ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

Dear Colleagues,

I have begun work on a forthcoming book project. The development of the manuscript is scheduled to commence in June 2026. 

The title is Rewriting Reality: The Role of Algorithmic Media in Shaping Thought, Society, and Digital Belonging

I would be grateful if you could let me know whether you would be interested in contributing a chapter to this volume. On this occasion, chapters will be authored by a single contributor, and participation will be strictly by invitation.

If you believe that this topic may also be of interest to other colleagues, please feel free to let me know so that their potential participation may be considered. Write to me at raquelbenitezrojas@gmail.com.

July 6-10, 2026

University of Manchester

We would like to invite applicants for the Digital Methods Summer School that will take place at the University of Manchester between 6th and 10th July 2026. 

This year, we will cover the following topics:

• Visual Methods
  
• Sensing AI Methods
  
• Creative AI Methods
  
• Text Analysis with R
  
• Data Visualisation
  
• Geospatial Methods
  
• Ethics & Open Science

Check out our website for more information about the content, fees and bursaries: https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/53uwG1yp7TISE

The summer school is co-organised by the Centre for Digital Humanities, Cultures and Media (https://www.digital-humanities.manchester.ac.uk/) and Methods@Manchester (https://www.methods.manchester.ac.uk/).

Media and Journalismo, vol. 26 N49 (2026)

Deadline: April 30, 2026

Editors:

• Berta García Orosa iD icon “ University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, berta.garcia@usc.es
  
• Inês Amaral iD icon “ University of Coimbra, Portugal,  ines.amaral@uc.pt
  
• Noel Pascual Presa iD icon “ University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, noel.pascual.presa@usc.es
  

The topic of this call for papers seeks to gather original, interdisciplinary, and empirically grounded research that exploreshow audiences are constructed within digital public spheres. The development of technologies such as artificial intelligence or big data has not only transformed the production, distribution, and circulation of information, but also redefined theways in which audiences are imagined and constructed. In its early stages (approximately 20 years ago), the continuous analysis of big data allowed for real-time audience insights and, subsequently, the prediction of audience behaviour, as exemplified by the Cambridge Analytica case. However, the focus has now shifted towards constructing audiences beforemessages are even produced, particularly in the context of electoral campaigns.

While there is a growing academic interest in the effects of media automation and personalisation, there has yet to be aconvergence of studies that systematically examine the epistemological, political, ethical, and communicative implicationsof this new relationship between algorithms and audiences. This gap is even more striking when considering the far-reaching nature of the phenomenon, which spans across journalism, political communication, digital culture, and platformgovernance.

In this fourth wave of digital communication, algorithms not only predict audience behaviours but also influence and shape them, giving rise to what has been termed the "algorithmic audience" (Riemer & Peter, 2021). This process ofdatafication has led to new methods of classification, personalisation, and micro-segmentation of audiences, profoundlytransforming the logic of political mediation.

This scenario marks a paradigm shift: while traditional scientific episteme conceived of audiences through ascribed categories such as class, gender, or ideology, the new algorithmic paradigm is grounded in behavioural data, adopting aperformative logic that dissolves fixed classifications (Fisher & Mehozay, 2019).

However, this transformation is far from neutral. The new ways of constructing algorithmic audiences present democraticrisks: automated biases (Kordzadeh & Ghasemaghaei, 2021), opacity in content selection (Livingstone, 2019), challengesto informational plurality and freedom of expression (Riemer & Peter, 2021), and growing inequality in voice representation (Jones, 2023; Zarouali et al., 2021). The construction of new public spheres requires critical and urgentanalysis.

These changes are affecting public discourse, with journalism at the forefront of the transformation. The growing relianceon algorithms is reshaping the profession, giving rise to what has been termed "automated journalism" or "robot journalism", driven by the automation and personalisation of news content (Carlson, 2015; Clerwall, 2014). Although thispersonalisation offers opportunities to strengthen the relationship with audiences (Ford & Hutchinson, 2019), it also introduces challenges, as public trust in the media may be undermined by the perceived risks inherent to these dynamics(Livingstone, 2019; Sehl & Eder, 2023). These new tools have far-reaching implications, both professionally and socially:from threats to freedom of expression and the need for new policies on content authorship, to the impact on the legitimacy of journalistic judgement and the reconfiguration of audiences (Carlson, 2018; Fisher & Mehozay, 2019; Montal & Reich,2016; Riemer & Peter, 2021).

From an identity perspective, the relationship with audiences remains central. However, the emphasis has shifted:personalised and individualised messaging have lost prominence, giving way to a more community-centred discourse. Inpractice, community is constructed around paid subscriptions and access to exclusive features and content. Narratives areconstructed around this group of members or subscribers to persuade them of their relevance to the survival and qualityof the media’s journalistic practice.

At the same time, users often perceive algorithmic content selection based on their consumption behaviour in a positive light (Thurman, 2018). This personalisation is accompanied by increasing categorisation and micro-segmentation, allowing for more granular and precise user classification (Beauvisage et al., 2024). Nonetheless, this positive perception and micro-segmentation do not protect users from the risks inherent to algorithmic governance, often carefully designedaround opaque or hidden interests (Jones, 2023; Reynolds & Hallinan, 2024).

This Call for Papers aims to:

• Explore epistemological transformations in the conceptualisation of audiences
  
• Analyse emerging journalistic and communicative practices within algorithmic logics
  
• Examine the democratic, ethical, and regulatory implications of algorithm-mediated personalisation
  
• Propose innovative methodologies for investigating hyper-segmented and opaque audiences
  
• Foster interdisciplinary dialogue bridging political communication, digital sociology, platform economics, and critical theory

Suggested topics for articles

• Political audiences and datafication
  
• Automated journalism and personalized news delivery
  
• Algorithmic biases and polarisation
  
• Algorithmic transparency and accountability
  
• Ideological segmentation and targeting strategies
  
• Civic participation in automated media environments
  
• Ethics, privacy, and data governance
  
• New forms of audience agency and performativity
  
• Youth audiences and platform culture
  
• Regional and comparative case studies
  
• Content automation
  
• Ethical and privacy implications of datafication
  
• The role of journalism in algorithmic communication
  
• Risks and opportunities of hyper-personalization
  
• Transformation of media consumption habits
  
• Informational plurality
  
• Echo chambers and information bubbles
  
• Polarisation and algorithmic bias
  
• Impact of algorithms on agenda setting
  
• Transformation of media power
  
• Trust in sources of algorithmic information
  
• Disinformation and fake news
  
• Transparency and regulatory mechanisms
  
• Audiences and engagement
  
• Media literacy
  
• New audiences and youth audiences
  
• Astroturfing campaigns
  

At the point of submission, the author must explicitly indicate the journal issue to which the manuscript is being submitted.

IMPORTANT DATES

Deadline for submitting articles: from January 22 to April 30, 2026

Publication period: continuous edition (September to December 2026) 

This call for papers is part of the R&D projects Artificial Intelligence in Digital Media in Spain: Effects and Roles (PID2024-156034OB-C22), funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF/EU”; & (d)e-HATE - Exploring Cyber Hate: Online Racism Targeting Immigrant and Racialized Communities in Portugal" (2024.18170.PEX).

Media & Jornalismo (RMJ) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, indexed in Scopus and the Web of Science (EmergingSources Citation). Each paper is sent to two reviewers, who are invited in advance to evaluate it based on the criteria ofquality, originality, and relevance in line with the aim and theme of the specific issue of the journal.

Articles can be submitted in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s website (https://impactum-journals.uc.pt/mj). Once accessing RMJfor the first time, registration is required to submit the article and track the editorial process. We recommend reviewing the Author Guidelines, Submission Conditions, and thejournal's Editorial Policy.

For more information, you can contact patriciacontreiras@fcsh.unl.pt

References

Beauvisage, T., Beuscart, J.-S., Coavoux, S., & Mellet, K. (2024). How online advertising targets consumers: The uses of categories and algorithmic tools by audience planners. New Media & Society, 26(10), 6098-6119.https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448221146174

Carlson, M. (2018). Automating judgment? Algorithmic judgment, news knowledge, and journalistic professionalism. New Media & Society, 20(5), 1755-1772.https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444817706684

Carlson, M. (2015). "The Robotic Reporter: Automated Journalism and the Redefinition of Labor, Compositional Forms, and Journalistic Authority." Digital Journalism, 3(3), 416-431. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2014.976412

Clerwall, C. (2014). "Enter the Robot Journalist: Users’Perceptions of Automated Content." Journalism Practice, 8(5), 519-531. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2014.883116

Fisher, E., & Mehozay, Y. (2019). How algorithms see their audience: media epistemes and the changing conception of the individual. Media, Culture & Society, 41(8), 1176-1191. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443719831598

Ford, H., & Hutchinson, J. (2019). Newsbots That Mediate Journalist and Audience Relationships. Digital Journalism, 7(8), 1013-1031. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2019.1626752

Jones, C. (2023). How to train your algorithm: The struggle for public control over private audience commodities on Tiktok. Media, Culture & Society, 45(6), 1192-1209. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437231159555

Kordzadeh, N., & Ghasemaghaei, M. (2021). Algorithmic bias: review, synthesis, and future research directions.European Journal of Information Systems, 31(3), 388-409. https://doi.org/10.1080/0960085X.2021.1927212

Livingstone, S. (2019). Audiences in an Age of Datafication: Critical Questions for Media Research. Television & New Media, 20(2), 170-183. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476418811118

Montal, T., & Reich, Z. (2016). I, Robot. You, Journalist. Who is the Author? Authorship, bylines and full disclosure in automated journalism. Digital Journalism, 5(7), 829-849. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2016.1209083

Reynolds, C., & Hallinan, B. (2024). User-generated accountability: Public participation in algorithmic governance onYouTube. New Media & Society, 26(9), 5107-5129. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448241251791

Riemer, K., & Peter, S. (2021). Algorithmic audiencing: Why we need to rethink free speech on social media. Journal of Information Technology, 36(4), 409-426. https://doi.org/10.1177/02683962211013358

Sehl, A., & Eder, M. (2023). News Personalization and Public Service Media: The Audience Perspective in ThreeEuropean Countries. Journalism and Media, 4(1), 322-338. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia4010022

Thurman, N., Moeller, J., Helberger, N., & Trilling, D. (2018). My Friends, Editors, Algorithms, and I: Examining audience attitudes to news selection. Digital Journalism, 7(4), 447-469. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2018.1493936

Thurman, N. (2018). Social Media, Surveillance, and News Work: On the apps promising journalists a "crystal ball." Digital Journalism, 6(1), 76-97. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2017.1345318

Zarouali, B., Helberger, N., & De Vreese, C. H. (2021). Investigating Algorithmic Misconceptions in a Media Context: Source of a New Digital Divide? Media and Communication, 9(4), 134-144. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v9i4.4090

Registration for the 11th European Communication Conference (ECC2026) is now open. The conference will take place in Brno and will bring together communication scholars from across Europe and beyond for four days of research presentations, scholarly discussion, and networking. ECC2026 offers a unique platform to engage with current research, strengthen international collaboration, and help shape the future of communication studies. Detailed information on registration fees, accommodation, and the conference program is available on this website. Notifications regarding abstract submissions will be sent after 17 March 2026. The deadline for early registration is 15 June 2026.

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Aarhus University

Apply here: https://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/open-and-specific-calls/phd-call-2026-9

The Graduate School at Arts, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, in collaboration with the European Research Council and the Department of Media and Journalism Studies at Aarhus University, invites applications for a fully funded PhD fellowship in PAY4PLAY: Entrepreneurial Organizing in the Platform Society provided the necessary funding is available. This PhD fellowship is available as of 1 September 2026 for a period of up to three years (5+3).

It is expected that candidate awarded the PhD fellowship will be able to commence the PhD degree programme on 1 September 2026. 

PAY4PLAY is an interdisciplinary, large-scale investigation of organizing in the creator economy concerned with how creators and their communities come together and create value. The project is premised on the idea that organizing is essential to understand how creators—and people more broadly—both exploit and challenge the growing power of digital platforms. The project approaches creator organizing from three perspectives (culture, infrastructure, policy) and compares three industrial sectors (gamers, VTubers, adult content creators). In so doing, the project will map the industrial conditions of the creator economy, develop a new theory of organizing and platform power, and provide policy recommendations for platforms and regulators.

The PAY4PLAY team includes the principal investigator Blake Hallinan, a postdoctoral researcher, and three PhD fellows working on the sub-project “Cultures of Participation within and among Creator Communities.”

This PhD fellowship focuses on video game creators making content in English and, preferably, Spanish, as the second largest language on the livestreaming platform Twitch. The project design is flexible but should investigate organizing within (i.e., how creators, co-producers, volunteers, and audience members relate to each other) and among creator communities (i.e., how creator communities form alliances to shape industrial conditions). The PhD fellow will also have the opportunity to collaborate with team members working in other sectors and in the projects focused on infrastructure and policy, as well as with an international network of advisors and collaborators.

The PhD fellowship will be supervised by Blake Hallinan, Assistant Professor in the Department of Media and Journalism Studies, and co-supervised by Pablo Velasco, Associate Professor in the Department of Digital Design and Information.

Tasks and responsibilities

The candidate will:

• Design and conduct studies of organizing within and among gaming creator communities across social media platforms (e.g., Twitch, YouTube, Discord, Patreon, TikTok)
  
• Conduct interviews with members of gaming creator communities
  
• Observe creator community organizing at industry events (e.g., TwitchCon, Gamescom)
  
• Observe creator community organizing online using relevant methods (e.g., digital ethnography, digital methods analysis of social media data)
  
• Collaborate closely with supervisors, the postdoctoral researcher, and fellow PhD researchers on the PAY4PLAY project
  
• Present research at international conferences
  
• Publish PhD research in international publication venues
  

Requirements

• Master’s degree (120 ECTS) in a relevant field (e.g., media studies, communication, anthropology, sociology, cultural studies)
  
• Experience with studying digital platforms and/or online communities
  
• Ability to speak and write in English at an academic level
  

Desirable assets

• Ability to conduct research in Spanish (reading documents, interviewing participants)
  
• Domain expertise in the creator economy
  
• Theoretical sophistication, as reflected in the project description
  
• Experience with collaborative, interdisciplinary, and/or international research projects
  

Enrolment and place of work

The PhD student must complete the studies in accordance with the valid regulations for the PhD degree programme, currently the Ministerial Order of 27 August 2013 on the PhD degree programme at the universities: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/

Description of the graduate school’s PhD degree programme: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/phdstudystructure/

Rules and regulations for the PhD degree programme at the Graduate School at Arts: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/  

The PhD fellow will be enrolled as a PhD student at the Graduate School at Arts, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, with the aim of completing a PhD degree at the School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University.

The PhD student will be affiliated with the PhD programme ICT, Media, Communication and Journalism.

The PhD student’s place of work will be the School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University. In general, the student is expected to be present at the school on an everyday basis.

The PhD degree programme is expected to include a lengthy research stay at a foreign institution, cf. Description of the graduate school’s PhD degree programme.

School of Communication and Culture’s research programme: http://cc.au.dk/en/research/research-programmes/

5+3 programme

When you apply for a 3-year PhD fellowship (5+3), you must have completed your two year Master’s degree (120 ECTS) no later than 31 August 2026.

The PhD fellow will be employed as a PhD student at the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University. The terms of employment are in accordance with the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations, as well as with the protocol to the agreement covering staff with university degrees in the state sector (see enclosure 5). The agreement and the protocol including amendments are available online: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/thephddegreeprogramme/

Salary: https://phd.arts.au.dk/4-4-part-b-and-5-3/salary-and-employment

How to apply 

The application must include:

Motivation/cover letter (statement of motivation and research interests, max one A4 page of 2,400 characters including spaces)

CV (including a complete list of education, positions, publications and other qualifying activities)

Project description outlining how the candidate envisages completing the work to be undertaken during the course of the term of appointment.

The overall project description (excl. list of project literature/bibliography/reference list and timetable) must not exceed 12,000 characters including spaces, tables, diagrams, footnotes, endnotes and illustrations (5 A4 pages of 2,400 characters each)

Project literature/reference list

Timetable (mandatory form)

Cover sheet (form stating your degrees)

Copies of educational certificates (Bachelor and Master’s degrees). The diplomas or diploma supplement/transcript of records must state: name of university, education (Bachelor or Master), duration (number of years, full-time), courses, marks and (if given) ECTS credits.

Please see a detailed description of the requirements for the application in the guide for the application facility: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/how-to-apply/ 

Application

If you require professional guidance regarding your application for the PhD fellowship please contact the PhD programme director at ICT, Media, Communication and Journalism:  http://phd.arts.au.dk/about-us/contact/

For further information, please contact Assistant Professor Blake Hallinan, School of Communication and Culture, bhallinan@cc.au.dk, + 45 93 99 75 01.

The application must be submitted in English.

All applicants must provide documentation of excellent communication skills in English which are considered essential, and you must therefore be able to read, write, and speak academic English fluently. English language requirement is comparable to a minimum of TOEFL 83 or IELTS 6.5. Please see this page for further information: http://phd.arts.au.dk/applicants/english-test/

Child protection certificate

In accordance with Ministerial Order no. 554 of 23 May 2023, Aarhus University is obliged to obtain a statement of no previous convictions in respect of children in connection with the appointment and employment of staff whose work will involve direct contact with children under the age of 15. If you, in connection with your PhD project, will be in direct contact with children under the age of 15 who are not accompanied by a parent or guardian, childcare professional or teacher, you will be covered by the requirements of the ministerial order.

If you are covered by these requirements and read Danish, please complete the section “Samtykkeerklæring” (declaration of consent) in the police form and upload the file under “Other information to consider” in the application form. You can download the form here: https://politi.dk/-/media/mediefiler/landsdaekkende-dokumenter/straffeattest/brneattest-p274.pdf

If you are covered by these requirements and do not read Danish, please upload a brief statement with the headline “Child protection certificate needed” under the field “Other information to consider” in the application form.

Applications for the PhD fellowship and enrolment in the PhD degree programme can only be submitted via the application form in Aarhus University’s web-based facility.

Deadline for applications: 1 April 2026 at 23.59 Danish time (CET/CEST).

Reference number: 2026-9

During the assessments, Aarhus University can conduct interviews with selected applicants.

March 20, 2026 and March 23, 2026

Online

The Euromedia Ownership Monitor (EurOMo) has now made its full database available to registered users, including information on beneficial owners. To introduce the database and highlight the main resources in EurOMo’s latest version, we are hosting a public webinar with two sessions:

 Friday, 20 March 2026, 11:00 CET

Monday, 23 March 2026, 15:00 CET

Each session includes a 30-minute presentation and live demo, followed by a Q&A. If you would like to attend, please register via this form (also available on the project's website).

Kind regards,

Tales Tomaz and Josef Trappel

Coordinators of EurOMo

Paulo Couraceiro and Nivedita Chatterjee

This report presents the outcomes of the workshop "ChatGPT and Beyond: AI Literacy for Early-Career Scholars", organised by ECREA's Audience and Reception Studies Section at Södertörn University in Stockholm, Sweden. The workshop created a structured yet open space for early-career researchers to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping academic research and professional identity. Fifteen participants, mainly doctoral candidates from diverse national and disciplinary backgrounds, took part in a three-hour interactive session. The workshop combined reflection, practical exercises, and group discussion. It addressed three main areas: expectations and concerns about AI, everyday academic uses of AI tools, and the broader social implications of AI adoption. Participants expressed mixed emotions. Many described AI as useful and efficient, especially for assisting in literature review, text editing and managing routine tasks. Simultaneously, they also expressed concerns about authorship, bias, data privacy, and the risk of AI hallucinations. A key theme that emerged from the interaction was uncertainty. This was reflected in how university policies for AI adoption were often perceived as vague, inconsistent, or difficult to interpret. The ambiguity contributes to hesitation in disclosing the usage of AI and, in some cases, fear of reputational damage. Overall, the workshop highlights a strong demand for practical guidance and transparent discussion. Early-career scholars are not seeking to replace their work with AI, but to use it responsibly within clear ethical boundaries.

Download HERE.

March 12, 2026 (6:15 - 8:00 GMT)

King's College London, Strand Building (Room S-2.08), London, England

As part of the Italian Symposium in London, we are delighted to invite you to an evening of interdisciplinary dialogue exploring the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence, ethics, and society with Professor Luciana Parisi (Duke University), Professor Francesca Toni (Imperial College London) and Bianca de Teffé Erb (Deloitte). 

What do we mean when we call a machine “intelligent”? And what happens to ethics, responsibility, and power when decision-making is increasingly shared with, or delegated to, algorithms?

This panel opens a critical interdisciplinary conversation across five key dimensions: how we define intelligence itself; how ethics must evolve after and with the machine; how bias and systems of social reproduction are encoded into data and models; how explainability shapes trust between humans and AI; and how technological transformation demands new forms of governance that move beyond hype and fear towards an ecological understanding of AI operations.

The event is free and will be held in English. Booking is required at the link here.

About the Speakers

Luciana Parisi is Professor in Literature and core faculty for the Graduate Program in Computational Media Art and Culture at Duke University, USA. She was a member of the CCRU (Cybernetic Culture Research Unit) and currently a co-founding member of CCB (Critical Computation Bureau). Her research is a philosophical investigation of technology in culture, aesthetics and politics. She is the author of Abstract Sex: Philosophy, Biotechnology and the Mutations of Desire (2004, Continuum Press) and Contagious Architecture. Computation, Aesthetics and Space (2013, MIT Press). She is completing a monograph on automation and philosophy (MIT Press, forthcoming) and co-editing the collection Colonial Fractals: The Racial Politics of Planetary Computation (Duke University Press, forthcoming).

Francesca Toni is Professor in Computational Logic in the Department of Computing, at Imperial College London, UK. She is the founder and leader of the CLArg (Computational Logic and Argumentation) research group and of the XAI Research Centre at Imperial. Her research interests lie within the broad area of Knowledge Representation and Reasoning in AI and Explainable AI, and in particular include Argumentation, Argument Mining, Logic-Based Multi-Agent Systems, Non-monotonic/Default/Defeasible Reasoning, Machine Learning. She is corner editor on argumentation for the Journal of Logic and Computation, in the editorial board of the Argument and Computation journal and associate editor for Theory and Practice of Logic Programming. She is also in the Board of Directors for KR Inc. and IJCAI trustee.

Bianca de Teffé Erb is Partner and Data & AI Ethics Lead at Deloitte. With over a decade of experience in consulting, she specialises in AI Governance, Ethics, Risk and Compliance. She supports multinational organisations such as NATO and ESA, public institutions and large industrial groups such as Confindustria in developing ethical and compliant AI adoption strategies, with a particular focus on the European AI Act. She is the author of the report “Towards an Ethics by Design Approach for AI,” presented at the European Parliament in 2024. Bianca was included in the “Top 20 Under 30” list by Forbes Italy in 2018. She was among the first professionals in Italy to obtain the ISO 42001 Lead Auditor certification.

The discussion will be moderated by Aglaia Freccero (Imperial College London), Dr Edoardo Occhipinti (UCL), Simone Pellegrino (Goldsmiths, University of London), and Emma Prévot (University of Oxford), four PhD and early-career researchers who will bring their diverse academic perspectives to this timely conversation on AI.

Under the broader Symposium theme, “Innovare Audere: A Future-Ready Italy,” this event reflects on the need for a critical approach to innovation and risk in shaping the future. In London, we explore how this spirit translates into Italy’s role in a rapidly changing world, through complementary perspectives on geopolitics and international relations, economic and financial competitiveness, and technology and innovation.

Over five days and across four universities, the Symposium convenes leading voices to discuss how Italy can strengthen its global influence and remain competitive in the decades ahead. The initiative is organised by United Italian Societies (UIS), a non-profit founded and led by Italian students abroad, connecting over 60 universities in more than 10 countries and representing a vibrant community of over 11,000 Italian students worldwide.

This event is co-organised with UIS Research Centre, a student-led think tank rooted in academic excellence, committed to producing rigorous policy proposals and forward-thinking research on Italy's most compelling issues that contribute to real-world institutional change.

We look forward to welcoming you all to a stimulating discussion!

September 16, 2026

Malaga, Spain

Deadline: March 15, 2026

Are you looking for an opportunity to discuss and develop your research paper? For the fifth time, we offer a Paper Development Workshop (PDW) during the annual EUPRERA congress. The PDW will take place on 16 September 2026 in Malaga, Spain, and will provide a highly interactive environment to discuss and receive feedback on papers. The deadline for submissions is 15 March 2026; submissions for the PDW are made during standard paper submissions for the EUPRERA congress. Join us!

More information: www.euprera.org/pdw

March 18, 2026

Online seminar

Online seminar and presentation of the final report of the European project Redistributive Imaginaries (University of the Arts London, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, University of Zurich, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, University of Lapland).

We invite you to attend the online seminar taking place on Wednesday, March 18, from 12:00 to 13:30 (CET) to present the final report of the project Redistributive Imaginaries: digitalization, culture and prosocial contribution. REDIGIM is a 3-year research and knowledge exchange project funded by CHANSE and carried out in Spain, Finland, Montenegro, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

More information and registration: https://www.ema.uzh.ch/en/register/redigim.html 

About the Project: In Europe’s mixed economies of welfare, redistribution practices are dispersed through civil society. Voluntary organisations involved in the delivery of welfare increasingly rely on digital tools and platforms to raise funds and manage relationships with donors. The project interrogates the systems of meaning that people use to make sense of redistribution and welfare provision. Through platform analysis and ethnographic fieldwork, we have examined emerging practices in the voluntary sector and identified some of the significant ways in which digital platforms are shaping dominant and emerging redistributive imaginaries.

In this seminar, members of the research team will discuss the project and its key findings, followed by discussion with respondents John Clarke, Eva Frade and Hanna Kuusela, and a Q&A with the audience.

Chair: Emma Dowling (University of Vienna)

Presenters from the research team: Rebecca Bramall (University of the Arts London), Milana Čergić (Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz), Moritz Ege (University of Zurich), Mercè Oliva (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)

Respondents: John Clarke (Emeritus, Open University), Eva Frade (Platoniq Foundation), Hanna Kuusela (University of Jyväskylä)

Download the report: https://redigim.arts.ac.uk/publications/how-do-digital-platforms-shape-meanings-and-practices/ 

Visualization of project's key findings: https://redigim.arts.ac.uk/imaginaries/

Project website: https://redigim.arts.ac.uk/