ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

June 27, 2024

Online/Melbourne (Australia)

Deadline: May 13, 2024

We are excited to invite you to the workshop ”Generative AI as a method in social sciences”.  We appreciate help in circulating the call with colleagues working on the topic.

Workshop descriptions and questions

In this half-day hybrid workshop, we focus on exploring different ways of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and how it could be used as a method in social scientific research, and what ethical and practical considerations are implied. 

We invite researchers working on the topic to submit an abstract (maximum 300 words) by May 13 to miguel.gomezhernandez@monash.edu. The notifications on acceptance will be sent out on May 27. The methodological papers on the use of GenAI in research can present research ideas, ongoing projects, or research findings.

In exploring the practical examples of methods and methodologies involving GenAI we would expect the proposal to state a clear contribution, for example by accounting for at least one of the following questions:

• How does the use of GenAI in research methods shift the ways we can research and the qualities of the knowledge we can generate? What are the benefits of this? 
  
• What are the ethical considerations of engaging with GenAI as a research method? 
  
• How do we unpack what is and is not meaningful to understand in the datasets and classifications when using GenAI as a research method?
  
• How should researchers address the political economies of the construction of AI systems when using GenAI as a research method?
  
• How might the wider planetary consequences of using GenAI as a research method frame our research practices and methods? 
  
• How can critical researchers engage in decolonising GenAI systems when using them as a method? How can we resist the hegemonic and often naturalised narratives of the AI industry and provide alternatives that frame the use of these technologies as a research method?
  
• How can GenAI be applied as a research method in research projects whose objective is to generate a radical reimagining of AI's technological development and role in society?
  

Workshopping dynamic:  

We will have two sessions with presentations (10 minutes each) and 20 minutes of Q&A. The second session is dedicated to online presenters. Please prepare your presentations being mindful of the time and the readability of the content. After an afternoon tea and coffee break, in our last session, we will divide the participants in groups and ask them to agree on 3 key insights from the previous presentations and prepare a short showcase arguing for them. This group exercise will enable us to move forward planning future collaborations and discussions.

Key information

Date: 27/6, 1.00 pm - 6 pm AEST

  *  Hybrid: online and in Melbourne (Australia) 

  *  Location: Building 97, RMIT University, 106-108 Victoria St, Carlton VIC 3053

  *  CFP Deadline: May 13

  *  Notification of acceptance: May 27

If you have any questions, please contact miguel.gomezhernandez@monash.edu

The workshop is  organised in collaboration with Emerging Technologies Lab, Monash node of ADM+S, and research project Imagining Sustainable Digital Futures (Aalto University, Finland).

October 3-5, 2024

University of Helsinki, Finland

Deadline (EXTENDED): April 26, 2024

How do the dead live among us today? What kinds of relationships can be established between the living and the dead in today’s society? How can we achieve immortality in the present-day digital society?

The 7th International Research Symposium of the Death Online Research Network Digital Death: Transforming History, Rituals and Afterlife addresses the cultural and social transformation of human death in modern society as it is characterised by digital saturation of the current collective social and cultural existence. Although death is a universal condition of all humankind, the ways in which death is addressed, managed, and performed in a given society and culture varies considerably. The conference places special emphasis on histories, cultures, religions, ideologies, and technologies that shape the construction of digital death in the present era.

Keynotes

• Dr. Tamara Kneese is a Project Director of Data & Society Research Institute’s AIMLab in New York, USA.

Discussant: Dr. Tal Morse is Adjunct Lecturer in Hadassah Academic College and CDAS Visiting Fellow in the University of Bath, UK.

• Associate Professor Patrick Stokes is a Professor of Philosophy in Deakin University, Australia.
  

Discussant: Professor Amanda Lagerkvist, Professor of Media and Communication Studies in Uppsala University, Sweden.

Themes and Topics of Interest

We welcome paper and panel submissions on the following themes and beyond:

• Digital afterlife

• Digital immortality

• AI and death

• Death and data

• Social media mourning

• Digital grief practices

• Interrelations between online and offline practices in mourning

• Online funerals

• Thanatechnologies

• Digital estate planning

• Robotics and end of life care

• Grief influencers

• Marginalised representations and digital death

• Digital resistance to memorialisation

• Ethical challenges in studying digital death

• Legal perspectives and digital death

The symposium will host a special workshop of participating postgraduate students and early career researchers the day before the symposium. The conference will be on-site only at University of Helsinki, Finland.

Submission guidelines:

Paper submission:

Please submit your abstract of max 250 words with your contact details to Linda Pentikäinen (linda.pentikäinen@helsinki.fi)

Panel submission:

Panels up to four papers should include a general description of the panel (max 250 words) together with abstracts of the individual papers (max 200 words) with contact details of each participant and the panel chair. Proposals should be submitted to Linda Pentikäinen (linda.pentikäinen@helsinki.fi)

All submissions will be peer-reviewed, and we envisage publication of selected full papers in a special issue in Thanatos (open access). https://thanatos-journal.com/in- english/

Please note that participants will be accepted to present only one paper as the first author.

Important dates:

• New extended abstract/panel submission deadline: 26th April 2024
• Submission feedback: 20th May 2024
  

Conference fee:

• Regular 200 € (early bird, includes conference dinner)
  
• Student 150 € (early bird, includes conference dinner)
  

Deadline: November 15, 2024

Abstracts are invited for a proposed collection on Literary Journalism/Creative Non-Fiction in East-Central Europe. The volume takes as its central concern the current shapes and forms of what is variously called literary journalism, creative non-fiction, creative documentary narrative, or reportage (among other terms) in the region. We have already received preliminary interest from an academic publisher.

Geographically we define East-Central Europe as the world region that lies between Germany and Russia, south of Scandinavia and north of Greece and Turkey. Many of the countries in the region are now full members of the EU and NATO, some are candidate countries, and all of them share a common heritage of once belonging to the Communist world during the second half of the 20th century.

We look forward to receiving abstracts for proposed chapters that chronologically focus on the 21st century and contemporary developments, motifs, and trends, but we will also consider contributions that provide a somewhat broader historical context for specific works, authors, national genre genealogies, etc. Chapter proposals focused on the transition era (late 1980s, early 1990s) and the post-socialist era (mid 1990s to mid 2000s) are also welcome. 

Similar to our geographically flexible definition of the region, we also have a broad conception of who could count as an East-Central European author. We would consider authors, groups of authors, or schools that i) originate in the region, ii) are/were working in the region; iii) originally publish(ed) their work in regional languages, in regional forums (newspapers, magazines, books, blogs, online forums, etc.). Proposals on internationally unknown or little-known authors, traditions, or even national genre genealogies are especially welcome.

Possible topics include but are not limited to: 

Ø  Introduction and analysis of the complete oeuvre of a single author

Ø  Introduction and analysis of the individual work of a single author

Ø  Genealogy of the genre of literary journalism/creative non-fiction in a national context

Ø  Comparative study (e.g., various East-Central European authors on the same or similar topics)

Ø  Travelogs

Ø  Regional specificities of the genre

Ø  Critical and/or popular reception of work(s) in a given language community; in the region

Ø  International reception (critical and/or popular) of works, authors

Ø  Outstanding works/authors unknown to the English-speaking world

Ø  Institutional histories

Ø  Forums of literary journalism/creative non-fiction in a given language/cultural community (country, region, etc.): journals, magazines, publishing houses, cafes, digital space

Ø  Literary journalism/creative non-fiction in the digital space

Ø  Interdisciplinary investigations (literary journalism/creative non-fiction and/as social sciences)

Ø  International connections and contexts (personal, institutional, etc.)

Ø  21st c. and contemporary illiberal tendencies and literary journalism/creative non-fiction in the region

Ø  Work methods/practice of individuals and schools in the genre of literary journalism/creative non-fiction

Ø  21st c. migration and literary journalism/creative non-fiction in the region

Ø  Reflections on armed conflicts in literary journalism/creative non-fiction

Ø  Transnational East-Central Europe/ Transnational East-Central European space

Ø  The (re)construction of (physical and metaphorical) places/spaces that are distinctly East-Central European

Ø  Interregional reflection on other cultures of the region

Ø  Motifs in East-Central European literary journalism/creative non-fiction (post-socialist nostalgia; early 1990s wild capitalism; minorities; self-reflection; irony and humour, landscape, etc.)

Ø  The economy of literary journalism/creative non-fiction in the region

Only original research will be considered.

Please submit abstracts of 500 - 600 words no later than April 30, 2024. After reviewing the chapter proposals, we will invite contributions. Deadline for completed chapters will be Nov. 15, 2024.

Final essays should be between 9,000 and 12,000 words, including notes and references and be argumentative rather than descriptive in approach.

Authors whose works are included in the volume will be responsible for i) submitting English language proofread chapters and ii) clearing all permissions for the re-use of third-party material.  

Address abstracts to Dr György Túry turygy@gmail.com and Dr. Rob Alexander ralexander@brocku.ca (editors).

Dr György Túry, Associate Professor, Budapest Metropolitan University, Research Fellow, Corvinus Institute for Advanced Studies, Corvinus University of Budapest 

Dr Rob Alexander, Associate Professor, Brock University, Past President, International Association for Literary Journalism Studies

Jessica Roberts

jessicaroberts@ucp.pt

This book provides an overview of the ways modern communication technologies and information approaches interact with human cognition to make it difficult for people to effectively find and interpret information and what journalists can do about it

The central argument of the book is that journalists and audiences can no longer afford to pretend that all information is competing on an even playing field and that it is enough for journalists to simply publish “the facts.” Effective Journalism attempts to explain the reality, rather than the ideal, of how people seek and process information, and what journalists and their audiences can do to try to create an informed public in the face of that reality.

Table of Contents:

Introduction

PART I: STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES IN OUR INFORMATION ECOSYSTEM

1. Information Proliferation

2. The Attention Economy

3. Customization and Filters and Bots

4. The Competitive Advantage of Junk News

PART II: COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE BARRIERS TO PROCESSING INFORMATION

5. The Dual-Process Model

6. Motivated Reasoning and Bias

7. Emotion and Information

PART III: THE SOLUTIONS

8. New Movements in Journalism

9. Strategies to Effectively Debunk False Information

10. Empathy Cultivation and Building Community

11. Effective Journalism Practices

12. Solutions for Tech Companies, Government, and the Public

Conclusion

For more information, contact the author or see: https://www.intellectbooks.com/effective-journalism

July 1-5, 2024

University of Manchester (UK)

Deadline: April 22, 2024

Dear colleagues,

We invite you to participate in the Digital Methods Summer School which we organize at the University of Manchester in the UK between 1st and 5th July 2024 (in person only).

It is an introductory course for anyone who would like to explore the benefits and limitations of innovative digital tools for analyzing a diverse range of data in humanities and social sciences. The participants will learn about mobile, geospatial and operational methods, algorithmic ethnography, text mining and data visualization, and they will reflect on pressing ethical questions arising when employing digital methods. 

For more information, please visit: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/PwU96KcXSNB3l or email me at lukasz.szulc@manchester.ac.uk 

We are pleased to be able to offer a limited number of bursaries for the applicants and the deadline to apply for them is the 22nd of April.

Tilburg University

Apply here: https://career5.successfactors.eu/career?career%5fns=job%5flisting&company=S003974031P&navBarLevel=JOB%5fSEARCH&rcm%5fsite%5flocale=en%5fUS&career_job_req_id=22221&selected_lang=en_US&jobAlertController_jobAlertId=&jobAlertController_jobAlertName=&browserTimeZone=Europe/Amsterdam&_s.crb=ufd4NqRTWrQhxMhEorPUf%2fhLIFsxLDAKVVWZUTYb3ho%3d

Position in brief

School : Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences

Department : Culture Studies

Location : Tilburg

Monthly gross salary (0,8 FTE) € 2976,- till  € 3348,-

Duration of employment contract : 24 months

Weekly hours : 32 (0.8 fte) 

The Department of Culture Studies at Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences, Tilburg University is seeking to appoint a junior researcher (postdoctoral) for a new project on Digitalization in the Global South. The successful candidate will conduct outstanding research on the growing use of digital technologies in Asia, Africa, and/or Latin America and help manage a proposed research lab that will serve as a hub for the project. The appointment is for two years (0.8 fte/32 hours a week). Find out more information about the department on TSHD- DCU. 

The position is open to candidates with a research profile in data science, digital humanities, science and technology studies, media and communication studies, culture studies, information science, internet governance, or a related area. The successful candidate will be expected to carry out innovative research on the social, political, and economic impact of digitalization in one or more regions of the Global South, with a focus on digital policymaking. They will also be expected to participate in the management of a research lab, including online content development and the organization of activities such as roundtable discussions and colloquia, under the supervision of dr. Saif Shahin and dr. Mingyi Hou.

Your Responsibilities

• The main duties of the position are as follows:
  
• Produce cutting-edge scholarship as part of a new research lab on digitalization in the Global South;
  
• Produce original content for the lab’s website, such as research briefs, policy summaries, and/or data-driven reports;
  
• Curate documents and procure and archive data from public sources for the website;
  
• Help organize periodic roundtable meetings with scholars on campus;
  
• Help organize an international symposium;
  
• Publicize the work of the lab on social media; and
  
• Help secure research funding to expand the work of the lab.
  

Selection Criteria

The successful candidate will meet the following expectations:

Essential

• Have, or be close to completing, a doctoral degree in data science, digital humanities, science and technology studies, media and communication studies, culture studies, information science, internet governance, or a related area;
  
• A publication record commensurate with the candidate’s career stage;
  
• An outstanding program of empirical research related to digitalization in the Global South;
  
• Evidence of the potential to obtain significant peer-reviewed research funding;
  
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate with colleagues;
  
• Proficiency in academic-level written and spoken English;
  
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to communicate with non-academic audiences; and
  
• Awareness of legal and ethical principles related to digital research.

Desirable

• A track record of successful grant applications;
  
• Experience in writing for non-academic audiences;
  
• Experience in organizing research conferences or symposia;
  
• Experience in data management and/or web administration; and
  
• Proficiency in a major language from the Global South.

Terms of employment

The successful candidate will be given a two-year position. The position will be graded in the Dutch university job ranking system (UFO) as Researcher 4. Depending on the candidate's experience, the salary for this position based on 0.8 FTE is between € 2976 and € 3348 gross per month based on a salary scale 10 step 3 minimum and 10 step 6 maximum of the Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities. The preferred starting date is 1 September 2024.

Tilburg University is rated among the top of Dutch employers and has excellent terms of employment, such as a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% (annually), an options model and reimbursement of moving expenses. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may qualify for a tax-free allowance equal to 30% of their taxable salary. The university will apply for such an allowance on their behalf. The Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences will provide assistance in finding suitable accommodation. The Collective Labor Agreement of Dutch Universities applies.

Information and application

The deadline for application is 15 May 2024. If you have any questions about the position or the project, please contact the project leaders, dr. Saif Shahin (s.s.shahin@tilburguniversity.edu) and dr. Mingyi Hou (m.hou@tilburguniversity.edu). For more information about the department, you may reach out to head of the Department of Culture Studies, dr. Tom Van Hout (tom.vanhout@tilburguniversity.edu). 

The only way to apply is online. To apply, please submit the following information:

• A cover letter explaining how you meet the selection criteria for the position, drawing on examples from your educational and/or professional experiences;
  
• Curriculum vitae; and
  
• Names and contact details of three references.

Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences

Research and education at the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences (TSHD) has a unique focus on humans in the context of the globalizing digital society, on the development of artificial intelligence and interactive technologies, on their impact on communication, culture and society, and on moral and existential challenges that arise. The School of Humanities and Digital Sciences consists of four departments: Communication and Cognition, Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, Culture Studies and Philosophy; several research institutes and a faculty office. Also the University College Tilburg is part of the School. Each year around 275 students commence a Bachelor or (Pre) Master Program. The School has approximately 2000 students and 250 employees.

Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences

Recruitment code

Tilburg University applies the recruitmentcode of the Dutch Association for Personnel Management & Organization Development (NVP).

Disclaimer

The text of this vacancy advertisement is copyright-protected property of Tilburg University. Use, distribution and further disclosure of the advertisement without express permission from Tilburg University is not allowed, and this applies explicitly to use by recruitment and selection agencies which do not act directly on the instructions of Tilburg University. Responses resulting from recruitment by non-contractors of Tilburg Universities will not be handled.

October 17-18, 2024

University of Edinburgh, UK

Deadline for abstracts: June 14, 2024

via https://bit.ly/IJPP2024

Also available at https://cristianvaccari.com/2024/04/04/call-for-papers-for-the-10th-annual-conference-of-the-international-journal-of-press-politics-university-of-edinburgh-uk-17-18-october-2024/.

On 17-18 October 2024, the University of Edinburgh will host the 10th annual conference of the International Journal of Press/Politics, focused on academic research on the relationship between media and political processes around the world.

The deadline for submission of abstracts is 14 June 2024. Attendees will be notified of acceptance by 1 July 2024. Registration fees will be due 30 August 2024 and full papers based on accepted abstracts will be due 4 October 2024. A selection of the best papers presented at the conference will be published in the journal after peer review. Previous special issues based on conference papers can be found here, here, and here. An editorial discussing the selection and review process for conference special issues can be found here.

The conference brings together scholars conducting internationally oriented or comparative research on the intersection between news media and politics around the world. It aims to provide a forum for academics from a wide range of disciplines, countries, and methodological approaches to advance knowledge in this area.

Examples of relevant topics include, but are not limited to, the political implications of changes in media systems; the importance of different types of media for learning about and engaging with politics; the factors affecting the quality of political information and public discourse; media policy and regulation; the role of entertainment and popular culture in how people engage with current affairs; relations between political actors and journalists; how emerging applications of Artificial Intelligence affect key political communication processes; the role of visuals and emotion in the production and processing of public information; the role of different kinds of media during conflicts and crises; and political communication during and beyond elections by government, political parties, interest groups, civil society organizations, and social movements.

The journal and the conference are particularly interested in studies that represent substantial theoretical or methodological advances on these issues in an international perspective, especially by adopting comparative approaches and/or focusing on parts of the world that are under-researched in the English-language academic literature.

Titles and abstracts for papers (maximum 300 words) are invited by 14 June 2024 via the online form available at https://bit.ly/IJPP2024. Abstracts should clearly describe the key questions, the theoretical and methodological approach, the evidence presented, and the wider implications of the study for understanding the relationship between media and politics in an international perspective. Authors are encouraged to provide as much detail as possible about the spatial and temporal context of their study, the research design and methods employed, the data collected, and the main results of the analyses.

The registration fee for the conference will be GBP 300, to be paid by 30 August 2024. The fee covers two conference dinners on 16 and 17 October, lunches and coffee breaks on 17 and 18 October, and farewell drinks on 18 October. The conference will take place at the University of Edinburgh’s John McIntyre Conference Centre.

A limited number of registration fee waivers will be available for early career scholars and scholars from countries that appear in Tiers B and C of the classification adopted by the International Communication Association. Applications for fee waivers must be made via the abstract online submission form available at https://bit.ly/IJPP2024.

The conference is organized by Cristian Vaccari, Editor-in-Chief of IJPP. Please contact Professor Vaccari with questions at cvaccari@ed.ac.uk.

More about the University and the journal below.

The University of Edinburgh has been influencing history since it welcomed its first students in 1583. Through the many achievements of its staff and students, the University has delivered on its central principles of providing cutting-edge research, inspirational teaching and innovative thinking, attracting some of the greatest minds from around the globe. Politics and International Relations (PIR) is one of the largest and most vibrant subject areas at the University of Edinburgh. It is home to more than 600 undergraduates and 100 postgraduate students annually. Its alumni include government ministers, members of parliament, policy analysts, broadcasters, business leaders, teachers, and social entrepreneurs. Its world-leading research directly informs policymakers, ministers, and NGOs.

The International Journal of Press/Politics is an interdisciplinary journal for the analysis and discussion of the role of the media and politics in an international perspective. The journal publishes theoretical and empirical research which analyzes the linkages between the news media and political processes and actors around the world, emphasizes international and comparative work, and links research in the fields of political communication and journalism studies, and the disciplines of political science and media and communication. The journal is published by SAGE Publishing and is ranked 14th in Political Science and 17th in Communication according to Clarivate.

Aniki. Portuguese Journal of the Moving Image

Deadline: July 15, 2024

Coordinated by Gonzalo de Lucas (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona), Ana Daniela de Souza Gillone (Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo) and Josep Lambies (ESCAC - Universitat de Barcelona).

Films made during periods of political transition provide fertile ground for analysing how history and cultural education become inscribed in the personal and corporeal memory, through gestures, emotions and new ways of expressing desires. The social changes and ideological tensions that occur in the workplace, the family and the public sphere have a clear impact not only on explicitly political militant cinema, but also on mainstream genres, in terms both of narrative and aesthetic approaches inherited from the preceding period and of elements inspired by the political events of the moment.

Actresses, who since the dawn of cinema have always made significant contributions to the cultural production of emotions, collective psychologies, social imaginaries and values, play a vital role in these periods of transition, conveying the historical and ideological tensions of their context. In many cases, the introduction of legislative changes and new social structures has been reflected in or aligned with their role as film stars and popular icons, often to a point where they become cultural symbols of the transformations themselves (e.g., Victoria Abril, Carmen Maura, Ana Belén and Ángela Molina in Spain; Lia Gama, Guida Maria, Zita Duarte and Ana Zanatti in Portugal; Fernanda Montenegro, Sônia Braga, Lucélia Santos and Fernanda Torres in Brazil; Gloria Münchmeyer, Amparo Noguera, Catalina Saavedra and Paulina Urrutia in Chile; Camila Perisé, Susú Pecoraro and Norma Aleandro in Argentina). Moreover, actresses of the new generations would often appear on screen alongside stars of the previous period, in a contrast that expressed the complex tensions between historical memory and historical amnesia.

The democratic transitions that took place in southern Europe in the 1970s as a result of the collapse of the Regime of the Colonels in Greece (1974), the Carnation Revolution in Portugal (1974) and the death of General Franco in Spain (1975) offer paradigmatic examples of the alignment of actresses’ on-screen performances with the political changes taking place. The same can be said of Eastern Europe at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) and the communist regimes, as well as the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia (both in 1991). Outside Europe, other examples can be found in the periods of transition that followed the end of dictatorships in various Latin American countries, such as Argentina (1983), Brazil (1985) and Chile (1990). In all these cases, the debate over the role of women in the public sphere, and of the representation of their subjectivity and desires on screen, constituted a key concern in the films made at the time of these sociopolitical changes, and the actresses who starred in those films played an important part in this process.

The aim of this special section is to explore how, during periods of democratic transition in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Greece, Argentina, Brazil or Chile, actresses constructed distinct female subjectivities that transcended the prevailing social imperatives, in varying degrees of dialogue with the debates in feminist theory and activism. This is in line with Teresa de Lauretis’ suggestion to “return to a conception of female subjectivity in terms of the practices it involves and the needs sustained by desire when it is expressed through a woman’s body” (2000, our translation). We want to analyse the creative function of actresses in critiquing stereotypes, the degree of control they can acquire over their own self-representation, and the modes of production of new subjectivities who, based on an understanding of gender as a representation without a referent (as a representation of representations), are not afraid to manipulate traditional models and introduce unexpected forms of desire that embrace all the differences and contradictions existing in feminism on two levels: as differences that exist within feminist theory and as divisions within a single subjectivity.

Research on the evolution of actresses in periods of democratic transition can help clarify whether they create dissident, alternative or contradictory characters who expose sexual difference, on an indirect or implicit level in relation to the discourses foregrounded in the film. These subjectivities revealed in the actresses and their characters can be identified and analysed as icons of change and emancipation, constructing new forms of desire unique to the female experience and constructing other narratives about women that have rarely been shown before.

Proposed lines of research for submissions include but are not limited to:

-Analysis of the ways women are represented through the characters and specific creative work of actresses during historical processes of democratic transition;

-Studies of the production of new forms of female subjectivity through actress’ representations of narrative and visual motifs on issues such as work, economics and class relations, the family, sexuality and the body, love and desire, sexist violence, and human rights and legislative changes;

-Explorations of the cultural function of actresses through their work and their media images, in turbulent periods of sociopolitical transformation, in order to categorise stereotypes and identify forms of differentiation, dissidence and contradiction in women’s experiences;

-Studies from a gender perspective that include a conception of the actress as a creative subject in the political construction of new female imaginaries and in the filmmaking process, with a focus on periods of democratic transition.

More information

This thematic section is being coordinated by Gonzalo de Lucas (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona), Ana Daniela de Souza Gillone (Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades da Universidade de São Paulo) and Josep Lambies (ESCAC - Universitat de Barcelona).

May 25, 2024

Online

Deadline: April 26, 2024

We are pleased to announce a call for abstracts / expression of interest for an online symposium to be held in late May 2024, focusing on the intricate interplay between media, politics, and democracy in the Global South. Scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds, including but not limited to media and communication, African studies, Global South studies, and media and democracy, are invited to submit their original research papers.

Background:

Hallin and Mancini's seminal work, "Comparing Media Systems: Three Models of Media and Politics" (2004), has provided a foundational framework for understanding the complex relationship between media and democracy. However, the landscape has evolved significantly since its inception, particularly in regions like the Global South. In South Africa, for example, a burgeoning democracy a mere decade ago, the dynamics between media, politics, and democracy have undergone profound transformations. Factors such as increased media diversity, the proliferation of digital platforms, and ongoing challenges to media freedom have reshaped the terrain. 

The updated hybridisation model (Hallin et al., 2021) helps to understand media markets in terms of fragmentation but does not go far enough to explore and evaluate the influence of global and local politics in the media markets, particularly in the postcolony. Additional characteristics that affect the postcolony, particularly in the Global South and especially in Africa, should better outline ethics of media practice, the continued political interventions on journalistic integrity and professionalism, and the unique specifics of digital, language, and geographical access. Blanket models that are developed for and by Western theorists have a difficult application to Global South systems, even if some aspects fit with a squeeze. 

The Hallin and Mancini (2004, 2012; Hallin et al., 2021) models are important and illuminating, but none fit exactly the media systems of postcolonial, Global South countries. The hybrid model is more appropriate and applicable, but even here the application is mixed. These models are a useful set of variables with which to understand how the media and political systems intertwine, but trying to ruthlessly force this system to fit into the blanket models would be best left for Procrustes, not communication theory. We suggest that it may be time to create a new, non-Western-centric typology of media markets that considers the intricate histories of postcolonialism, struggles of democracy, and a Fourth Industrial Revolution that steamrolls over some and yet simply leaves others behind.

Theme:

This symposium aims to critically revisit the applicability of Hallin and Mancini's Three Models theory in the context of the Global South, with a particular focus on postcolonial countries. We encourage submissions that engage with the following themes, or others:

1. Critiques and Reassessments of the Three Models Theory in the Global South

2. Comparative Analyses of Media Systems in the Global South

3. Africanization and/or Hybridization of Media Models

4. Postcolonial Trajectories of Media, Politics, and Democracy

5. Digital Disruption and Media Dynamics in Emerging Democracies

6. Development of new Media Models

Submission Guidelines:

We invite scholars to submit abstracts of no more than 300 words, along with a brief biography, by April 26th 2024. Abstracts should clearly outline the research objectives, methodologies, and theoretical frameworks employed. 

We expect the online symposium to develop into a Special Edition journal with Media and Communication in 2025. Accepted abstracts will then be developed into full papers by October 2024.

Important Dates:

Abstract Submission Deadline: April 26th 2024

Notification of Acceptance: May 3rd 2024

Symposium Dates: May 25th 2024

Submission Instructions:

Please submit your abstracts and biographies as a Word document to Dr Bernadine Jones at b.l.jones@stir.ac.uk with the subject line: "Symposium Submission - [Your Last Name]". Authors will receive a confirmation email upon successful submission.

Publication Opportunities:

Selected papers presented at the symposium will be considered for a larger event in 2025 and subsequent publication in a special issue of Media and Communication, subject to peer review.

Contact Information:

For inquiries and further information, please contact Symposium Organizers Dr Bernadine Jones (b.l.jones@stir.ac.uk) and Dr Adrian Hadland (a.hadland@stir.ac.uk).

We look forward to receiving your submissions and engaging in stimulating discussions on the evolving dynamics of media, politics, and democracy in the Global South.

Sincerely,

Dr Bernadine Jones

University of Stirling

October 24-25, 2024

Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Faculty of journalism and mass communication (Sofia, Bulgaria)

Application Submission Deadline: June 30, 2024

Organizes a 5th Jubilee International Scientific Conference will be held on the 24th and 25th of October 2024 within the framework of the St. Kliment Ohridski Days on the video conference platform Teams. We most politely invite the specialists in media and communications, students and alumni of the Faculty, as well as those who are involved with the problems of the media and communication environment and culture in their various dimensions and manifestations. We welcome the interdisciplinary approach to the contemporary challenges in the education and practice of journalism and to the communication activities as a whole.

Read more: https://commed21.com/