer Sites in Global Contexts: Technologies, Spaces and Otherness. Routledge.

Righetti, Nicola (2021). The anti-gender debate on social media. A computational communication science analysis of networks, activism, and misinformation. Comunicazione Politica, 23(2), 223-250.

Shield, Andrew DJ (2019). Immigrants on Grindr: Race, Sexuality and Belonging Online. Palgrave Macmillan.

Szulc, Łukasz (2018). Transnational Homosexuals in Communist Poland: Cross-Border Flows in Gay and Lesbian Magazines. Palgrave Macmillan.

Szulc, Łukasz (2023). Culture is transnational. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 26(1), 3-15.

October 25-27, 2023

Filmuniversität Potsdam Babelsberg 

Extended submission deadline: May 21, 2023 

The ECREA Television Studies section's 2023 conference will discuss how John T. Caldwell's 1995 concept "televisuality" can be redefined within the contemporary context, where broadcast is transformed and complemented by streaming, where social networks are increasingly becoming video-based social media, where television texts are "unbound" and float as remixed cultural artefacts across channels, platforms, and media, and where the transnational interconnections of the television and audiovisual industry, the conditions of economic and social crisis, and the changing audience practices are thoroughly transforming the medium. 

Confirmed Keynote 

Dr. Karin van Es (Associate Professor, Utrecht University): "(Re)Claiming Television: Myths and Horseless Carriages" 

Read more: https://ecrea.eu/event-5225690 

USI Università della Svizzera italiana in Lugano (Switzerland) 

The Institute of Media and Journalism (IMeG) in the Faculty of Communication Sciences at USI (Università della Svizzera italiana) invites applications for 1 fully-funded PhD position (4 years), supervised by Prof. Gabriele Balbi. Applications received before 5 June 2023 will be given priority. However, applications will be received until the position is filled. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online interview in June/July 2023.

The PhD

PhD candidate will be expected to design and carry out research in the field of media and communication history, with a specific focus on maintenance of communication infrastructures and maintenance of media in diachronic perspective. Maintenance can be declined in different perspectives: politics of maintenance and the relation to power, economics and business of maintenance for private companies, the social construction of “maintenance cultures”, the persistence and longue durée of communication technologies because of maintenance, the lack of maintenance and the abandonment of communication infrastructures, and others. The candidates should advance their theoretical framework, timeframes, methodological angles, and case studies. They will be discussed during the interview and later can be refined and changed during the research.

The PhD should author and present papers at conferences and write a monography or cumulative PhD consisting of three peer reviewed journal articles.

She/he will also be expected to provide support for the activities at IMeG, including support for teaching, research projects, service, and organization of events. Specifically, the candidate will be engaged in the “Global Media and Internet Concentration Project”, of which the Institute is the Swiss partner (see https://search.usi.ch/it/progetti/2634/global-media-and-internet- concentration-project). 

Candidates’ profile

• Excellent English skills;
  
• Final score in the Master programme of 8 or higher (on a 10-point scale);
  
• Masters’ degree in Communication, Media studies, History of technology, Innovation studies, and related fields;
  
• Ability to work in group, to present at conferences, and to be flexible in terms of time management and skills;
  
• Knowledge of Italian has to be reached by a maximum of two years.
  

Contract terms

The position is internally financed and the salary levels correspond to those set by the Swiss National Science Foundation for PhD researchers.

PhD scholarships are subject to annual review and successful completion of a progress report. Workplace is USI Università della Svizzera italiana, located in Lugano, Switzerland. Availability to travel to other parts of Switzerland and abroad (for purposes of collaboration and research) is required. The starting date is 1 October 2023.

The Application

Application should contain

1)        a letter in which the applicants describe their research interests and the motivation to apply;

2)        a complete CV;

3)        the names and contact information of two referees;

4)        university grade transcripts and certificates;

5)        a 2-page PhD research project in the field of maintenance of communication and the media in historical perspective. The research proposal should include: a summary; most relevant existing literature on the topic; main research question(s); proposed methodology; case study the candidate plans to focus on;

6)        an electronic copy of a research work (Master thesis or another scientific publication).

Please send your application in electronic form as a single PDF or request for further information to prof. Gabriele Balbi, gabriele.balbi@usi.ch.

For more information and the complete call see: https://content.usi.ch/sites/default/files/storage/attachments/imeg/imeg-bando-phd-mediahistory-2023.pdf?_gl=1*1dt53b6*_ga*NzUxNjM1NjQ3LjE2NjU3MzkyNjQ.*_ga_89Y0EEKVWP*MTY4MzExNDM1MS4xNzcuMS4xNjgzMTE1MTM3LjYwLjAuMA..&_ga=2.114456071.149177869.1682970987-751635647.1665739264

Charles University in Prague

The Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University announces a competition for an academic staff member at the Department of Journalism of the Institute of Communication 

Studies and Journalism of the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University.  

Job description: 

• Teaching in the field of journalism/communication studies with a focus on qualitative 
  
• analysis in the area of research on journalists (focus groups, ethnographic research, in-depth interviews, etc.), 
  
• Pinvolvement in organisational of the department and joint projects, 
  
• creative application of the results of academic research into the teaching activities of the department, 
  
• own creative activity, publications in reputational academic journals or book publishers, 
  
• serving on committees, supervising students and assessing student work. 
  

We require: 

• at least a doctoral degree (Ph.D.), 
  
• at least three years of teaching experience in journalism/communication studies 
  
• high quality independent creative scholarship with references to examples of such scholarship 
  
• communicative knowledge of Czech (or Slovak) or the ability to reach this level within one year of recruitment, 
  
• excellent knowledge of English (for teaching and writing academic articles). 
  

We offer: 

• working time 0,5 (20 hours per week), 
  
• expected start date 1 September 2023, 
  
• employee benefits. 
  

The application must include: 

• an academic CV, including a summary of publications, 
  
• a copy of proof of highest level of education, 
  
• a motivation letter with an idea of involvement in teaching and creative activities in the department. 
  

Interested applicants should send their applications by May 22, 2023 to the e-mail address: 

kariera@fsv.cuni.cz or to the mailroom of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Smetanovo nábřeží 6, Prague 1, 110 01, marked "Academic Staff of the Department of Journalism IKSŽ". 

Special Issue Call for Paper and Workshop

Manchester, UK

13th October 2023

We are delighted to issue a call for papers for a special issue of Media and Communications (IF 3.043) on the topic: ‘Data-Driven Campaigning in a Comparative Context: Toward a 4th Era of Political Communication?’

As part of this special issue, we are convening a workshop at the University of Manchester on Friday 13th October. The workshop will involve a talk and dinner on the evening of Thursday 12th followed by a day-long workshop on Friday 13th   between 9am-17pm. There will be an opportunity for remote presentations/ participation online. 

Please find the call for papers below. If you would like to participate in the workshop then please email a short 250 word abstract to Dr Andrew Barclay (a.barclay@sheffield.ac.uk) by July 1st 2023. We have some funds available to assist with the cost of travel and accommodation (depending on the number of participants). Please let us know when submitting your abstract if you will require financial support to attend.

Call for papers

The 2012 US Presidential campaign of Barack Obama was seen as a launch point for a new model of electioneering, one that was driven by scientific modelling, big data, and computational analytics. Since then reports of the spread and power of data-driven campaigning (DDC) have escalated, with the victory of Donald Trump and the Brexit vote commonly attributed to the use of these new techniques. Contrasting accounts, however, have emerged that challenge this narrative in several key ways. Notably, questions have been raised about what is the extent of adopting DDC among political parties, particularly outside of the US. How new is it in historical terms? And how effective is it in actually reaching the target audience and delivering the behavioural change required?

This thematic issue will set out and investigate the key debates surrounding the growth of DDC from comparative and historical perspectives. Specifically, we will highlight a series of core questions that the current literature has both raised and is seeking to resolve. Namely:

1. How widespread is DDC adoption across national party systems, and relatedly, does it look the same across different contexts? Is there a one size fits all version or is it adapted to local conditions, and if so, in what way?
   
2. How disruptive is DDC to modern campaigning? Does it represent a new fourth era of “scientific” and/or “subversive” approaches to voter mobilization? Or is it a more “modernizing” force that simply intensifies ongoing trends of professionalization?
   
3. Does DDC actually work? How far are the claims for precision in targeting and attitudinal and behavioural change supported by the evidence “on the ground”?
   
4. What is to be done? To what extent does DDC warrant scrutiny from governments and closer regulation?
   

We invite original submissions from authors that address these questions from theoretical and empirical perspectives and from differing disciplinary backgrounds. In addition to political scientists, we encourage scholars from related disciplinary fields such as psychology, law, business and marketing, and data science to contribute. Methodologically, we welcome both qualitative and quantitative approaches to the topic. We are particularly interested to receive papers that advance new methodological approaches to address these questions e.g., studies linking surveys and other forms of observational digital and trace data, social media network analysis, and machine learning techniques for visual analysis.

The timetable for inclusion in the special issue is as follows:

Submission of Abstracts: 1-15 December 2023

Submission of Full Papers: 15-30 April 2024

Publication of the Issue: October/December 2024

Further information about the special issue can be found here: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/pages/view/nextissues#DataCampaigns