ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

Arab Media & Society

Deadline: January 15, 2025

Arab Media & Society, the biannual journal of the Kamal Adham Center for Television and Digital Journalism in the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the American University in Cairo, is seeking submissions for our next issue on “Media & Conflict”.

The Arab world has been deeply affected by conflict and war. This complicated history positions the region as a crucial case study to examine the intricate relationship between media and conflict. Throughout the Arab world, the media landscape significantly shapes public opinion, controls narratives, and propagates ideological messages during times of conflict. This system of mediation includes state-controlled outlets, independent voices, alternative platforms, and other media outlets. Whether covering long-standing geopolitical struggles—like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—or more recent conflicts involving Syria, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Algeria, and Morocco, the media plays a central role in constructing and broadcasting narratives surrounding these conflicts, which shapes our conception of these momentous events.

In recent years, the proliferation of digital media has infused novel complexity into the media-conflict dynamic. The rise of social media platforms, the ubiquity of smart devices, as well as the ease and instantaneous speed that content can be shared has fundamentally altered how conflicts are reported, perceived, and engaged with by both local and global audiences. Digital media has empowered grassroot movements, introduced novel forms of mis/disinformation, and altered the relationship between the public, the media, and state institutions. In a region where narratives are tightly controlled, digital media has disrupted traditional hierarchies while enabling new actors the capacity to reinforce or challenge established conflict narratives.

Issue 38 of Arab Media & Society aims to examine the role of media—both traditional and digital—through the lens of conflict in the Arab world. As such, we seek to explore the intersections of traditional and digital media with technology, ideology, and geopolitics by encouraging submissions that address how various forms of media (re)shape conflict narratives, media practices, and public engagement with war and conflict.

Media and Conflict in the Arab World

Media and conflict are inseparable in the Arab world. Traditional media outlets—television, radio, and newspapers—are longstanding tools used by state and non-state actors to shape public opinion and construct ideological narratives during times of conflict. While these remain potent means of producing and disseminating narratives, the advent of digital media has drastically altered this formerly entrenched media landscape. The proliferation of social media platforms, online news outlets, and digital forums allow for faster, more diverse, and often unfiltered dissemination of information. As a result, conflicts are no longer simply reported in this new media environment, they are experienced, shared, and amplified through digital networks in real-time.

The rapid proliferation of digital media has established new mechanisms—for both state and non-state actors—that exert tremendous influence upon conflict dynamics in the Arab world. Governments increasingly rely on digital media as a tool to disseminate propaganda, psychological warfare, and engender domestic and/or international support. Simultaneously, grassroots movements, citizen journalists, and alternative media outlets utilize digital platforms to challenge official narratives, document human rights abuses, and mobilize resistance to state violence.

The widespread availability of smartphones, in combination with the power of social media, has transformed previously voiceless citizens into potential content producers. These novel digital networks have precipitated an unprecedented level of public engagement with both war and conflict. Images and videos depicting violence, suffering, and resistance circulate online and (re)shape how conflicts are perceived within the Arab world and globally. However, these platforms also provide a fertile breeding ground for disinformation, deepfakes, and the manipulation of public opinion, which may exacerbate existing tensions and fuel conflict. Given these developments, it is imperative to critically examine the role of all media—traditional, broadcast, and digital—in the (re)construction of conflict narratives, the mobilization of actors, and the transformation of media practices in the Arab world.

This issue seeks contributions that engage both theoretical and/or empirical approaches to better understand how media is transforming conflict dynamics, media practices, and public perceptions in the region. We invite scholars to explore the complex and evolving relationship between media and conflict in the Arab world.

Themes and Topics of Interest

Submissions may address the following themes, which aims to provide a broad framework for investigating media and conflict in the Arab world. Please note, this list of suggestions is not exhaustive. Submissions may be qualitative or quantitative as we encourage interdisciplinary approaches and critical analyses.

• The role of media in (re)framing conflict narratives: How do different media platforms shape narratives involving war and conflict in the Arab world? What are the dominant frames and how do they influence public opinion and/or policy decisions?
  
• Propaganda and disinformation in the media: How are state and non-state actors exploiting media to disseminate disinformation, propaganda, and psychological warfare? What tools are employed to manipulate public opinion and fuel conflict through traditional and/or digital platforms?
  
• Citizen journalism and grassroots media in conflict zones: What role do citizen journalists and alternative media outlets play in documenting and reporting conflicts? How do they challenge or reinforce official narratives and what impact do they have on the public’s perception of conflict?
  
• Ethical and legal challenges of reporting conflict: What are the ethical considerations for journalists, activists, ordinary citizens, and media outlets when documenting conflict? How do legal frameworks in the Arab world impact the ability of media to report on conflicts freely and accurately?
  
• The visual economy of war: How do images of violence, suffering, and resistance circulate through various media platforms? What are their psychological, cultural, and political impacts on audiences? How does the visual representation of war differ between traditional and digital media?
  
• Social media and the mobilization of conflict actors: How are social media platforms used by conflict actors to mobilize support, recruit fighters, and spread ideological messages? What role do digital networks play in (re)shaping the strategies of both state and non-state actors in conflict zones?
  
• Media coverage of humanitarian crises in conflict: How do media platforms cover the humanitarian aspects of conflict, such as displacement, refugee crises, and human rights violations? How do these platforms contribute to or detract from international humanitarian interventions?
  
• Safety in conflict zones: How has the rise of digital media impacted the safety and security of journalists, citizens, activists, and media workers in conflict zones? What new risks do digital platforms pose and what strategies can be employed to mitigate these risks?
  
• Media, public trust, and conflict: How do media platforms influence public trust in media outlets during times of conflict? How do audiences navigate misinformation and disinformation? What strategies can be employed to restore trust in conflict reporting?
  
• Gender and conflict reporting through media: How is the gendered dimension of conflict represented in media? What challenges do female journalists and activists face in reporting on conflict? How is the impact of conflict on women and marginalized groups portrayed?
  

Suggested Areas of Research:

• The role of media in shaping narratives of war and conflict.
  
• The authority of official/alternative narratives in conflict reporting.
  
• The circulation of propaganda and disinformation via media during conflict.
  
• The role of citizen journalism and alternative media in conflict zones.
  
• The ethical dilemmas in reporting conflict.
  
• The visual representation of war and violence across media platforms.
  
• The use of media for the mobilization of conflict actors.
  
• Humanitarian crises and the coverage of atrocities by media.
  
• The impact of digital media on journalistic safety in conflict zones.
  
• Public relations and crisis/conflict news management.
  
• The public trust/distrust in media during times of conflict.
  
• Gendered reporting of conflict across media.
  
• Censorship and media freedom in Arab conflict zones.
  
• The role of media in post-conflict peacebuilding efforts.
  
• The use of dehumanizing language or demonizing adversaries via media.
  
• The role of media as it pertains to inciting conflict and fostering peace and reconciliation.
  
• The role of diaspora and exile communities in shaping media narratives.
  
• The rise of disinformation and its impact on conflict resolution.
  
• Comparative analysis of traditional versus digital media in covering Arab conflicts.
  
• The intersection of media, ethics, and law in conflict reporting.
  

The above list is a non-exhaustive set for suggested areas of research. We welcome contributions that explore other dimensions related to media and conflict in the Arab region.

Deadline for Submissions

Authors interested in submitting their research for peer-review consideration must submit manuscripts by January 15, 2025.

Other submissions, including book and conference reviews, shorter (non-peer reviewed) research papers, and columns, should be submitted by January 31, 2025.

Submission Guidelines

All submissions must be in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx), adhere to the Chicago Manual of Style, and have a maximum length of 10,000 words (including footnotes and citations).

Please include the author's name (as it should be published), their affiliation, and a brief abstract of no more than 150 words.

Please email all submissions to: editor@arabmediasociety.com

For further information regarding our publishing policies, kindly visit: www.arabmediasociety.com/publishing-policies/

Contact Information

For any inquiries regarding the call for papers, please contact: editor@arabmediasociety.com.

Thank you for your interest and support of Arab Media & Society. We look forward to your contributions to this timely and important issue.

January 22, 2025

Deadline: January 20, 2025

Webinar on Democracy and Media, IAMCR Webinar Series 

https://iamcr.org/webinars/democracy-media 

In this webinar, four communication and media studies scholars will  reflect on the intersection of democracy and media in India, Indonesia, Turkey and Brazil, using the recently published book "Democracy and Media in Europe: A Discursive-Material Approach"(*), authored by Nico Carpentier and Jeffrey Wimmer, as a source of inspiration. This discussion will serve as an opportunity to reflect also on how the scholarly work on democracy and media that has a Western (European) conceptual reference point, may (or may not) be relevant in other parts of the world. 

(*) https://bit.ly/DemoMediaEurope 

When: Wednesday 22 January, 2025 @12h00 UTC / 07h00 New York / 12h00 

London / 13h00 Paris / 15h00 Nairobi / 17h30 Kolkata / 20h00 Beijing / 22h00 Brisbane. The event will last 2 hours. 

Organised by: IAMCR's Communication, Social Justice and Democracy (CSD) Working Group (https://iamcr.org/s-wg/working-group/csd) 

Chair: Vaia Doudaki, co-chair of the Communication, Social Justice and Democracy Working Group, Charles University, Czech Republic 

Speakers 

-Usha Raman, University of Hyderabad, India 

-Masduki, Universitas Islam Indonesia 

-Derya Yüksek, Charles University, Czech Republic 

-Fernando Oliveira Paulino, University of Brasilia, Brazil 

Concluding remarks by Nico Carpentier, Charles University, Czech Republic 

Registration 

Pre-registration is required by 20 January, 2025. Register here: https://iamcr.org/webinars/register-democracy-media 

Location: The meeting will take place on Zoom. Pre-registered participants will receive personal invitations 24 hours before the webinar begins. 

Who can participate: The webinar is open to all IAMCR members but space is restricted. A limited number of guest invitations for non-members may be available. Fill out this form to request being added to the guest list: https://forms.gle/bVVp5K2saFCnkhVm9 

Not sure if you're a member? Check the membership directory: https://iamcr.org/member-directory 

If you are not a member of IAMCR, you can join here:  https://iamcr.org/join/individual 

Edited By: Dariusz Brzeziński, Kamil Filipek, Kuba Piwowar, Malgorzata Winiarska-Brodowska

This volume brings together eminent scholars from various parts of the world, representing different fields of knowledge in order to explore the social, cultural, political and economic effects of the development of new technologies.

On the one hand, the book contextualises the discussion of algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) within the broader framework of the digital revolution, on the other it also examines individual experiences and practices. Moreover, in light of the speed at which algorithms and AI are being incorporated into various aspects of life, contributors also question the ethical implications of their development. The widespread development of AI and algorithmic solutions is one of the most important contemporary phenomena. It has an overwhelming impact on the social and cultural life of the 21st century. In this context, one can point to both exciting examples of the application of algorithms and AI in business and popular culture, as well as the challenges of widening social inequality or the expanding scope of surveillance.

The scope of the impact of algorithms and AI makes the formation of new theoretical frameworks vital. This is the aim of this book, which will be of interest to academics within the humanities and social sciences with an interest in technology and the impact of algorithms and AI on society and culture.

https://www.routledge.com/Algorithms-Artificial-Intelligence-and-Beyond-Theorising-Society-and-Culture-of-the-21st-Century/Brzezinski-Filipek-Piwowar-Winiarska-Brodowska/p/book/9781032646916?srsltid=AfmBOopOWA2yVJe5xKXgHVDKmGTUeo-70scmGRzDsLNNI9PjaEI96XrD

May 22-23, 2025

Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands

Deadline for abstracts: January 15, 2025

ECREA Communication & Democracy Section Off-Year Conference

https://automatingdemocracy.wordpress.com/ 

A kind reminder that the deadline for abstract submissions for the ECREA Communication & Democracy Section's off-year conference, Automating Democracy: AI Use Between Social Justice and Social Control is coming up on January 15, 2025. The conference will explore the transformative effects of artificial intelligence (AI) on democratic processes, focusing on two inter-related themes:   

•AI & governance

•AI & citizen participation

We are also excited to announce our keynote speakers for the conference:

• Prof. Dr. Madalina Busuioc, Full Professor of Public Governance in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
  
• Dr. Simone Natale, Associate Professor in Media Theory and History at the University of Turin
  

The two-day event will also include a practitioner-scholar roundtable facilitating a dialogue on current practices and challenges of AI-use for progressive social change between civil society representatives and conference participants. 

For additional information on submissions, fees and proposed timeline, please visit our conference website https://automatingdemocracy.wordpress.com/

Conference organizing committee

• Dr. Delia Dumitrica, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  
• Dr. Ofra Klein, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  
• Victoria Balan, Erasmus University Rotterdam
  
• Dr. Giuliana Sorce, Tubingen University
  
• Dr. Jun Liu, University of Copenhagen
  
• Dr. Arianna Bussoletti, Sapienza Universita di Roma
  

IJFMA Vol. 11 No. 1 (2026)

Deadline: February 21,2025

The editorial board of the International Journal of Film and Media Arts is pleased to announce an open call for submissions for Vol. 11 No. 1 (2026) Do Comics Have Electric Dreams? Comics and Technology, in collaboration with the two guest editors Marco Fraga da Silva and Pedro Moura.  

Considering media as “socially embedded sites for the ongoing negotiation of meaning” (Lisa Giltman), their relationship with technologies has always been one of co-evolution. Their interconnectedness is so profound and varied that it has led to a plethora of theoretical approaches with multiple specific, differentiated notions, such as multimedia, intermedia, transmedia, cross-media, each with their own valence and focus.

Stemming from multiple strands such as narrative drawing, caricature, press and satirical literature, comics (considered as a whole, and not as specific textual formats such as strips, wordless novels, comic books, graphic novels, tankonbon, etc.) have emerged as a medium of and on its own. From its early 19th century stages up to today, and within multiple national and global traditions, comics have been considered under many guises, such as a form of art, an IP factory, or a technology onto itself, able to be employed for multiple discourse purposes or having some of its elements appropriated by both art and commerce to convey specific meaning-making dimensions, e.g., “crass popular culture” in Roy Lichtenstein appropriative art, or the use of the split screen in Ang Lee's 2003 Hulk to represent parallel narration and traumatic dissociation.

Historically speaking, print media comics have established immediate mutual relationships with several other media in their earliest appearances, either through adaptation (e.g., L'arroseur arrosé, Ally Sloper, radio serials), early transmediation (e.g., L. Frank Baum's World of Oz), or remediating them into its' own formal specificities (page composition, narrative voices, technology representation and social-cultural negotiation, and so on). Today there are multiple challenges, thanks to the increasing use of comics as parts of transmedia projects, the usage of multiple digital devices, the emergence of AI platforms (such as Neural Canvas and ComicsMaker.ai, among others), the good fortune of webtoons as smartphone-friendly texts, and so on. As new or adapted technologies and media enter the fray, so do themes and topicalities, reading protocols, changes in styles and engagement, etc. One fundamental question could arise: are comics simply yet another curtailment by the “demands of capitalism” or can they contribute to a “radical attention” (Julia Bell) in our lives?

The International Journal of Film and Media Arts is an open access, promoted by the FilmEU - European University and Film and Media Arts Department - Lusófona University, Lisboa, Portugal. IJFMA is a semiannual publication focusing on all areas of film and media arts research. Since June 2020, IJFMA was accepted for indexation in Scopus from Elsevier, reaching the Q2 level in Visual Arts.

While chapters on the intermedial relationships between comics and traditional and historical media (press, poster art, theatre, animation, cinema, radio, television) are most welcome, or even a broader sense of “media archeology” (Jussi Parikka), we are looking forward for contributions that address late 20th and 21st century “new” media. From video games, internet-native media, interactive streaming, geolocation storytelling, pod/videocasting, or others, while considering issues of digitisation, the use of digital tools, Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Learning (ML) assisted production, etc., that negotiate with the medium of comics. The facets of creation, promotion, distribution and reception are equally important, but so are those of digital fandom and participatory culture, web-based archives, and conservation, file-sharing, piracy, and other critical practices.

We wish to understand the place of comics within a broad material, cultural and political context of the contemporary digital and social-media-suffused world we live in. How do comics inform, interact, or mirror such a world? What is their role in communicative approaches or the entertainment industries? What is their weight within transmedia franchises? What is their impact on the economic field? How have new or newly integrated technologies changed them and the way we consume them?

Here are some possible topics of discussion:

• New digital production and distribution options for comics;
  
• Affordances and hindrances of digital tools for comics-creation, including web-based, transmedia worldbuilding tools;
  
• Ethical, political, and creative impacts on the use of ML and AI in creation and reception, and changes in the scalability of comics styles and production;
  
• Repurposing of (traditional) comics in digital platforms and new ways of fashioning spectatorship via new digital-native or influenced texts, technologies and institutional reading contexts;
  
• Changes in storytelling, materiality and the readerly experience brought forth by digital means (motion, animation, interactivity, sound, colouring, lighting, augmented reality);
  
• Comics in transmedia and in convergence culture;
  
• The media/tech, economic, or narratological dimensions of digital comics, webcomics, webtoons, etc.;
  
• The renegotiation of comics' identity as “print media” with the emergence of digital-native comics forms;
  
• Comics as Big Data: computational analysis of large corpora;
  

We are looking forward to collecting several chapters (minimum: 7 500, maximum: 40 000 characters)

Abstracts to be submitted by 2025 February 21st.

Please provide two Word documents (.doc) with:

• ABSTRACT, no longer than 500 words with 5 keywords.
  

The abstract should not have any reference to the authors or the institution they belong to. The authors must ensure that their manuscripts are prepared in such a way that they do not reveal their identities to reviewers, either directly or indirectly.

• BIO, no longer than 50/70 words. Name, Email address and institutional affiliation.
  

Please submit your abstract, here: https://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index.php/ijfma/about/submissions

When submitting, include the Open Call for which your paper should be reviewed.

Submissions will be reviewed by at least 2 peer reviewers. Accepted abstracts will be given guidelines for the preparation and submission of the final text for the 2nd round of double-blind peer reviews.

No fees are requested for submission or processing.

For inquiries: anna.coutinho@ulusofona.pt

IJFMA Vol. 10 No. 3 Dossier II

Deadline: June 30, 2025

The editorial board of the International Journal of Film and Media Arts is pleased to announce an open call for submissions for Vol. 10 No. 3, Dossier 2 What Future for the Cinema of Small European Countries?, in collaboration with the European Project Crescine.

The question posed in the title of this call for papers is not rhetorical; it reflects an urgent need to critically examine and actively engage with the current and future state of cinema in Europe’s smaller nations. This question invites scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to challenge the prevailing paradigms in film studies, which have historically emphasised a binary view of Hollywood versus European/World cinema.

Such dichotomies often obscure the unique dynamics and opportunities that shape the film industries of small European countries. In the current landscape, characterised by uncertainty brought about by rapid technological changes and an increasingly competitive global market, a reassessment of these frameworks is not only timely but necessary.

As film and media studies continue to shift away from grand narratives toward nuanced perspectives, new avenues for multidisciplinary and holistic inquiries are surfacing. This call for papers seeks contributions that treat cinema not as an isolated artistic form but as a socio-cultural and economic phenomenon deeply embedded in its surrounding environment. Such a stance integrates an approach that considers film as something that cannot be detached from its extra-cinematic context and combines it with a vision that contemplates issues related to cultural diversity, innovative disruption and changes in how audiences have access to – and engage with – films and audiovisual content. The goal is to create a dialogue that addresses cinema’s relationship with broader cultural, political, and economic realities in small European contexts, as well as the critical factors that these countries face due to paradigm changes and external circumstances.

The challenges faced by the film industries of small European countries are unique. Often, they must contend with limited funding, restricted access to distribution channels, and an ever-present struggle to maintain cultural specificity in the era of the “glocal”. In this environment, supply and demand are increasingly being disrupted by digital streaming platforms, which offer new funding opportunities, reach and visibility while heightening market competition and promoting cultural homogenisation. “CresCine: Increasing the international competitiveness of film industries in small European markets”, a project that started in 2023, has been looking into these issues (and more) and tackling the realities of the film industries of today from a myriad of angles. As its dissemination reaches full steam, this call for papers invites submissions that blend historical, theoretical, and empirical insights. We welcome contributions from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including but not limited to film studies, cultural policy, sociology, economics, and media studies. Contributors are encouraged to consider how the unique positioning of small European cinemas may offer fresh insights into larger debates within global film studies, including those around sustainability, diversity, technological innovation, labour conditions, production methods, clusterisation, and audience engagement.

Through this call, we hope to foster a robust exchange of ideas that will not only illuminate the unique conditions of cinema in small European countries but also offer pathways for these industries to navigate the complexities of the 21st-century media landscape.

This issue of the International Journal of Film and Media Arts invites everyone with a research interest in the topic to submit papers that deal with but are not limited to the topics and questions of:

• Knowledge About Small European Film Industries and Markets: what are the specificities of these markets? How do these markets fare in comparison (with each other and with markets from other countries with similar dimension/population)? What are the blind spots of the current literature and statistics on film markets?
  
• Sustainability in, and of, Film Industries: How are small European countries building resilient film industries? What models of funding, institutional support, or cross-border collaboration are proving effective or necessary in these contexts? How can good environmental practices and precepts inform new production paradigms?
  
• Technological Transformation and Digital Disruption: What are the impacts of digital and streaming technologies on the production, distribution, and consumption of films? How is AI disrupting the traditional value chain and its links? How are small countries leveraging or responding to these changes?
• Cultural Policy and Film as a Cultural Good: What roles do national and regional policies play in supporting cinema in smaller markets? How can cultural policies promote balance between local industries and participation in a global media environment, and what is the stance of different stakeholders in this matter?
  
• Audience Dynamics and Access: How are audience behaviours changing when it comes to accessing film and choosing what to watch? How do shifts in distribution models, such as streaming and on-demand platforms, affect local film industries and cultural consumption in small European countries?
  
• Cinema as a Reflection of Cultural Identity: In what ways do films from smaller European nations reflect, challenge, or reshape notions of cultural and national identity? How can cinema still encompass linguistic diversity and regional narratives under the pressure of today’s markets? What are the specificities of the films from small European industries?
• Film and Economics: Are intra-cinematic aspects of films becoming different due to extra-cinematic circumstances? What are the current labour conditions in small European countries, and what can workers in these industries expect in the future?
  
• Methodologies: how can film and media studies become even more multidisciplinary? To what extent can methodologies from areas that are usually outside the scope of film and media studies feed more information into this field, help answer longstanding questions and create beneficial bridges?

Keywords: Film Industries; Small European Countries; SVoD; Economics; Audiences.

Full Papers to be submitted by June 30, 2025.

Provide two Word documents (.doc) with:

1. Full Paper prepared for blind peer review.

The document should not mention the authors or the institution they belong to. The authors must ensure that their manuscripts are prepared so that they do not reveal their identities to reviewers, either directly or indirectly.

2. Title Page:

a) Name (Preferred Public Name)

b) Affiliation of each author (university + country)

c) ORCID (optional)

d) Short bio (max. 50 words) per author

e) Acknowledgements (if needed)

Please submit your full paper on the IJFMA website under the Submission section.

When submitting, include the Open Call for which your paper should be reviewed.

Website: https://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index.php/ijfma/about/submissions

Schedule for publication:

• Submission of full paper: 30th June 2025
  
• Feedback on full papers: 15th September 2025
  
• Final revisions: 30th October 2025
  
• Publication date: December 2025

Submissions will be made anonymously. Submissions will be reviewed by at least 2 peer reviewers.

No fees are requested for submission or processing.

This special Dossier is been prepared in collaboration with the European Project CresCine (101094988 — CresCine — HORIZON-CL2-2022-HERITAGE-01).

For inquiries: anna.coutinho@ulusofona.pt

Diana Garrisi

• The book constitutes an original interdisciplinary contribution to the media history of the human body
  
• It explores the cultural and historical foundations of wound representation in Western media
  
• The case study approach generates an in-depth examination of the connection between dermatology and the Victorian press

About this book

Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, this book explains what made skin newsworthy in Victorian Britain. It represents a unique contribution to the media history of the human body by delving into the cultural and historical underpinnings of wound representation in Western culture. Employing a case study approach, the book provides a comprehensive exploration of the interplay between dermatology and the Victorian press. This work suggests that there was a mutually constitutive relationship between skin reporting and the formal evolution of news discourse during the nineteenth century. Narratives related to skin, such as wounds caused by corporal punishment, plagues resulting from neglect in workhouses, and occupational skin diseases, emerged as defining features of Victorian newspapers. Notably, media coverage of wounded skin assumed a central rhetorical position in debates pertaining to discipline, abuse, poverty, labour, and social norms, a legacy still discernible in contemporary journalism. Analysing the mediation of the wounded body in Victorian Britain offers a unique insight into the foundations of modern journalism. It sheds light on the impossibility of maintaining an objective framework when observing and reporting on bodies in pain. Paradoxically, news writers and commentators of that era navigated this challenge by encapsulating such narratives within rhetorical constructs that provided a template for the evolution of contemporary news values.

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-75368-8

September 17-19, 2025

Karlstad (Sweden)

Deadline: April 14, 2025

Passion is a multifaceted concept that encompasses not only joy and intense emotional investment but also pain and suffering. Passion’s significance in the realm of media, visual cultures and artistic practices serves as a driving force behind the relationship people develop with technologies, platforms, content, and forms of creation, as well as with places, territories and other spatial formations. The rise of digital media has amplified a cultural turn to passion, as individuals and communities increasingly pursue activities they love, often translating personal interests into online expressions, creative projects, and even careers. Likewise, new media platforms serve to foster and channel various forms of spatial attachments and engagements, ranging from local entrepreneurship to geo-political battles. 

(Geo)media technologies facilitate such multifaceted passionate engagement. In neoliberal markets, passion is also commodified through the concept of passionate labor, where individuals are encouraged to transform their zeal for specific subjects into monetizable content or professional endeavors. This creates a dialectic tension, as the passion-driven work promoted by social media platforms often blurs the borders between leisure and labor. It also challenges longstanding geographies of work and gives rise to new spaces and mobilities at the intersection of leisure and labor (e.g., digital nomadism). 

Moreover, the debates surrounding passion in media and visual cultures are not unidirectional; they are countered by forms of resistance that challenge dominant narratives of media-driven enthusiasm. These counter-passions critique the pressure to constantly access, engage, create, evaluate, and consume content, or places, pointing to the negative consequences of excessive digital immersion. Media’s role in shaping affective structures around passion thus reveals both the empowering and detrimental effects of intense emotional engagement.

The 6th International Geomedia Conference Transforming Passions marks the 10th anniversary of the Geomedia conference series and explores, among other dimensions: refocusing emotional energy to imagine alternative futures and push for systemic changes; questioning the role of media in relation to individuals’ and groups’ emotional investments into space and place; reorienting personal affective experiences into collective action; reevaluating the risks associated with commodified or exploited passion in digital labor; and redefining current understandings of passion into new forms that are artistic, social, political, or technologically mediated.

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

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

The International Geomedia Conference 2025 welcomes proposals from film, media and cultural studies, game studies, communication studies, journalism, media anthropology, human and cultural geography, urban studies, design, cultural and artistic practices and the arts.  

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

Keynote speakers:

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

Abstract submissions:

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

Each proposal should include the following information:

• Title
  
• Abstract
  
• Presentation format
  
• Biographical note of max. 100 words
  
• 3-5 keywords
  

Individual Paper proposals, Artistic Contribution proposal, Audiovisual Essay proposal: The authors submit abstracts of 250-300 words. Accepted papers are grouped by the organizers into sessions of 3-4 papers each according to thematic fitting. 

Thematic Panel proposals: The panel chair submits a single pdf document proposal consisting of 3-4 individual paper abstracts of 200-250 words along with a general panel presentation of 200-250 words.  

Workshop proposals: The workshop chair submits a single pdf document proposal consisting of individual workshop contribution abstracts of 200-250 words each, if applicable, along with a general workshop presentation of 250-300 words. 

Publication opportunities: Selected papers and contributions from the conference may be considered for publication in an edited volume and/or a special journal issue.

Conference timeline:

February 2025: Submission system opens for individual papers, thematic panels, artistic contributions and audiovisual essays

14 April 2025: Submission system closes for individual papers, thematic panels, artistic contributions and audiovisual essays

26 May 2025: Notes of acceptance are out and registration opens 

More information, including conference fee and practical information, will be added to the conference website continuously: www.kau.se/transformingpassions 

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

The conference is organized by the Centre for Geomedia Studies at Karlstad University, Sweden. There will also be events taking place across the city of Karlstad.  

For the organizers at the Department of Geography, Media and Communication, Karlstad University, Sweden:

• Georgia Aitaki, Conference Director
  
• Doris Posch, Conference Co-Director
  
• André Jansson, Director of the Centre for Geomedia Studies
  
• Richard Ek, Head of Scientific Committee
  

Application deadline: January 15, 2025, 23:59 CET

Are you a PhD candidate or a post-doctoral researcher in a non-tenure position looking for opportunities for professional development, international networking, and academic leadership experience? The Young Scholars Network (YECREA) seeks to fill 18 vacant representative positions across various sections, networks, and temporary working groups across the ECREA. 

The role involves organizing academic events, facilitating networking opportunities, and supporting early-career scholars within specific ECREA sections. 

For the complete call for applications, including detailed position descriptions, eligibility requirements, and application guidelines, please visit: https://yecrea.eu/2024/12/10/call-for-applications-yecrea-section-representatives-2025-18-vacant-positions/  

For questions, contact: yecreanetwork@gmail.com 

June 11, 2025, 9:00 am–5:00 pm

University of Denver, Colorado, USA

Deadline: February 1, 2025

Theme: Exploring visual communication’s role in documenting and influencing social change amidst technological and sociopolitical transitions. 

Focus Areas:

Phenomena-oriented: Examining visual representations of events and trends, including the impact of technologies like generative AI on issues such as disinformation and creative expression.

Actor/Agent-oriented: Research on individuals, groups, and organizations creating and engaging with visual content during transitions (e.g., visual storytelling, photojournalism).

Method-oriented: Exploring methodologies for studying visual meaning-making and innovative tools for analysis.

Participation:

Traditional Research: Submit anonymized extended abstracts (1,000 words) by February 1, 2025.

Research Escalator: Submit work-in-progress abstracts (500 words) for mentorship pairing.

Full CfP:

https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.icahdq.org/resource/resmgr/conference/2025/pc-cfp-frames-transition.pdf

Submit abstracts by February 1, 2025: https://bit.ly/4fdwT68

Notifications: March 11, 2025

Co-sponsors: ICA Global Communication and Social Change Division

Registration: $50 (includes lunch and refreshments). Invitation-only participation. Notifications by March 11, 2025.