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ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

  • 25.03.2020 13:55 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Montse Morcate y Rebeca Pardo (Ed.)

    ISBN:978-84-120097-4-3

    THE UNVEILED IMAGE. Photographic practices in illness, death and grief is a book published in Spanish with international collaborations by experts as Tony Walter, Stanley B. Burns, Elizabeth A. Burns, Jason L. Burns, Susana de Noronha, Pelin Aytemiz, Jorge Moreno Andrés, Carmen Ortiz García, Montse Morcate and Rebeca Pardo.

    Illness, death and grief have been very present in photography since the birth of the medium. Nevertheless, these images have generated different responses over time, ranging between acceptance and rejection, depending on the historical and cultural context. The appearance of the digital image and the Internet, as well as new ways of understanding the processes of mourning/grief, dying and the illness narratives, have led to a resurgence of these images, their social uses and their meaning.

    This book provides insights into one of the most exciting and unknown areas of photography through an interdisciplinary and cross-cultural analysis of these practices that are often reviled and hidden.

    Montse Morcate is a Lecturer in Photography in the Department of Visual Arts, Arts Faculty, University of Barcelona, Spain. Her research focuses on photography, grief and death.

    Rebeca Pardo is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Audiovisual Communication, Communication Faculty, International University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain. She is the Principal Investigator of the research project (2019-2021) Visibilizing pain: illness visual narratives and storytelling transmedia. Her research focuses on visual representation of illness, death and anticipatory grief.

    Purchase here: https://www.sanssoleil.es/tienda/la-imagen-desvelada-practicas-fotograficas-en-la-enfermedad-la-muerte-y-el-duelo-montse-morcate-y-rebeca-pardo-ed/

  • 19.03.2020 09:23 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Social Movement Studies

    Deadline: May 30, 2020

    Guest editors:

    • Stefania Milan, DATACTIVE, Department of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, s.milan@uva.nl
    • Davide Beraldo, DATACTIVE, Department of Media Studies, University of Amsterdam, beraldo@uva.nl

    Datafication is changing the conditions under which contemporary social movements operate, opening up new terrains of contention. As a result, grassroots initiatives in the realm of data activism, data justice, algorithmic accountability and/or resistance to mass surveillance mushrooms in liberal and authoritarian regimes alike. These initiatives vary by scale, organizational forms, tactics, political visions and technological imaginaries. They may take data “as repertoires”, whereby data and data-based tactics are mobilized as constituents of innovative tactics, or “as stakes”, that is to say issues or objects of political struggle in their own right. However, they share an emphasis on the contentious politics of data.

    While many instances of the contentious politics of data have come under the spotlight of specialists of digital politics and culture, social movement scholars are only starting to investigate the consequences of datafication on organized collective action. Yet datafication represents a paradigm change able to radically transform “social movement society”, urging social movements scholars to reflect on how it intersects with known social movement dynamics.

    This Special Issue invites scholars of social movements and critical data studies to engage with i) case studies and ii) theoretical reflections illustrating the evolution of collective action vis-à-vis datafication. We are particularly interested in (interdisciplinary) theory development: fostering a dialogue across disciplinary boundaries, the Special Issue wants to bring the question of datafication -broadly defined -to bear on social movement scholarship, with the ambition of addressing what has been to date a “blind spot” in social movement literature, and cross-fertilizing disciplinary fields that have long remained disconnected.

    Consequently, we welcome papers (max 8,000 words) engaging with the following:

    Unfamiliar empirical cases of: social movements’ critical engagement with the datafication agenda (e.g., Hong Kong activists dismantling lamp posts with surveillance cameras); creative incorporation of data-based practices and tactics in social movements’ repertoires (e.g., citizen-led collection of pollution data); social movements engaging in struggles around data issues (e.g., algorithmic accountability); examples of conflation between data as constituents of action repertoires and data as a contentious issue in its own right.

    Theoretical perspectives on, for instance, data activism, data justice, artificial intelligence, the relation between protest and social structures in the age of datafication, etc. as they intersect social movements and collective action processes, concepts, and research questions.

    Theoretical contributions on, e.g., the relation between data and the means-ends continuum in social movements, oriented to theory development in the field of social movement studies.

    Looking to Publish your Research?

    We aim to make publishing with Taylor & Francis a rewarding experience for all our authors. Please visit our Author Services website for more information and guidance, and do contact us if there is anything we can help with!

    Submission Instructions

    Interested authors should submit an abstract to Bukola Faturoti (b.faturoti@herts.ac.uk), no later than 30th May 2020. The Guest Editor is also available for discussion via email. Authors will be notified of the acceptance of their abstract no later than 15th June 2020.

    The submissions deadline is 1st November 2020. All submissions will be subject to double-blind peer-review. Articles of up to 10,000 words (inclusive of footnotes) will be considered.

    Deadline for final submission of papers is 3rd January 2021.

  • 19.03.2020 09:19 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Brock University

    Apply here: https://brocku.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/brocku_careers/job/St-Catharines-Main-Campus/Assistant-Professor--Business---Media-Communication_JR-1005212

    This position is part of the BUFA (Employee Group)

    Careers are Built at Brock.

    As a Top Employer in Hamilton-Niagara, Brock University offers unique opportunities in leadership, teaching, research, student support services, and administration. We have a history of developing the strength and career potential of our employees.

    We are on the cusp of something new and exciting. We are launching into our next 50 years and are looking for people with passion, energy, and a strong desire to help our students achieve their goals.

    Experience Brock, experience success.

    Experience the Benefits of Working at Brock.

    Learning and career development are natural elements of an academic environment. At Brock, career development is ingrained in our culture. On average, 45- 60% of our staff position hires are a result of internal movement**. Our Senior Leadership, Staff, and Faculty help drive our collaborative culture. Learn more about how our employees feel about their employment experience at Brock University by visiting http://www.brocku.ca/careers/testmonials.

    ** 2016 metrics

    Post End Date:

    Note to all candidates: This posting will close at 12:01 am on the date listed .

    April 6, 2020

    About the position

    The Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film at Brock University invites applications for a full time tenure track position in Media and Communication Studies at the rank of Assistant Professor to begin July 1, 2020. This position is subject to final budgetary approval.

    The Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film offers four interdisciplinary undergraduate programs. Two of these programs — Business Communication and Media & Communication — are home to 650 majors. The BA in Business Communication is offered in collaboration with the Goodman School of Business.

    Qualifications

    The successful candidate must have a PhD in communication, media studies, business, or a related discipline and a strong record of research and teaching that addresses digital technologies and practices at the intersection of business communication and media industries. Expertise in the areas of digital platforms and media analytics is of particular interest. Experience with online, blended, and applied/experiential pedagogy would be an asset.

    Notes

    Review of applications will begin March 31, 2020. Applications should be submitted electronically and include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and teaching dossier (relevant course outlines, evaluations, and a statement of teaching philosophy).

    Two confidential letters of reference should be sent via email to:

    Dr. Dale Bradley, Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film, Brock University

    dbradley@brocku.ca

    About Brock University

    The Brock University experience is second to none in Canada. Located in historic Niagara region, Brock offers all the benefits of a young and modern university in a safe, community-minded city, with beautiful natural surroundings. With over 18,000 students and more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs in seven diverse Faculties, Brock excels at providing exceptional experiential learning opportunities and highly rated student and campus life experiences.

    Our Geography

    Brock University’s main campus is situated atop the Niagara Escarpment, within a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, overlooking the city of St. Catharines, in the heart of Niagara wine country. The Niagara region is dotted with landmarks that recognize our nation’s history and features breathtaking natural beauty and world-famous attractions. St. Catharines is home to vibrant arts and entertainment venues, and is a short drive from Toronto, Niagara Falls, and Buffalo, New York. With one of the warmest climates in Canada, clean, safe communities, and surprisingly affordable real estate, Niagara is an exceptional location to call home.

    What we Offer

    Brock University offers competitive salary and benefits and ample support for research and sabbaticals. Research resources include; conference support, start-up funding, subscriptions to major databases and access to various research funding vehicles. For candidates considering relocation, moving expenses will be administered according to the Faculty Association Collective Agreement.

    Brock University is actively committed to diversity and the principles of employment equity and invites applications from all qualified candidates. Women, Aboriginal peoples, members of visible minorities, people with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons are encouraged to apply and to voluntarily self-identify as a member of a designated group as part of their application. Candidates who wish to be considered as a member of one or more designated groups can fill out the Self-Identification questions included in the questionnaire at the time of application.

    All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadian citizens and permanent residents will be given priority.

    We will accommodate the needs of the applicants and the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) throughout all stages of the selection process, as outlined in the Employee Accommodation Policy https://brocku.ca/policies/wp-content/uploads/sites/94/Employment-Accommodation-Policy.pdf.

    Please advise:

    Ali Rilstone, Talent Acquisition Consultant, arilstone@brocku.ca to ensure your accessibility needs are accommodated through this process. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

    It is Brock University’s policy to give consideration to qualified internal applicants.

    We appreciate all applications received; however, only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

    Learn more about Brock University by visiting www.brocku.ca

  • 19.03.2020 09:13 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Laval University

    Chair in Science Journalism

    Deadline: April 15, 2020

    Number: 6877

    Workplace: Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Department of Information and Communication,

    General information

    The Department of Information and Communication of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities at Laval University invites applications for a tenure-track professorship position which includes directing its Chair in science journalism.

    Job Description

    • Teach at BSc, MSc, and PhD levels;
    • Assume leadership of the Chair in science journalism and implement its research and training agenda focusing at the science/media interface;
    • Secure the Chair’s role as catalyst in the re-interpretation of the shared challenges facing scientists and journalists in the ongoing mediascape through identification of the best emerging practices, including through its own research laboratory;
    • Participate in the governance and administration of the Department and of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities.

    Priorities of the Chair in Science Journalism of Laval University

    The Chairholder will need to focus on and develop one or several of the three following research themes:

    • Journalism and communication related to science-driven societal issues: role of the media in the coverage of societal issues that involve science, particularly conflicting science, and in the curation of public debates relating to the environment and climate, public health, big data, privacy and surveillance, artificial intelligence, automation and robots, transhumanism, etc.);
    • Interplay of the respective legitimacy of journalism and science in the public sphere: intellectual authority in the public sphere of journalistic and scientific actors as pertaining to credibility, veracity, and authority in matters of information and knowledge;
    • Professional and discursive practices in science issues: analysis and evaluation of journalistic and scientific discourse and postures in public debates. Development of innovative editorial strategies and journalistic practices as well as communication strategies appropriate to the ongoing contemporary flow of information.

    Selection criterias

    • PhD or PhD near completion in communication or related domain.
    • Specialization in the public communication of science.
    • Specialization in the study of media and the public sphere.

    Additional information

    Career interruptions

    In accordance with its commitment to diversity and equity, Laval University acknowledges that career interruptions like parental leave, extended sick leave, care of a family member, gender transition as well as a handicap situation or other unplanned circumstances can affect productivity and research undertakings, volunteer work, and social commitments.

    Candidates are therefore invited to state, where appropriate, such situations as well as evaluate their impact on their career track since the obtention of their PhD, in order that it be accounted for in the evaluation of their candidacy.

    As well, adaptation measures can be offered to persons in handicap situations regarding their special needs in the context of this position offer, in complete confidentiality. If you require such adaptation measures, you are welcome to contact the equity personnel of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities: RH@flsh.ulaval.ca (attention: Mr. Nicolas Diotte).

    Teaching language requirement

    Courses at Laval University are taught in French. The University offers support to its professors to achieve a functional command of spoken and written French.

    Candidature

    Application must be written in French and formatted as a PDF document, including:

    • a cover letter of introduction;
    • an up to date CV referencing three to five significant publications;
    • a research program outline (six pages maximum, bibliography excluded), with a vision statement outlining structural effects of the Chair at the scale of the Department and University; and
    • three letters of recommendation (sent by the respondents directly to direction@com.ulaval.ca).

    More information on the Chair can be found at: https://www.cjs.ulaval.ca/

    More information on the Information and Communication Department at: http://www.com.ulaval.ca

    Applications should reach the Director of the Information and Communication Department, Dr. Thierry Belleguic (direction@com.ulaval.ca) at the latest on April 15th, 2020, 13:00 (Eastern Standard Time Canada).

    Starting date: July 1st, 2020.

    Valuing equity, diversity and excellence, Université Laval is strongly committed to provide an inclusive work and living environment for all its employees. For Université Laval, diversity is a source of wealth, and we encourage qualified individuals of all origins, sexes, sexual orientations, gender identities or expressions, as well as persons with disabilities, to apply.

    Université Laval also subscribes to an equal access to employment program for women, members of visible or ethnic minorities, Aboriginal persons and persons with disabilities. Adaptation of the selection tools can be offered to persons with disabilities according to their needs and in complete confidentiality. In accordance with Canadian immigration requirements, priority will be given to qualified individuals with Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.

  • 19.03.2020 09:07 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Deadline: April 1, 2020

    Edited Collection by Stephanie Patrick and Mythili Rajiva

    Publisher: TBD

    Since the explosion of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements in late 2017, gendered and sexual violence have never been more visible, discussed, and debated in Western culture. While a survey of recent television and film texts might demonstrate a related shift in how some stories of sexual violence are told, these texts do not necessarily represent a shift in the power structures of media production, the demographics of those telling such stories, or even a more nuanced understanding of rape and rape culture (Byrne & Toddeo, 2019; Jermyn, 2017; Pinedo, 2019).

    As Sarah Projansky so powerfully argued in her classic text /Watching Rape /(2001), the media is a site in which ideas about sexual violence are not only reflected but, also, socially and culturally constructed. The recent growth in feminist scholarship on sexual and gendered violence in the media (Boyle, 2019; Clarke, 2014; Horeck, 2018; Joy, 2019; Magestro, 2015; Oliver, 2016; Phillips, 2016) points to a growing understanding of the relationship between rape culture and culture more broadly. However, such an understanding seems to have little effect on the amount of dead or raped girls showing up on our screens. In fact, the trope of the victimized young woman is more popular than ever, mobilized in a range of contemporary, “post-television” texts spanning a variety of genres, including shows such as /Game of Thrones/,/Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt/, /You/, /The Fall/, /Thirteen Reasons Why/, /Unbelievable/,/Outlander/, and /The Handmaid’s Tale/.

    Furthermore, while these shows may represent a more diverse view of gendered violence in Western popular culture, they are still centered on the victimization of white, middle class, able-bodied, heteronormative women. Feminist media scholarship has, thus far, reflected this preoccupation, demonstrating few extended engagements with representations of gendered and sexual violence against women who are at the margins of Western society (notable exceptions include Moorti, 2001, Abdurraqib, 2017, Millward, Dodd, and Fubara-Manuel, 2017).

    The following edited collection seeks to fill this gap by examining representations of violence against girls or women that are currently missing from the conversation. This collection will work the margins for those subjects whose victimization is forgotten or erased in mainstream representations of and/or scholarship about sexual and gendered violence.

    Topics for chapters can include (but are not limited to):

    • Representations of sexual and gendered violence against girls or women who are not white, able-bodied, cis-gendered, or heteronormative; for example, LGBTQ+ people, racialized women, disabled women, poor or working class women, immigrant women, Indigenous women
    • Analysis of the ways that white femininity operates in texts to sideline racialized women’s experiences. How are such representations mobilized post-#MeToo – a phrase that often invokes the victimization of white (and famous) women, while erasing the victimization of women of colour (and the work of activist Tarana Burke, who coined the phrase in 2006 ) (Garcia, 2017)?
    • Depictions of violence against women outside the traditional noir and crime genres (in sketch/comedy, sitcoms, fantasy, historical, reality television, teen drama, etc.)
    • The politics of sexual violence on Reality TV shows
    • Depictions of violence against sex workers
    • Production/economic analyses of representations of violence against women
    • Representations of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements (particularly in fictionalized formats)
    • Sexual violence against celebrities that are not white, heteronormative, able-bodied women.
    • “Post-truth” or “threshold” texts that “radically destabilize incommensurable political stances such as feminism/misogyny” (Rajiva and Patrick, 2019)
    • Audience reactions to consuming such imagery (particularly audiences and fandoms beyond white, cis/straight girls and women)

    Instructions for Submission:

    Please submit an abstract (maximum 300 words) along with a title, author bio(s), and keywords (up to five) via email to Stephanie Patrick at spatr045@uottawa.ca by April 1 , 2020.

    Authors will be notified of their selection by May 1^st , 2020 and, once chapters have been selected, a press will be solicited.

  • 19.03.2020 09:03 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    University Leipzig

    Within an internationally renowned team, we are looking to hire a Postdoc to harness the possibilities afforded by AI to help local journalism. While applying, you may choose to be based at LMU Munich (with Neil Thurman), the University of Amsterdam (with Natali Helberger), the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (with Wouter van Atteveldt), or Leipzig University (with Mario Haim).

    Journalism is going through challenging times, with the decline of trust in institutional journalism, the competitive pressure of free online news, and the emergence of decentralized gate-keeping through social media and news aggregators. Journalism has adapted to the digital ecosystem, where algorithms and AI direct audience traffic and help determine revenue, with differing degrees of success. Large, national news companies, such as The Guardian and The New York Times, have been able to adapt, and leverage technology to reach a global audience. For local (and regional) news providers it has been much more difficult to remain innovative and sustainable because of the inherently limited local market and a lack of resources. Moreover, many of the innovations powering the modern news ecosystem, such as automatic curation and news algorithms for personalized news delivery, are fuelling concerns about filter bubbles and polarization.

    This postdoc position is part of a project to harness the possibilities afforded by AI to help local journalism cope with these challenges, while taking the journalistic norms and values that are central to its role in democratic societies as a central design principle. The project is an interdisciplinary, international cooperation between Professor Neil Thurman (LMU Munich), a renowned expert on the adoption and implications of computational journalism; Professor Helle Sjovaag (U of Stavanger), an expert on journalism and the media industry; Professor Natali Helberger (U of Amsterdam) an expert on media law and value sensitive design; Junior Professor Mario Haim (U of Leipzig), an expert in communication science and computational journalism; Dr Antske Fokkens (VU Amsterdam) an associate professor of computational linguistics; and Dr Wouter van Atteveldt, (VU Amsterdam) an associate professor of communication science and computational communication science.

    Together with this team of PIs, the tasks of the postdoc will be to:

    • Help identify the most promising applications of AI in the local journalistic process, in cooperation with a local journalism organization.
    • Map the use of AI in journalism, with a focus on local journalism.
    • Help preparing a funding application.
    • Help preparing a journal publication in a high ranking academic journal.
    • Depending on the successful candidate’s preference, the post can be based at: LMU Munich (with Neil Thurman), the University of Amsterdam (with Natali Helberger), the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (with Wouter van Atteveldt), or Leipzig University (with Mario Haim).

    The successful candidate will have:

    • A degree and/or PhD in journalism, media studies, human-computer interaction, or other related discipline.
    • Strong affinity with the subject matter.
    • Some experience with ethnographic and qualitative research methods.
    • Preferably: some experience of drafting funding applications.
    • Good communication and writing skills.
    • Good organization skills.
    • Enthusiasm for, and ideally experience of, working in a highly interdisciplinary (computer science, journalism studies, communication science, and law) and international setting.
    • Fluency in English, and preferably another European language (German, Dutch, Norwegian).
    • Ability to work independently and yet be a team player.

    Note: the position may involve travelling.

    Full-time, fixed term (12 months) position based at LMU Munich, the University of Amsterdam, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam or Leipzig University. Starting October 2020. If based at LMU Munich or Leipzig University salary scale E 13 TV-L (€3837 - €5622 per month depending on experience). If based at the University of Amsterdam or Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam salary scale 10-11 (€2709 - €4911 depending on experience). Schwerbehinderte Personen werden bei ansonsten im Wesentlichen gleicher Eignung bevorzugt.

    Your application (in English only) should include:

    • a motivation letter (including whether you would want to be based at LMU Munich, the University of Amsterdam, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam or Leipzig University)
    • your CV with publication list
    • the names and contact details of two references
    • copy of degree certificates
    • transcript of grades

    Please also include a link to sole or first authored publication/s and your Master’s or PhD thesis. Complete applications should be submitted as a single PDF document to: ai-in-local-journalism@haim.it by 15 May 2020.

    In case of questions, please contact Jun.-Prof. Dr. Mario Haim.

  • 19.03.2020 08:20 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    June 3-5, 2021

    Paris 3 - Sorbonne nouvelle

    Deadline: September 30, 2020

    This is the first conference ever organized on the theme of Artificial Intelligence in fiction (literature, series, films, comics, video games): the focus will be on representations of AI and their meanings, as well as the creative uses of AI to produce and understand fiction.

    A road trip entirely written by an artificial intelligence embedded in a car, Ross Goodwin's /1 the road/ has joined at the start of the 2019 literary season a whole series of texts whose common point was to stage and act out a dream of automation and artificialization of literary language, whose genealogy goes back at least to the first automatic writings of Oulipo: artificial intelligence is no longer just a fiction but a tool for producing fiction. Hito Steyerl revisits the narrative power of documentary film using deep learning algorithms to better question its ability to shape reality; /Second Earth /by Gregory Chatonsky takes us into a new world whose automatically generated images already tell the story, while by associating two images to a logical connector he shows the power of an algorithm to create a small story (/If... then/, 2009).

    Embodied in figures, familiar, AI now offers incarnations that cannot be resolved on the apocalyptic horizon of robots waiting for the hour of singularity to triumph over the human species. AI is no longer just the object of a fantasy but is gradually becoming an everyday tool through facial recognition or personal assistants, while the first tools of predictive writing and cultural recommendation are emerging and it is announced that a story produced by an artificial intelligence would have been a finalist for a literary prize in Japan. We already knew the very rich mythology of AI in cinema, from 2001's /Odyssey of Space to Spielberg's /A.I. Artificial Intelligence/, via /Terminator /or /Her/: each time, the political, ethical and social stakes of AI open up avenues for deep critical reflection and question the most essential

    philosophical categories by which we think about mankind and our place

    in the world. But AI is now taking on a concrete presence.

    /Databiographie /by Charly Delwart proposes to retrace a destiny based on digital data and their visualisations; /Le_zéro_et_le_un.txt /by Josselin Bordat tries to stage an artificial intelligence in the process of awakening to the world, /Kétamine /by Zoé Sagan sets a scene of a "predictive" journalist centred on data: never have we been so close to artificial agents that are integrated into our lives.

    Moving from fantasy to computer tools, the fictional representations of AI are thus added to the fictional representations of the emerging uses of narrative AI by opening up a field of opportunity and fear for culture: on the one hand, creation by AI or assisted by AI can offer a major experimental field of interest to both conceptual writers and storytelling practitioners.

    On the other hand, the way in which culture is "dated" and the way in which these dates are analyzed can profoundly affect the fiction industry and its attention control, further multiplying our perplexity about the emergence of artificial narrative intelligence.

    Contributors are invited to consider one or other of these topics:

    • examples of fictions produced by AI: tools, projects, applications, games;
    • the computer methods used: GAN, machine learning, deep learning;
    • AI's fiction: robots, cyborgs, computers;
    • the themes of post-humanism, singularity, utopias and dystopias of AI;
    • the cultural history of representations of AI and its inventors (Alan Turing for example);
    • criticism produced by AI: audience analysis, scenario analysis, cultural recommendation algorithms;
    • the analysis of fiction by AI methods in the field of Digital Humanities;
    • the legal problems induced by creation: law, data sharing, tax system;
    • the narrative aesthetics of AI, the link with conceptual art and performance literature;
    • the transformation of theoretical categories by AI and the modification of the vocabulary of criticism and aesthetic philosophy, from the notion of narration to that of literature;
    • the representation of psychological, ethical and political problems induced by AI, from Asimov's three laws of robotics to /Westworld/;
    • the philosophical dimension of fictional reflection on AI: the problem of freedom, consciousness, agentivity, autonomy;
    • - AI as a way of questioning the question of minorities, the topic of vulnerability, the frontiers of the human, the frontier of gender, the frontier of species.

    The conference will take place at the Maison de la recherche of the University of Paris 3 - Sorbonne nouvelle, Maison de la recherche, 3 rue des Irlandais, 75005 Paris, from 3 to 5 June 2021.

    Proposals in English or French (1 page + 1 short bio-bibliography) should be sent to ia.fiction.2021@gmail.com before 30 September 2020

    Conference organized by Alexandre Gefen ((CNRS/Paris 3) with Marida di Crosta (Marge, Université de Lyon III), Ksenia Ermoshina (CNRS, Centre Internet et Société), Béatrice Joyeux-Prunel (University of Geneva), Léa-Saint-Raymond (ENS).

  • 19.03.2020 08:07 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Abstract submission deadline: April 15, 2020

    Full chapters due: October 15, 2020

    Editors: Ehab Galal, Mostafa Shehata and Claus Valling Pedersen

    The pace of immigration from the Middle East has accelerated over the past decade, and for many reasons. The most notable of these is the political instability triggered by the failure of the 2011 Arab uprisings. The region has also seen significant political transformations in addition to these pivotal uprisings, such as the 2009 Iranian Green revolution, the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, and the continuing Kurdish and Palestinian struggles for independence.

    2019 presents the rebirth of Arab uprisings in some other countries (Sudan, Algeria, Lebanon and Iraq), and the acceleration of political and economic oppression in others. There are many Iranian towns which are experiencing new waves of demonstrations, and, in Turkey, new laws have been passed to stabilise the regime after the coup d'état attempt. The possibility of yet another rise in immigration to Western countries and elsewhere has therefore increased, adding to the importance of diasporic communities. Based on this premise, we invite researchers to examine the role and influence of Middle Eastern diasporic communities on the political developments in their countries of heritage and of residence.

    These diasporic communities, in light of post-uprising authoritarianism, have acted as opposition groups which seek to support a democratic transition in their countries of heritage. The role of digital media has consequently been with their countries of heritage and of residence. The political role of digital media in the Middle Eastern diaspora, however, has become increasingly ambivalent. Contesting the authoritarian rule of Middle East countries, on the one hand, and the rise of fake news, misinformation, and digital authoritarianism on the other, has had an impact on the oppositional role of digital media.

    The impending new decade presents the need for an empirical-based theorisation of how political communication works in diaspora, and its influence on transnational mobilisation has become more urgent. The importance of this work increases in light of four significant considerations:

    (i) The change of digital media’s political role within the last few years, compared to its intense role in the early 2010s.

    (ii) The rise of new voices calling for democracy in the Middle East in the so-called second wave of the Arab uprisings.

    (iii) The lack of holistic works that theorise political communication in diaspora, and its transnational influence. The diaspora has mainly been investigated from an inter-cultural communication perspective, focusing on globalisation, hybridity, integration, belonging, and so on. An embodied political communication perspective has, however, been disregarded. This perspective would be unique if followed, to handle the diaspora’s transnational political participation, contentious politics, political campaigns, voting behaviour, and so on.

    (iv) The transformations of global immigration policies that have led to a conflict between pro-and-anti-immigration positions.

    We invite authors to suggest chapters for two kinds of contributions:

    • Theoretical chapters addressing one or more of the following concepts: Mediatisation, Diaspora, Multimodality, Contentious Action Formation, and how each of these concepts relates to political communication among (Middle East) diasporas.
    • Empirically-based chapters that examine one or more Middle East diasporas, and how these diasporas use traditional and (or) digital media to politically mobilise and transnationally connect.

    Research questions

    This book asks fundamental and critical questions about media (both traditional and new) and politics in the diaspora, such as:

    • What is diasporic political communication?
    • How political communication comes closer with intercultural communication and organisational communication in the diaspora?
    • What is the role of media technology in diaspora’s contentious politics?
    • How do media politically disconnect or re-connect users to their countries of heritage?
    • How do media shape a diasporic political identity?
    • How do misinformation and digital authoritarianism affect the political role of diaspora?
    • How might digital media change the collective identity of diasporic communities?
    • How do media facilitate connection with their countries of heritage and of residence?
    • How do diasporic media activities empower or disempower democratic actors residing in the Middle East?
    • How do media facilitate the diaspora’s participation in the politics of the country of residence?
    • How do diasporic communities contribute to their countries of heritage during a crisis?
    • Why are diasporic communities interested in matters of their countries of heritage, regardless of whether they have or have not lived in or visited those countries (second and subsequent generations)?

    Topics

    Contributions include but are not limited to the following topics:

    • Conceptualising diasporic political communication.
    • Political communication in relation to inter-cultural and organisational communication in diaspora.
    • Media and diasporic empowerment.
    • Media and diasporic contentious actions.
    • Media and diasporic political identity.
    • Media and integration into the country of residence, and sense of belonging to their country of heritage.
    • Transnational digital authoritarianism.

    Format

    This edited book will be a combination of invited contributions and chapters from this open call.

    The book will be published, subject to peer reviews with no author fees.

    TIMETABLE

    • 15 April 2020: Deadline for abstracts (approx. 500 words).
    • 1 May 2020: Editors’ response to abstracts.
    • 15 October 2020: Deadline for full chapters (8,000 words).
    • 15 December 2020: Authors receive reviews.
    • 15 January 2021: Deadline for revised chapters.
    • Summer 2021: Publication of edited book.

    MORE INFORMATION & CONTACT DETAILS

    Please send your abstract of approx. 500 words to this email: mediasp@hum.ku.dk by 15 April 2020.

    Book editors

    1. Dr. Ehab Galal

    Ehab is an Associate Professor at the department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Copenhagen University. He has approached research questions from a cross-disciplinary perspective inspired by media as well as ethnographic, cultural, and religious studies. He has been leading a research team working on a project (Mediatised Diaspora) since 2018. This research investigates transnational media and contentious politics among the Arab diaspora in Europe. For more information about Ehab, please follow this link: https://ccrs.ku.dk/staff/?pure=en/persons/164164

    2. Dr. Mostafa Shehata

    Mostafa is an Associate Researcher with the University of Copenhagen, and an Assistant Professor at Menoufia University. He holds both a Master’s and Ph.D. degree in mass communication. His research addresses a broad spectrum of issues in political communication and diaspora, such as contentious politics, collective action and mediatisation. His current research within the project of Mediatised Diaspora focuses on the transnational media and contentious politics among Tunisians in Europe. For more information about Mostafa, please follow this link: https://ccrs.ku.dk/staff/?pure=en/persons/644713

    3. Dr. Claus Valling Pedersen

    Claus is an Associate Professor in Persian Studies at the department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, Copenhagen University. He specialises in Persian language and literature. Claus is currently conducting research on literature written by the Iranian diaspora in Europe and the U.S. The literature is written in both Persian and the language of the country of residence. For more information about Claus, please follow this link: https://ccrs.ku.dk/staff/?pure=en/persons/165592

  • 19.03.2020 07:56 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Deadline for Abstracts: March 31, 2020

    Edited by Carmit Wiesslitz, PhD

    The #MeToo movement has been mentioned in academic discourse as an effective online campaign that became widely spread and was covered extensively in the news media worldwide. When referring to this campaign, Internet researchers highlight the powerful role of social media platforms in activism in the digital age and many scholars talk about this campaign in this context. However, there is a very limited discourse about the fact that women are the leading figures behind this successful campaign or about their distinctive use of and related experience in the online public sphere. In fact, academic discourse has rarely put forward the topic of women activists and their use of social media. Why is it so important to place this issue at the focus of research? First of all, because the field of politics and extra-parliamentary politics is known as an extremely male-oriented/dominated sphere in which women are forced to struggle to successfully promote themselves and their agendas. Secondly, women’s organizations have unique features, specifically related to the way they run their organizations and operations, which often are more democratic and egalitarian. Thirdly, saliency and reliable representation in public discourse is a challenge, not only for women’s groups but also for all minority groups. The Internet may constitute an alternative, possibly more egalitarian, communications platform.

    This leads us to the following questions; Does the Internet provides women activists with a new platform to voice their agenda? Is the Internet perceived and used as a tool of empowerment? The contribution of research on these questions is related not only to the Internet and new digital platforms, but also to its focus on women, an important minority group, and its acknowledgement of women’s activism in the virtual world.

    This collection will hopefully open a window into the role and status of women’s groups that aspire to join forces to organize collective action using the Internet, and furthermore to gain an understanding of the discourse that women create on social media and other digital platforms. Hence, this book will present various case studies of women from around the world who use the Internet to facilitate social change on topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

    • Women’s groups and social change organizations and their on-going online operations.
    • Case studies of ad hoc campaigns and spontaneous viral collective action, such as the #MeToo campaign.
    • Distinct dimensions of Internet activism, from organizing offline/online protests and mobilizing for collective action, to producing and distributing memes, videos, and podcasts.
    • The Internet as a safe space: women’s discourse and online conversations of activists or non-activists (features, uses, and perceptions of value)

    The book is intended to be multidisciplinary volume that embraces a broad range of disciplinary perspectives, including, but not limited to, media studies, civil society and democracy, social movements, alternative media, feminisms, Marxism/neo-Marxism, globalization, structural/post-structural, and others. Furthermore, this book may offer empirical multidisciplinary perspectives and a wide array of methodologies for researching digital activism using various online platforms and apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, What's Up App, and others.

    Interested authors should send an abstract of 500 words, 3-5 references, and an up-to-date bio to Carmit Wiesslitz (carmitwi@hac.ac.il) no later than March 31, 2020, with “Women and activism in the digital age” in the subject line.

    Acceptance notices will be sent by May 31, 2020

    Full papers of 6,000 to 8,000 words (including all references) will be due November 30, 2020.

    I intend to submit a proposal to Palgrave Macmillan (which already expressed its initial interest in this project and is awaiting the submission of a full proposal) after I have a confirmed table of contents and list of contributing authors.

    About the editor: Carmit Wiesslitz, PhD, is the author of Internet Democracy and Social Change: The Case of Israel (2019), published by Lexington Books. Her research areas include civil society, democracy and the Internet, media and social change, alternative media, women's organizations and new media. She is a lecturer in the Department of Politics and Communications at Hadassah Academic College, Israel.

  • 19.03.2020 07:34 | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science

    Salary from £35,432 to £42,860 pa inclusive with potential to progress to £46,117 pa inclusive of London allowance

    This is a fixed term appointment for one year, starting from 1 September 2020, with a possibility of extension for one further year.

    Applications are invited from outstanding candidates in the field of Media and Communications. The successful candidates will join an established and successful department which graduates 300+ MSc students a year and which was ranked first in the UK’s 2014 Research Excellence Framework.

    The Department is seeking to appoint two LSE Fellows who are able to make important contributions to its teaching and research. The posts present an excellent starting point for an academic to gain teaching experience while developing their research career.

    Candidates will have a completed PhD in Media and Communications or a closely related field (PhD in hand without revisions pending by date of application). Candidates must demonstrate evidence of high quality teaching at the post-graduate level, an interest in contributing to teaching about global media audiences and/or methods of research in Media and Communications, with experience of survey/ data analysis methods, as well as experience of teaching media and communication theories from a critical and international perspective. Candidates will have a developing research record in the field of Media and Communications with evidence of a commitment to critically assessing theories and empirical research. Candidates must demonstrate excellent communication and presentation skills and have a commitment to equality and diversity.

    We offer an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave and excellent training and development opportunities.

    For further information about the post, please see the how to apply document, job description and the person specification, available here: https://jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/4015/0/265331/15539/lse-fellow-in-media-and-communications

    If you have any technical queries with applying on the online system, please use the “contact us” links at the bottom of the LSE Jobs page. Should you have any queries about the role, please email Dr Bingchun Meng: b.meng@lse.ac.uk

    The closing date for receipt of applications is Tuesday 7 April 2020 (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.

    An LSE Fellowship is intended to be an entry route to an academic career and is deemed by the School to be a career development position. As such, applicants who have already been employed as a LSE Fellow for three years in total are not eligible to apply. If you have any queries about this please contact the HR Division.

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