ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

2023/2024 issue 

Tijdschrift voor Skandinavistiek is a forum for research focusing on the Nordic countries. The journal covers literary, linguistic, cultural, and historical research. Contributions to the journal may be written in Dutch, Danish, Norwegian (bokmål/nynorsk), Swedish, German or English. Articles can be submitted via a registration on our website. 

We also welcome book reviews. 

Previous issues can be found here: https://ugp.rug.nl/tvs/issue/archive

Welcome with your submission! 

November 26-27, 2022

Online conference

Deadline: October 2, 2022

We are pleased to announce this year’s Chinese DiGRA conference, hosted by the School of Cultural Technology of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University on the 26th and 27th of November 2022. This year’s Chinese DiGRA is a fully online event. Accepted papers will be pre-recorded as videos and live panels and paper discussions held online live on Zhumu/Zoom.

We invite submissions on any aspect of Chinese games, game industries, game design and gaming cultures. We also invite submissions from people located in the Chinese-speaking region who are researching any aspect of games. The conference encourages papers from students and early career researchers. We also welcome papers as well as demos from game industry workers. 

The Chinese DiGRA conference facilitates networking amongst game scholars working in the Chinese-speaking region. Therefore, apart from the above topics we also encourage submissions from scholars located in the Chinese-speaking region working on any aspect of game research.

Keynote Speaker: TBA

Format

Submissions can be in English or Chinese.

Please submit a maximum 350-word (or 600-character) abstract.

Important dates

October 2nd: Deadline for submissions.

October 17th: Decisions announced. Presenters receive additional practical information on how to record and submit their presentations (we recommend PowerPoint with voiceover or the free and open software OBS [Open Broadcast Software]).

October 18th: Conference registration opens.

November 7th: To facilitate subtitling, we ask all presenters to send us a video (or a PowerPoint presentation with voiceover) and transcript of their presentation in advance. We will translate and subtitle the video/PPT with voiceover. The recorded videos will be made available to the conference attendees shortly before and during the conference, followed by live Q&A sessions.

November 26th and 27th: Conference.

Submissions

Please email a pdf version of a maximum 350-word/600 character (excluding references) abstract no later than October 2nd, 2022 to:

Gabriele.Aroni@xjtlu.edu.cn<mailto:Gabriele.Aroni@xjtlu.edu.cn>

Please make sure to include ‘CDiGRA2022 Submission’ in the subject line of your message.

Abstracts will be selected by conference and program chairs based on their academic rigour and relevance to the themes of the conference. Note that the abstracts do not need to be anonymous. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by October 17th. Accepted authors will have an opportunity to submit their extended abstracts for inclusion in the DiGRA Digital Library. For questions regarding paper submission and the topics of the conference, or questions on the conference, please contact Gabriele.Aroni@xjtlu.edu.cn<mailto:Gabriele.Aroni@xjtlu.edu.cn>.

About Chinese DiGRA

Chinese DiGRA (中华电子游戏研究协会​ /​ 中華 數位遊戲研究協會)is a regional chapter of DiGRA (Digital Games Research Association) focusing on game research relevant to Chinese speaking countries and the surrounding regions. Chinese DiGRA aims to enhance the quality, quantity, and international profile of games research in the Chinese-speaking context, by developing a network of game scholars and researchers working in the Chinese-speaking world and/or on aspects of Chinese games and gaming cultures, forging links between academic and professional researchers on games, supporting teaching and PhD development in the region, and disseminating and promoting Chinese game scholarship around the world. Chinese DiGRA is run by a board comprised of top academics in the fields of Chinese games research from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. You can find more information on Chinese DiGRA, including papers from previous conferences, at our website http://www.chinesedigra.org%3chttp:/www.chinesedigra.org>.

Organizing Committee:

Dr Gabriele Aroni, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, School of Cultural Technology

Zhonghao Chen, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, School of Cultural Technology

November 15-18, 2022

Lusofona University, Portugal

The Media Literacy and Civic Cultures (MeLCi Lab) Autumn School “Media, gender, intersectionality and mediated social mobilizations”, to be held 15th to 18th November 2022, aims to introduce PhD students to current discussions in the field, as well capacitate PhD students with a set of hands-on research skills that help them in their projects, supporting their professional development. The agenda, workshops, and keynote speakers are available at: https://melcilab.cicant.ulusofona.pt/training/ii-melci-lab-autumn-school-media-gender-intersectionality-and-mediated-social-mobilizations/ 

By adopting an integrative and multidisciplinary approach, the school will bring together several scholars for a set of workshops and communications to foster research skills related to scientific writing, dissemination, funding applications, and innovative methodologies. We will address topics about media representations of gender and sexualities, mediated activisms, civic mobilisations, ethics, etc.

MeLCi Lab Autumn School intends to be an inclusive space, and three equity grants will be available for students from underrepresented communities.

MeLCi Lab is currently looking for proposals of PhD students who want to apply for the Autumn School. These applications can be submitted until the 16th of September.

Applicants should submit their Curriculum Vitae (including scientific publications and activities), a motivation letter, a thesis summary, research questions, and methodologies.

Please email your proposal to melci.lab@ulusofona.pt 

Dear Colleagues,

We are delighted to announce registrations are open for the 2022 Policy & Internet Conference, to be held at the University of Sydney, September 28 and 29.

https://internet-policy-meco.sydney.edu.au/datafication-platformization-metaverse-the-state-of-global-internet-policy/

With a focus on the immediate crises in our communication space, our invited speakers will address the conference theme, Datafication. Platformization. Metaverse. The state of global internet policy, to explore how the current developments within digital media spaces has a regulatory impact. The conference will present cutting edge research from around the globe that address issues such as what is the current state of play for the platform society and its associated internet regulation, how internet regulation includes/excludes groups and individuals, and the consequences of contemporary communication on the environment. 

This conference will be held in a hybrid mode, so if you can’t make it to Sydney for the live event, please consider registering for the streaming online alternative.

The conference will feature the following Keynote presentations:

• Professor Rohan Samarajiva, Chair of LIRNEasia
  
• Associate Professor Tanya Lokot, Dublin City University
  
• Professor John Hartley, A.M., University of Sydney
  
• Associate Professor Crystal Abidin, Curtin University 
  

With a series of specialist panels featuring the work of:

• Dr Damar Juniarto, Executive Director of Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network
  
• Dr Matthew Nguyen, Tony Blair Institute
  
• Dr Jay Thompson, RMIT University
  
• Professor Terry Flew, University of Sydney
  
• Professor Julian Thomas, Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making & Society, RMIT University
  
• Dr Joanne Gray, University of Sydney
  
• Associate Professor Diana Bossio, Swinburne University
  
• Professor Kim Weatherall, University of Sydney
  
• Professor Gerard Goggin, University of Sydney
  
• Professor Katie Ellis, Curtin University
  
• Dr Wayne Hawkins, Director of Inclusion, ACCAN
  
• Dr Natasha Layton, Monash University
  
• Associate Professor Paul Harpur, University of Queensland
  

More speakers will be announced soon.

Looking forward to seeing you there, and for any further information, please contact Dr Jonathon Hutchinson [jonathon.hutchinson@sydney.edu.au] or Milica Stilinovic [millica.stilinovic@sydney.edu.au].

November 3-4, 2022

Lusofona University (Portugal)

Deadline: September 19, 2022

We invite submission of high quality papers for FL_Fashion Sustainability - International Conference focusing on relevant, original and previously unpublished research. Submitted papers must fit one of the 5 main thematic areas of the Conference.

All approved papers will be published in an electronic book of proceedings (eBook) with ISBN, provided they are received by the appropriate deadline and defined formatting standards.

Conference Publications:

- Proceedings book - eBook with ISBN

- Palgrave Book - Springer nature

- IJFMA Journal - Special issue - Scopus

FL_Fashion Sustainability - International Conference, is an International Conference that focuses on the discussion of Sustainability in Fashion, Design and Media. It proposes to be a space of union between Industry, Business and Academia around a common theme, however, with several very distinct approaches and with a very diverse exchange of experiences and knowledge.

Thus, we are looking for a Conference format that allows this exchange in moments of presentation of papers, in the presentation of projects in exhibition format, or other, leading to the richness of sharing.

The Conference is based on 5 main thematic areas: Fashion Sustainability; Fashion Trends Communication; Fashion and Audiovisual for Sustainability; Fashion Tradition and Identity; Education for Fashion Sustainability.

The official languages of the Congress are Portuguese and English. The oral presentation will be made in Portuguese or in English. The material supporting the presentation (slideshow) should be bilingual Portuguese/English. Papers submitted in Portuguese should be supplemented, in the final review process, with an English version. Papers submitted in English do not need to be submitted in another version.

Important Dates:

• Call opening - May 02, 2022
• Deadline for Submission of Papers (Articles and Projects) - September 19, 2022
• Notification of decision - September 30, 2022
• Early bird registration - October 10, 2022
• Deadline for Final Paper Submission - October 21, 2022
• Deadline for Conference registration - October 21, 2022
• Final Conference Program - October 26, 2022
• FL_Fashion Sustainability - International Conference - November 03-04, 2022

Registration:

• Early Bird - until October 10
• Authors: 150
• PHD and MSC Students Authors: 80
• Other Students: 30

More info: fashion@ulusofona.pt

Conference website: https://flconf.ulusofona.pt/

Edited book, Helsinki University Press (HUP)

Deadline December 15, 2022

David Ramírez Plascencia (University of Guadalajara) and David Dalton (University of North Carolina at Charlotte) invite abstracts for the edited collection The pandemic of the Forgotten: strategies of endurance among deprived groups in Ibero-America during the COVID-19 emergency, which will be submitted to Helsinki University Press (HUP). The University press area has already expressed great interest in the project. 

The irruption of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 has brought several negative impacts on the world economically, socially, and in the realm of public health. Governments were forced to establish quarantines and other similar preventive measures to slow the expansion of the virus, people were required to work from home, and students continued their education virtually. Despite numerous efforts, both public and private, the effects of the pandemic were terrible: economic recession and inflation; the massive closure of companies; and, in many countries, a massive loss of jobs. According to World Health Organization, there have been about 600,000,000 identified cases of Covid-19 and 14.9 million people have died either directly or indirectly because of the virus. That said, the effects go much farther. For example, many of those fortunate enough to have avoided infection have confronted mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.

Covid-19 has differed from past pandemics because its outbreak appeared among a digitally interconnected background. Digital media allowed people to follow the expansion of the pandemic almost in real time and in first person. Many people broadcasted their experiences live on social media, while government officials and international organizations provided reliable information in a timely fashion. During the early months of the health emergency, the pandemic was a principal trending topic in digital and traditional media. It also became an important topic of academic production. Indeed, researchers explored all facets of the disease: from the development of a vaccine to the relationship between the pandemic and the rise of oppressive regulations and measures across the globe. Beyond this omnipresence of the pandemic in the mediatic coverture, little attention was given to those forgotten members of society. Here we refer to those who lived in a deprived situation. Many were racial and ethnic minorities, people marginalized due to their gender or sexuality, refugees, sex workers, disabled people, essential workers (drivers, farm workers), elderly citizens living in nursing homes, etc.

This edited book looks for contributions on relevant cases from Ibero-America (Latin America, Spain, and Portugal) that discuss the negative impact of the pandemic on forgotten members of society from marginalized groups. Possible topics include but are not limited to public repression, negligent attitudes, xenophobic attacks, negative media framing, human rights violations, labor exploitation, etc. Other topics include the strategies that marginalized individuals and communities employed to weather the economic, social and health challenges of the pandemic. We are particularly interested in those proposals that focus on describing the resilience mechanisms developed by these groups. These may include examples of street and digital mobilizations, the use of social media to create solidarity, local and international solidarity networks, the role of social organizations and community initiatives, etc. We are open to receive proposals from multidisciplinary, comparative, and historical approaches.

You are warmly invited to provide a document with a brief bio (no more than 250 words with titles, affiliations, and contacts) and an abstract (500-750 words). Please send the proposal to the following addresses:  davidrapla@gmail.com and david.dalton@uncc.edu 

Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

5-6 December 2022

Lisbon, Portugal

Deadline: September 15, 2022

The concept of ‘captured media’ has been used to describe media systems in countries that have transitioned from authoritarian to democratic regimes in the late 20th century (Mungiu-Puppidi 2013; Guerrero & Marquez-Ramirez 2014). Despite being far from a homogenous reality, young democracies have experienced difficulties in building strong, independent media ecosystems, and are still characterized by self-censorship and both political and economic pressures as part of the daily routine of newsrooms. These systems either go down “the path toward an Authoritarian/Communist type media system” (Batorfy, 2019) or “serve as propagandists and political instruments to befuddle, misinform, and disinform audiences and thus oppose civil society and democratization.” (Armanca & Gross, 2020). In this respect, the concept of captured media exhibits many of the dimensions that factually stifle freedom of expression and its role in a democracy. Hallin and Mancini (2004) speak of political parallelism which, in its extreme form, may lead to political instrumentalization, party colonization (Bajomi-Lazar, 2014), and oligarchization (Ryabinska, 2014), with the creation of a media system that is merely a mouthpiece of political elites (Zankova, 2021).

Thus, the conference “Captured Media: Researching Media Systems in and after Transitions” aims to bring together researchers working on media systems in countries that participated in the third wave of democratization, from Portugal in 1974 to Asia-Pacific and Latin American countries in the 1980s and Eastern Europe, following the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The aim is to discuss how media systems have evolved after the establishment of democracy, and to debate how media and journalistic institutions are co-opted by political and economic structures in countries that lack a strong tradition of press freedom and adequate guarantees.

While the media are traditionally perceived as performing a central role in the democratic process, responsible for scrutinizing power structures, this role has been particularly questioned and undermined in the last decade by populist movements (which label journalism as an ‘enemy of the people’), the collapse of traditional business models, the emergence of new reception practices and ultimately a climate of uncertainty that has led to profound changes in the relationship between the media and the outside world (Ribeiro & Zelizer, 2022). While these tendencies can be found in most countries, in young democracies they may be particularly disruptive, due to the lack of a strong culture of press freedom and media independence, close ties between the media and the political class and ineffective legal frameworks. They may result in self-censorship and deficiencies in media professional standards and accountability. Thus, the conference welcomes papers with comparative research, and others, focusing on case studies from countries and media systems that have undergone a transformation from authoritarian to democratic regimes. Papers dealing with the following topics are especially welcome but many others may be proposed:

· Press Freedom and media independence in young democracies;

· Self-censorship;

· The evolution of media systems in young democracies;

· Political parallelism;

· Journalism practices in times of uncertainty;

· Media and journalism and new business models;

· Media and populist discourses;

· Media concentration and opacity of media ownership;

· Comparing news practices in different countries;

· Media in transition;

· Democratic culture and media;

· Media frameworks and media freedom guarantees.

Abstracts for paper proposals between 300-400 words may be submitted in English or Spanish until 15 September (deadline) by email: conferencecapturedmedia@gmail.com

All abstracts will be peer reviewed before final acceptance. A collection of some of the papers may be published after the conference

Keynote Speaker:

Mireya Márquez-Ramírez, Universidad Iberoamericana

Conference organization

The conference is organized by the Research Centre for Communication and Culture (CECC) hosted at the Faculty of Human Sciences at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa in cooperation with the project ‘The Media System and Journalism Culture in Bulgaria (A Study in the Light of the Three Models of Media – Politics Relations by Hallin and Mancini)’, hosted by Veliko Tarnovo University “St. Cyril and St. Medhodius and funded by the Bulgarian Scientific Fund.

The conference will be held at the Lisbon campus of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, which can be easily accessed via metro (30-minute ride), bus or taxi (10-minute ride) from the Lisbon airport.

Conference Organizing Committee:

Isadora Ataíde

Catarina Duff Burnay

Ioli Campos

Nelson Ribeiro

Ivo Indzhov

Bissera Zankova

London College of Communications

We are seeking excellent applicants for two new full time Senior Lecturer roles at the London College of Communications, University of the Arts London (UAL). The first is in Social Analytics and the second is in Creative Skills. Full details in links below.

Senior Lecturer in Social Analytics, Communications and Media

Senior Lecturer in Creative Skills, Communications and Media

Closing date is September 23.

We value diversity and are especially keen to hear from applicants who will challenge the canon and promote equality and diversity in their work and areas of expertise.

Freie Universität Berlin

The research team “Communication Policy/Media Economics” (Prof. Dr. Matthias Künzler) is looking for a researcher as a doctoral candidate participating in the international research group "Local Communication". The position is limited to four years.

Are you interested in the role of traditional local media and new journalistic start-ups in democratic societies? Are you curious to explore which business models, organisational structures and journalistic concepts these media companies rely on? Are you also interested in what information needs local communities have for local media and how they try to inform their citizens?

If you are interested in these and/or other questions about local communication, we look forward to receiving your application as a PhD candidate. For more information see https://www.polsoz.fu-berlin.de/kommwiss/arbeitsstellen/kommunikationspolitik/news/Stellenausschreibung-WiMi-Praedoc-2022-September.html

Edited by: Herman Wasserman and Dani Madrid-Morales

In Disinformation in the Global South, media and communications scholars Herman Wasserman and Dani Madrid-Morales deliver a unique and geographically diverse collection of perspectives on the phenomenon of disinformation as it manifests in the Global South. In many parts of the Global South, coordinated political disinformation campaigns, rumor, and propaganda have long been a part of the social fabric, even before disinformation has become an area of scholarship in the Global North. The way disinformation manifests in this region, and responses to it, can therefore be highly instructive for readers around the world.

Through case studies and comparative analyses, the book explores the impact of disinformation in Africa, Latin America, the Arab World and Asia. The chapters in this book discuss the similarities and differences of disinformation in different regions and provide a broad thematic overview of the phenomenon as it manifests across the Global South. After analyzing core concepts, theories and histories from Southern perspectives, contributors explore the experiences of media users and the responses to disinformation by various social actors drawing on examples from a dozen countries. Disinformation in the Global South also includes:

• A thorough introduction to Southern perspectives on national histories, theories of disinformation, and research methods in disinformation studies
• Global case studies of cultures of disinformation, including ethnographic insights into how audiences engage with disinformation
• Comprehensive explorations of responses to online and offline disinformation, including discussions of news literacy and the management of disinformation

A valuable resource for scholars of disinformation everywhere, as well as senior undergraduate and graduate students in courses covering transnational or global perspectives to communication studies, Disinformation in the Global South is also an ideal reference for anyone studying or working in media or journalism.