ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

May 23, 2022

We would like to invite you to a meeting with the authors of the book Mediatisation of Emotional Life, edited by Katarzyna Kopecka-Piech and Mateusz Sobiech, published by Routledge.

The meeting will take place on 23.05.22, at 17.00-18.00 CET on the Google Meets platform: https://meet.google.com/qne-xjkc-tgk.

It will be moderated by Karolina Burno-Kaliszuk, PhD (Maria Curie-Skłodowska University). The discussant will be Prof. Tamar Dolidze (Batumi State Maritime Academy).

The collection, consisting of 15 chapters, is the fruit of the work of 21 researchers from 13 countries, who attempted to analyze the various dimensions of mediatization of feelings, emotions, relationships and relations, including love, anxiety, loneliness, intimacy, closeness, friendship, family relationships, romantic and erotic experiences.

For more information about the book: https://www.routledge.com/Mediatisation-of-Emotional-Life/Kopecka-Piech-Sobiech/p/book/9781032181066

Roskilde University

Apply here: https://candidate.hr-manager.net/ApplicationForm/SinglePageApplicationForm.aspx?cid=1310&departmentId=18969&ProjectId=146704&MediaId=4618

Department of Communication and Arts (DCA), Roskilde University (RUC), invites applications for a position as Associate Professor in digital humanities, with a special focus on digital communication, digital platforms, digital business models and ”datafication”. The position is available from December 1st 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The position is part of a larger strategic effort by Roskilde University to strengthen its research profile within research fields that open new avenues for external collaboration with the private and public sector, for example through the Danish innovation cluster organizations. Furthermore, as the Region Zealand university, Roskilde University is particularly committed to addressing the research and innovation needs of the region’s stakeholders.

In announcing the position, DCA looks to simultaneously strengthen its relationship with the University’s external stakeholders in Region Zealand as it pertains specifically to the DigitalLead Cluster and develop its research and teaching in digital communication and/or digital humanities, by focusing on new digital busines models and platforms, datafication and digitalization especially within new media and the cultural sector.

The Department of Communication and Arts is an innovative and interdisciplinary university environment, characterized by diversity with respect to theory, method and area of study in research and education. The department produces knowledge that contributes to critical research and reflexive practice in relation to development and change in society, including public institutions, private organizations, NGOs, and cultural and media institutions. Read more here. The department holds a strong environment within research and education in digitalization, and has recently launched Center for Digital Citizenship.

Responsibilities and tasks

The associate professor is expected to actively engage in the ‘DigitalLead’ cluster in Region Zealand, and it is expected that the candidate has an aptitude for external collaboration. Roskilde University provides the candidate with 150 hours to develop this dimension working with one or more of the cluster organizations.

Moreover, the associate professor´s tasks and responsibilities will include research (including publication/academic dissemination) and research-based teaching (including examination and course coordination). The associate professor will be expected to teach both MA and BA levels, and across programs. Teaching at Roskilde University involves supervising problem-oriented project work (PPL – read more here) and requires an interdisciplinary approach.

The position also entails public dissemination of knowledge, including participation in public debate; participation in managing research, providing guidance and supervision of PhD students, assistant professors and taking part in academic assessments.

Furthermore, the associate professor is expected to maintain a steady rate of publications and to make a contribution to the research culture at the department; to attract research grants and manage research projects; provide guidance and supervision of PhD students and assistant professors; participate actively in research groups and development of new teaching activities, as well as taking part in academic assessments and other tasks requested by the department.

Qualifications

Applicants must hold a relevant PhD degree in communication studies, media studies or other relevant subject areas. The ideal candidate matches the following characteristics:

• International research profile within digital methods (such as media analytics, digital network analysis, data tracking/capture, information retrieval, recommender systems, etc.) and/or digital communication (such as platformization, datafication, digital business models, data governance, etc.).
• A focus on questions of trust, ethics and transparency in processes of digitalisation and datafication.
• A keen interest in working in a cross-disciplinary fashion, as the methods mentioned above are highly recommended across the department and university.
• Teaching experience in digital methods, preferably within communication studies as well as the humanities broadly.
• A keen interest in and experience with project-based teaching and teaching in an interdisciplinary environment.
• Documented pedagogical qualifications, good teaching evaluations, and the ability to innovate within the educational field.
• Ability to communicate in Danish (or possibly Swedish or Norwegian)

Moreover, the ideal candidate is expected to be enterprising and possess good communication skills, and be an involved participant in the department’s daily activities, in addition to being willing to engage in disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration across the department. At the time of appointment, successful candidates must master English for academic purposes. Potential applicants from outside Denmark will find information about life in Denmark (taxation, healthcare etc.) here.

Assessment

In the assessment of the candidates, consideration will be given to:

• Research topic(s)
• Scientific production at an international level
• Experience with close collaboration with external stakeholders
• Strong teaching qualifications, experience with project-based learning, and interdisciplinary teaching experience,
• The ability to attract external funds for research
• The ability to promote and utilise research results
• The ability to contribute to development of the department’s internal and external cooperation

Questions

For further information about the position, please contact Dean of Humanities Ida Willig (+45) 2365 0085 / idaw@ruc.dk.

Terms of employment

The employment is full time and you will refer to Dean of Humanities, Ida Willig.

Application procedure

After the deadline for applications the Dean will shortlist applicants for assessment with assistance from the recruitment committee including the chairperson of the assessment committee.

Shortly after the application deadline all applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been selected for assessment.

The shortlisted applicants will be informed about the composition of the assessment committee, and each applicant will be given the opportunity to comment on the composition of the committee and - later on - their assessment.

Once the recruitment process is completed, all applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application.

Application

To apply for the position go to www.ruc.dk/en/job/

Only applications in English are accepted.

Applications must include:

1. Cover letter

2. CV

3. Reasearch plan (maxium 2 pages)

4. Documentation of education

5. Teaching portfolio (read more about teaching portfolio at Roskilde University here)

6. A complete list of publications

7. A maximum of 5 relevant scientific works that you want included in the assessment

If any of the publications that you want included in the assessment are the result of a joint effort, the extent and the nature of your contribution to each individual work must then be clarified in a co-author statement (find template here)

Please submit your application no later than June 13 2022.

Material received after this date will not be taken into consideration.

Roskilde University wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background.

The position is part of a larger strategic effort by Roskilde University to strengthen its research profile within research fields that open new avenues for external collaboration with the private and public sector, for example through the Danish innovation cluster organizations. Furthermore, as the Region Zealand university, Roskilde University is particularly committed to addressing the research and innovation needs of the region’s stakeholders.

October 11, 2022

Online workshop

Deadline (EXTENDED): May 22, 2022

As part of our online activities related to the ECREA 2022 pre-conference, we would like to invite all young scholars to apply for our PhD Workshop jointly held by ECREA’s Crisis Communication Section and the Young Scholars Network (YECREA).

Participation in the workshop is free of charge.

The workshop aims to provide an online forum with individual feedback for doctoral students whose PhD and research interest is related to the wide and interdisciplinary field of Risk and Crisis Communication.

Note that this year we launch a new workshop format. For this reason, you will receive two kinds of feedback - senior scholars and peers feedback - and you will be asked not only to present your own project but also to comment on other two projects. The inclusion of peers feedback intends to engage attendees in discussions among themselves, increase participation and develop critical analysis skills.

The PhD Workshop will take place online on Tuesday, October 11, 2022. Further information on the schedules as well as on the respondents (senior scholars and peers) will be announced later.

Some of our confirmed senior scholars respondents are Prof. Dr. Albena Björck (Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland), Prof. Dr. Deanna Sellnow (University of Central Florida, USA), Prof. Dr. Yan Jin (University of Georgia, USA) and Prof. Dr. Yijing Wang (Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands).

To apply for the workshop, please prepare and submit the following two documents:

1. An extended abstract of up to 500 words outlining your project (references excluded). Please think of key elements such as your research problem, theoretical foundation, research question(s), methodology and (preliminary) findings.

2. A short letter of motivation stating why you would like to participate, and which questions you would like to see addressed in the feedback session. This letter should also mention the name of your doctoral advisor, the year of PhD you are in, and whether your project will turn into a monograph or (nb. of) papers.

The documents must be submitted to Bianca Persici Toniolo (bianca.toniolo@ubi.pt) by May 15, 2022.

A jury will select the applications according to standards of academic quality like theoretical foundation, stringency and originality. You will receive their decision by July 15, 2022.

There is no need to be a member of the Crisis Communication Section to apply, but please note that the capacity of the workshop is limited.

Key Dates:

• May 22 – Deadline for submission
• July 22 – Notification of decisions
• September 15 – If your proposal was accepted, you will receive information about the projects on which you are required to provide feedback

• October 11 – PhD Workshop

Please do not hesitate to ask questions if you have any doubt by contacting the Crisis Communication

Section YECREA’s representative, Bianca Persici Toniolo, at bianca.toniolo@ubi.pt.

Maja Simunjak

Routledge

Tweeting Brexit presents the most thorough examination of the role that the most political social network, Twitter, played in creating, negotiating, and challenging Brexit narratives during the process of UK’s exiting of the European Union.

Working with multiple methods, from digital media analysis to interviews, and a wide variety of data, the book offers scrutiny of Brexit-related tweets and discourses they promote and gives voice to key actors – UK citizens, political and media actors – to explain why and how they’ve used Twitter to engage with Brexit and with what outcomes. In doing so, the author engages with, and enhances, a range of theoretical discussions central to our understanding of the role of social media in politics, from permanent campaigning on social media and social media journalism, to the issue of online abuse and its impact on users' well-being and mental health, as well as the functioning of a pluralist democratic society. With a reach far beyond the central Brexit case study, the book discusses new trends and practices in political communication and contextualises them with references to empirical evidence.

The book may be of interest to students and researchers in journalism, political communication, digital media and politics, digital methods, and related areas, as well as anyone interested in developing their understanding of the role that Twitter plays in political communications.

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1 Introduction: Tweeting politics
• Chapter 2 British political actors: #GetBrexitDone vs #PeoplesVote
• Chapter 3 The European Union: #CitizensRights
• Chapter 4 Journalists: #BrexitFacts
• Chapter 5 Citizens: #LeaveMeansLeave vs #StopBrexit
• Chapter 6 The Uncivil Argument?
• Chapter 7 Conclusions: Tweeting Brexit

The book is available as hardback and eBook from Routledge - https://www.routledge.com/Tweeting-Brexit-Social-Media-and-the-Aftermath-of-the-EU-Referendum/Simunjak/p/book/9781032037875

Please consider recommending the book to your university library.

University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC)

The School of International Communications at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) invites applications for our Visiting Scholars programme. There are two Visiting Scholar positions:

1. The first is an in-person Visiting Scholar, and the position includes transportation, accommodation, and a research stipend. (Please note that, due to present Covid-19 travel restrictions, we will only accept applications from domestic or international candidates who are currently residing in China and do not need a visa for this position).

2. The second is a virtual Visiting Scholar, who will not travel to China, and the position includes a research stipend.

For both positions, the Visiting Scholar residency is 2-3 months in duration (exact date range chosen by the Scholar), and can be held during Semester 1 (Oct. 1, 2022 – Jan. 15, 2023), or Semester 2 (March 1, 2023 – June 30, 2023). People who are currently employed by another institution will need a consent letter from their current employer if they will be based at UNNC for more than a week or will visit multiple times.

The aim of this award is to foster research collaboration with members of staff in the School. During the residency, the scholar will undertake their research and collaborate with one or more members of IC staff on a research project (proposed by the Visiting Scholar) that will result in a publication and/or a grant application. They will also deliver one lecture for our School’s UG and PG students and will give one presentation to the wider University on their research as part of our Invited Speakers programme. There are no further teaching or administrative responsibilities.

The award is competitive, and will be based on the proposed research proposal and the applicant’s CV. Applicants should have already been awarded their PhD degrees and have expertise relevant to IC, which includes media and communication studies, cultural studies, film and television studies, game studies, etc. (see: https://www.nottingham.edu.cn/en/internationalcommunications/know-our-people/know-our-people.aspx).

Application Instructions

To apply, first contact a member of staff to discuss your research proposal. Then, please send the following in an email addressed to IC Research at: ICResearch@Nottingham.edu.cn:

• Covering letter - please state the semester (1 or 2), the proposed length of residency (maximum 3 months), and suggested dates
• Research proposal detailing your proposed research project, intended output(s), and the member(s) of staff that you have contacted [maximum of 500 words]
• A statement of support from the IC member(s) of staff
• CV
• Email addresses of two referees

The call closes on Monday, June 13th 2022 at noon (Beijing Standard Time). The Visiting Scholar committee will aim to make their decisions by July 4th 2022.

The website can be found here: https://www.nottingham.edu.cn/en/humanities-and-social-sciences/schools-and-department/international-communications/research/visiting-scholars.aspx

For further questions about the programme, please contact Corey Schultz at Corey.Schultz@Nottingham.edu.cn. For further information about the research interests of members of staff, please consult the staff webpages or contact members directly.

About the University: The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) was the first Sino-foreign University to open its doors in China. This award-winning campus offering a UK style education has grown to establish a student body of 8,000 in just 15 years. The School of International Communications is the largest school in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and is affiliated to the Department of Culture, Media and Visual Studies at the Nottingham campus. More information about the School of International Communications and its members can be found here: https://www.nottingham.edu.cn/en/internationalcommunications/index.aspx

May 23, 5:00 PM (London time), 6:00 PM (Barcelona time)

Facilitator: Paul Widdop, Academic in Sport Management at the University of Manchester

Russell Holden, author of "Cricket and contemporary society in Britain". Professor, director and founder of In the Zone Sport and Politics Consultancy, founder of the Sport and Politics Research International Network (SPRING).

David Storey, author of “Football, Place and National Identity”, principal lecturer in Geography at the University of Worcester.

Xavier Ginesta, author of “La disneyització del futbol”, associate professor in Sport Marketing at the University at Vic-Central University of Catalonia and Founder of the Sport and Politics Research International Network (SPRING).

Registration: https://uviccat.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_d01UxaU9TJeYAgjEbSInyA 

Dear ECREA members,

we want to encourage you to offer your expertise and contribute to the community by adding your name to the EC expert database. It will be used, among others, to find evaluators for Creative Europe & Horizon Europe: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/work-as-an-expert.

The European Union Institutions appoint external experts to assist in the evaluation of grant applications, projects, and tenders, and to provide opinions and advice in specific cases. We know that ECREA members have a lot of knowledge, skills, and expertise on topics that are much needed and valued at the EU level and it will be great to use it.

October 17, 2022

Online conference (Zoom)

Abstract deadline: 15 June, 2022

ECREA online pre-conference: Science and Environment Communication Section

Misinformation is high on the public agenda, not least in the area of science, environment and climate communication following the current pandemic, climate, and environmental crises. With this pre-conference the ECREA Science and Environment Communication Section puts a focus on how we can understand and analyse misinformation, as well as disinformation, in relation to science and environment conflicts and how we can perceive the roles of citizens that are facing different levels of misinformation in public debates. Misinformation is sometimes linked to science populism which emerges in opposition to what is perceived as elite representations of scientific and environmental dilemmas and problems. The complex and contested dichotomy between expert and lay discourses is therefore central to understanding both misinformation and science populism in science and environment conflicts.

The event furthermore encourages the exploration of the multifarious role of citizens facing mis- and disinformation as either media audiences and users or as active producers or contesters of misinformation in public spheres. The development of a hybrid media environment particularly allows citizens to play an active role in relation to misinformation and science populism. This leaves public authorities and established media institutions with several dilemmas relating to the limits and possibilities of democratic debate and public engagement in science and environment conflicts.

Topics include, but are not limited to:

• Misinformation and disinformation in science and climate communication
• Conceptualisations of science populism
• The role of digital and traditional media in the spread and/or containment of mis- and disinformation
• The complex role of citizens in science populism: activism, protest, and resistance, on- and off-line.
• Affect, misinformation, and science populism
• Case studies of misinformation and science populism: e.g. anti-Covid regulation protests, climate change denialism, anti-vaccination movements
• Public authorities’ and journalistic strategies and measures against mis- and disinformation
• Media representations of misinformation and science populism as social phenomena.

We encourage work-in-progress and alternative (visual, video, interactive) formats as well as traditional presentations.

Please send a 200-300-word abstract to:

Mette Marie Roslyng: mmroslyng@ikp.aau.dk

Participation in the event is free of charge.

October 6-7, 2022

Deadline: June 1, 2022

ECREA pre-conference workshop

War streaming on Instagram, propaganda in press photography, refugee activism on TikTok? - Recent European crises have shown images and videos as essential tools of communication in politics and protest, a trend mirrored in the increasing use of visuals in research methodologies. Visual data can capture practices of visual, performative or non-verbal communication, text-image relationships, the development of visual formats, notions of aesthetics, as well as underlying meanings of symbols and codes. Extant research has since captured different elements of visual politics and protest, including: social history (e.g. protest photography), political commentary or alignment (e.g. through memes or overlays), social cues in political communication (e.g. GIFs, filters, or emoji), visual activism practices (e.g. culture-jamming, sousveillance video coverage, flesh-witnessing), and visual forms of information documentation and distribution (e.g. infographics).

Even so, new creative practices have at times challenged research practices, for example with regards to image authenticity and appropriation in mis- and disinformation campaigns (e.g. deepfakes), platform affordances in new visual formats and spaces (e.g. short videos on TikTok), (mis)interpretation and visual (il)literacy in communications, trust in image data as factual evidence, and opaqueness in the production of visual materials. These critical debates have been particularly contentious in the arena of politics and protest, where visuals have been seen to shape political opinion and discourse, electoral campaigns, war coverage, and Covid-19 data visualisations.

In response to these trends, the ECREA Visual Cultures section is inviting submissions to the online pre-conference on “Visual Politics & Protest” with a focus on epistemological and methodological challenges, taking place on 6th and 7th October 2022 (= 2 weeks prior to ECREA 2022). The pre-conference workshop will include a keynote by Dr. Jing Zeng (University of Zurich), a series of lightning talks, a panel discussion (including speakers Dr. Stefania Vicari, Dr. Shana MacDonald, & Dr. Jing Zeng), and hands-on discussion rounds with a specific focus on epistemological challenges in research on visual politics and protest.

Topics of interest

We are looking for lightning talks on challenges encountered in research on visual politics and/or protest, which will be allocated to thematic panels. Towards encouraging lively discussions, we are not looking for entire paper proposals, but focussed submissions that outline the challenge along with examples (in written, visual, or other creative forms).

On a broad level this may include (but is not limited to):

• New methodological challenges in visual or multimodal data collection or analysis
• Platform- or format-specific challenges in conducting visual research on politics and protest
• Methodological approaches for capturing visuality or visual cultures surrounding politics and protest
• Challenges in embedding visuals or visuality with textual, audio, or sensory materials
• Issues in interpreting and/or quantifying visual data
• Emerging approaches to visualising image or video data
• Suggestions for the ethical treatment of visuality in politics or protest
• Approaches in analysing specific political visual practices and/or phenomena
• Epistemological discussions of the role of the visual in politics, protest, or social movements
• Theorizing visual issues (example: visibility through aesthetics and visuality)

Submissions should ideally either discuss new challenges, present in-depth illustrations/ examples of specific challenges, or introduce new approaches or nuances.

Submission

Please submit a 200 word description of your challenge in researching visual cultures or materials, along with your contact details on this Google Form link (200 is the maximum incl. references). Proposals can be submitted until 1st June 2022 at 23.59 CEST. Descriptions should be written in English and contain a summary of the challenge that will be presented, as well as a notion of the reflections or approaches that are taken or recommended. The description may follow a conventional abstract structure, but is not bound to it. We encourage creative, unconventional, and work-in-progress submissions, particularly from early-career scholars. The addition of supplementary visual data such as a poster or data excerpt is optional. The submissions should represent a specific issue or challenge encountered in the participant’s visual research.

We are aware that not everyone will be able to use Google services due to regional restrictions or privacy concerns. In those cases we invite participants to submit directly by email vppecrea@gmail.com. The email should contain following information: paper title, participant first and last name, country of affiliation, affiliation, career stage, email contact, names of co-authors, a 200-word description of the challenge, 1-2 visual materials (PDF, Word, or jpg) if applicable (this is optional), and indicate if you would like to be considered for the special issue.

During the workshop, these challenges should be presented as short presentations (7-10 minutes) in panel groups with an adjoining discussion. These presentations do not need to follow conventional presentation formats (creative and purely visual presentations are encouraged). Please note that multi-author submissions are very much welcome, but due to the short nature of lightning talks we ask that only one person (i.e. the submitting author) presents.

Details on the presentation format and full programme will be released in due time.

Workshop follow-up

Post-workshop, a summary (e.g. in the form of a co-authored “living syllabus on visual politics and protest research'') will be created and circulated amongst the participants and the wider public.

Participants will also be invited to join an informal follow-up meeting at ECREA in Aarhus: “visual politics & protest coffee hour”.

Participants will have the opportunity to submit their full papers to a special issue in Journal of Digital Social Research (https://www.jdsr.io/). Extended abstracts of 500 words are due 1st December 2022. Interest in submitting to the special issue should be indicated in the submission form. More information on the special issue will follow in due course.

Further details

The pre-conference workshop is organised by the ECREA Visual Cultures section (see https://visualculturesecrea.wordpress.com/) and will take place online.

Links

Pre-conference website: https://cutt.ly/visual-politics-ecrea

Email contact: vppecrea@gmail.com

Link to profile of keynote speaker: https://www.ikmz.uzh.ch/en/research/divisions/science-crisis-and-risk-communication/team/jing-zeng.html

Key dates 2022

• 1st June: pre-conference submission deadline
• 15th August: communication of acceptance
• 6th & 7th October: ECREA pre-conference on Visual Politics & Protest (online)
• 19th to 22nd October: ECREA general conference
• 1st December 2022: special issue abstract deadline

Pre-conference team

Maria Schreiber, University of Salzburg

Suay Melisa Özkula, University of Trento

Tom Divon, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Danka Ninković Slavnić, University of Belgrade

Doron Altaratz, The Hadassah Academic College

Hadas Schlussel, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

September 15-16, 2022

Milan, Italy

Deadline: June 1, 2022

Facoltà di Scienze Politiche e Sociali

Facoltà di Scienze Linguistiche e Letterature Straniere

Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

Scientific Committee: Gabriele Balbi (USI - Università della Svizzera Italiana), Giovanni Boccia Artieri (Università degli Studi di Urbino “Carlo Bo”), Arturo Cattaneo (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Luca Castellin (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Fausto Colombo (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Chiara Continisio (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Ruggero Eugeni (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Guido Gili (Università degli Studi del Molise), Giacomo Manzoli (Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna), Alberto Marinelli (Sapienza Università di Roma), Andrea Minuz (Sapienza Università di Roma), Federica Missaglia (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Damiano Palano (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Francesca Pasquali (Università degli Studi di Bergamo), Enrico Reggiani (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Massimo Scaglioni (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Nicoletta Vittadini (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), Maria Teresa Zanola (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore)

Conference Organized by: Valerio Alfonso Bruno, Antonio Campati, Paolo Carelli, Anna Sfardini (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore)

Local Organizing Committee: Edoardo Maria Castelli, Maria Grazia Contu, Mattia Galli, Stefano Guerini Rocco, Joyce Faelli.

Conference Venue: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano.

In the last two decades, media and cultural production has been characterized by an increasing representation of dystopian worlds and alternative and “possible universes”, as narrative tools to describe fears and contradictions of human beings face to the uncertainty of the future as well as the reworkings of the past and the memory. The pandemic emergence has accentuated this particular creative process, not only in the direction of health and epidemiological topics, but – more in general – towards a reconfiguration of new imageries about catastrophes and other social, cultural and technological upheavals.

As part of a wider project on the so-called “clash of narratives” and its media representation and political use and mobilization, carried out by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore also through the project of an “Atlas of dystopian storytelling” (www.unicatt.it/atlantedistopiemediali), the International Conference aims to focus, from a strong multidisciplinary perspective - including media, political, literary, linguistic, sociological and cultural studies - on the various ways the theme of dystopia has become relevant and massive in contemporary popular culture, both in traditional and digital forms, highlighting how it has changed across different languages and formats, also in the direction of a strong transmediality (novels, comics, movies, TV series, videogames, digital and social platforms, political discourses and so on).

Dystopic societies have always been present in literature, film and media studies, but there is no doubt that they heavily emerged in recent cultural production as the result of deep social and political transformations that occurred in Western and non-Western societies after the collapse of twentieth-century ideologies and traumatic events – such as the attack on the Twin Towers or the current pandemic crisis. Thus, new narratives have emerged, often representing neo-populist or conspiracy theories on one hand, and apocalyptic future or “parallel present” on the other. The scenario of popular culture products reflects and also forges contemporary fears and anxieties within a society characterized by the domain of the technique, migrations and nomadic processes, democratic and environmental crisis, health emergencies; all aspects that underline the fragility of our societies and reconfigure concepts of space (production and representation of places, both real and fictional) and time (the role of past, present and future in dystopic media narratives), providing a cartography of complex trajectories and hybridizations of media, genres, and discourses of dystopias in popular culture and social practices.

Possible topics for proposals may include (but are not limited to):

• Digital dystopias and dystopias within the digital eco-system;
• Technological dystopias in past and present narratives;
• Health emergencies and pandemic;
• Environmental catastrophes as critical rethorics against current ecological and economic models and in favour of sustainable and green policies;
• Relationship between human beings and technology and role and representation of AI;
• Crisis of democratic societies and consequences for geopolitical balances in light of the emergence of conspiracy theories;
• Conflicts and splits in contemporary societies and struggles for power;
• Migrations and allegorical use of diversity and new forms of cohabitation;
• Integration of dystopic dynamics and narrative pipe within conventional media products;
• Ucronic stories, “what if” mechanisms and the reinvention of the past;
• Geographical references in dystopic media products: places, imaginaries, architectures, symbols, but also markets, production hubs and industry locative elements that help specific types of dystopic stories;
• Time as narrative mechanism to strenghten apocalyptic and disturbing disquiets;
• Transmediality and adaptation of literature and media contents and the creation of “dystopic” media franchises;
• Soundscapes and the description of dystopic worlds through digital and popular music.

We invite abstract submissions for 20-minute papers. Abstracts should be between 150-200 words in length and should be accompanied by a brief biographical note of the speaker/s. The deadline for submissions is 1st June. Accepted papers will be confirmed by 20th June. The language of the conference will be English. Please send abstracts to atlante.distopie@unicatt.it.