ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

November 20-21, 2021

Online conference

Deadline:  July 31, 2021

We invite proposals from academia and industry for 20-minute papers and 80-minute panels to be presented at the international and interdisciplinary two-day online conference The Politics of Casting in Media, hosted by the Faculty of Creative Industries at the University of South Wales.

Casting is a fundamental practice in textual productions and value chain processes. Yet, more than this, who gets cast and in what roles, and those identities frequently marginalised (see Yuen, 2017) are pertinent ongoing topics of journalistic outputs, audience conversations, and academic studies. Whilst the series It’s a Sin (Channel 4, 2021) cast only LGBTQ+ actors for queer characters (Kanter, 2021), James Corden – a cis-gendered straight white male – has been criticised for his portrayal of gay masculinity in The Prom (Netflix, 2020) (Lee, 2020). This raises questions not only of character representations and notions of authenticity, but also issues surrounding the political economy of who is employed to undertake such roles and professional/celebrity cachet. Likewise, inclusive casting is more than a box-ticking exercise (Nwonka, 2020), evidenced by John Boyega criticising Disney’s increased relegation of characters of colour in the most recent Star Wars trilogy (2015-19) in favour of developing the films’ white leads (Famurewa, 2020). Yet, whilst the casting of actors and the resultant media output they act in frequently warrant analyses, the job of ‘casting [itself] is an overlooked and underresearched component of the filmmaking process’ (Warner, 2016: 177). Thus, casting needs to be critically examined vocationally as much as textually, considering the role of casting director within wider media production cultures.

Likewise, casting, much like media itself, is frequently in conversation with cultural climates and reflective of wider social relations. The Black Lives Matter movement has reignited discussions of racial depictions and the hegemonic whiteness of mainstream Anglophonic media. It has also sparked instances of change such as several white actors stepping down from voicing characters of colour in animated series (Romano 2020), and the industry investing in underrepresented communities in both above- and below-the-line roles (e.g. Kay, 2021). Yet, suggestions of Covid-19 impacting already marginalised groups working in, or seeking to enter, media industries the hardest (Eikhof, 2020) requires such schemes and promises to be further scrutinised, as do practices such as colourblind casting (Geraghty, 2020).

Fans also vocalise their feelings of cast choices, wanting to see themselves represented in, and identify with the characters of, the media they consume (Martin Jr, 2019; Marquez, 2020). Some chastise mainstream media’s Othering of non-white, queer, foreign, and disabled identities, evidenced in online commentary and meme imagery (Rendell, 2019a, 2019b). Others ‘fix’ mainstream media’s heteronormative and whitewashing practices in their own transformative work by racebending characters and writing slash fanfiction (Gilliland, 2016; Busse, 2017). Others sign online petitions as a form of collective activism that endeavours for better representations (Warner, 2018). However, other responses are far more exclusionary (Yodovich, 2020), especially relating to ongoing serial media franchises with established fandoms such as Doctor Who, Ghostbusters, and Star Wars. Accusations of political correctness over canon fidelity, highly problematic discourses of ‘blackwashing’ emerging on social media sites such as Reddit, and even the online harassment of actors of colour (Lawson, 2018) demonstrate toxic affect towards character representations. Such engagement, whether radical or reactionary, highlights how intersectional identities and socio-political beliefs inform audiences’ readings of castings at textual, paratextual, and extra-textual levels.

We particularly welcome proposals from postgraduate students, PhD candidates, early career researchers, industry experts, trade bodies, guilds, NGOs, and charities. Submissions from a variety of perspectives, theoretical underpinnings, and methodological approaches that cover all media – such as film, television, theatre, radio, animation, video games, advertising – are welcome, with possible topics including (but not limited to):

• Character representation and identity (such as race, gender, sexuality, age, class, and ‘non-normative’ bodies)
• The role of casting director within media productions
• Auditioning processes
• Support for marginalised groups gaining employment
• Marketing, paratextual, and transmedial engagement with casts
• Celebrity, stardom, and performance
• The re-casting of characters
• Media texts centring on casting, such as Black Hollywood: ‘They Gotta Have Us’ (BBC Two, 2020) and Disclosure (Netflix, 2020)

• Colourblind casting
• Casting in bi-lingual/back-to-back productions
• Audience responses to cast choices
• Fan and anti-fan practices
• Toxic audience behaviour
• Casting and Covid-19
• The political economy of casting
• International media collaborations
• Casting and pedagogy
• Casting outside of Hollywood and mainstream media
• Voice acting in radio, video games, animated media, and CGI
• Background actors, non-speaking roles, and extras
• Industry commitments to inclusion and diversity
• Tokenism and the burden of representation
• Histories of casting

We are delighted to announce that our keynote speakers for the event are Dr Kristen J. Warner (University of Alabama) and Dr Shelley Cobb (University of Southampton).

For individual papers, please send abstracts (maximum 350 words) and bios (maximum 150 words) to James Rendell (james.rendell@southwales.ac.uk). Submissions should include your name, the title of your paper, and your institutional or professional affiliation (if appropriate; we strongly welcome independent scholars and freelance professionals). We also seek proposals for 80-minute panels. Panel submissions (maximum 1050 words) should include abstracts, institutional/professional affiliations, and contact information for all speakers. As an inclusive international online conference, speakers will have the option to present live or submit pre-recorded videos.

Work Cited

Busse, K. 2017. Framing Fan Fiction: Literary and Social Practices in Fan Fiction Communities. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press.

Eikhof, D.R. 2020. COVID-19, inclusion and workforce diversity in the cultural economy: what now, what next? Cultural Trends. 29(3). pp.234-250.

Famurewa, J. 2020. John Boyega: ‘I’m the only cast member whose experience of Star Wars was based on their race’. GQ [online] 5th October. https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/john-boyega-interview-2020

Geraghty, C. 2020. Casting for the public good: BAME casting in British film and television in the 2010s. Adaptation. pp.1-19.

Gilliland, E. 2016. Racebending fandoms and digital futurism. Transformative Works and Cultures. 22. http://dx.doi.org/10.3983/twc.2016.0702.

Kanter, J. 2021. ‘It’s A Sin’ Creator Russell T Davies Says It’s Important To Cast Gay Actors As Gay Characters. Deadline [online] 12th January. https://deadline.com/2021/01/its-a-sin-russell-t-davies-gay-actors-1234671861/

Kay, J. 2021. Netflix launches $100m fund to support underrepresented communities in film and TV. Screendaily [online] 26th February. https://www.screendaily.com/news/netflix-launches-100m-fund-to-support-underrepresented-communities-in-film-and-tv/5157475.article?fbclid=IwAR1zdtLqSzBt2DK9-4ZsQiA-qm900StISh8X4Yzql-WZAOos5pSYxP_HVcA

Lawson, C.E. 2018. Platform vulnerabilities: harassment and misogynoir in the digital attack on Leslie Jones. Information, Communication & Society. 21(6). pp.818-833.

Lee, B. 2020. James Corden proves why straight actors should think twice before playing gay. The Guardian [online] 9th December. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/dec/09/james-corden-the-prom-netflix-proves-straight-actors-playing-gay-should-think-twice

Marquez, S. 2020. The Harry Potter fandom: What’s next for trans fans and allies? Bookstacked [online] 31st July. https://bookstacked.com/features/harry-potter-fandom-jk-rowling-transgender/

Martin Jr, A.L., 2019. Fandom while black: Misty Copeland, Black Panther, Tyler Perry and the contours of US black fandoms. International Journal of Cultural Studies. 22(6). pp.737-753.

Nwonka, C.J. 2020. Race and Ethnicity in the UK Film Industry: An Analysis of the BFI Diversity Standards. London: LSE.

Rendell, J. 2019a. Black (anti)fandom’s intersectional politicization of The Walking Dead as a transmedia franchise. Transformative Works and Cultures. 29. http://dx.doi.org/10.3983/twc.2019.1477.

Rendell, J. 2019b. A picture is worth a thousand corpses: Audiences’ affective engagement with In the Flesh and The Walking Dead through online image practices. Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies. 16(2). pp.88-117

Romano, A. 2020. How voice actors are fighting to change an industry that renders them invisible. Vox [online] 1st December. https://www.vox.com/2020/7/22/21326824/white-voice-actors-black-characters-cartoons-whitewashing

Warner, K.J. 2016. Strategies for Success? Navigating Hollywood’s “Postracial” Labor Practices. In Curtin, M and Sanson, K (eds). Precarious Creativity: Global Media, Local Labor. Oakland: University of California Press. pp.172-185.

Warner, K.J. 2018. The emergence of the Iris West Defense Squad. In Click, M.A and Scott, S (eds). The Routledge Companion to Media Fandom. London: Routledge. pp.253-261.

Yodovich, N. 2020. “Finally, we get to play the doctor”: feminist female fans’ reactions to the first female Doctor Who. Feminist Media Studies. 20(8). pp.1243-1258.

Yuen. N.W. 2017. Reel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.

Call for papers and contributions for an edited collection

Deadline: July 31, 2021

Edited by Dr Simone Driessen, Bethan Jones, Dr Benjamin Litherland.

It has become increasingly clear that fandoms and participatory culture are sites of controversy, conflict and even complicity, complicating earlier assessments that sought to celebrate creativity, collegiality, and community. As we continue to make sense of the consequences of web 2.0, the study of fans – the affective bonds, identities, and productive cultures of a highly mediated and networked society – is vital in understanding our current moment, whether expressed in debates about “cancel culture” or ongoing “culture wars”. Fans have had to rethink and reassess their relationships to fan objects, consider their role in reproducing global systems of inequality, and reflect on the meaning of participation in an era that is marked by both moral ambivalence and political earnestness.

Implicitly and explicitly, fannish practices are involved in a variety of key social, political, and cultural issues across the globe. They can be seen in politics, ranging from QAnon’s role in the storming of the US Capitol building, conspiracy theories relating to the covid pandemic, and the continued expansion of the global reactionary and populist right, from Britain to India to Brazil. They can be seen in new cultural terrains produced by networked movements like #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, #OscarsSoWhite, and the accompanying activism and responses as fans come to terms with the crimes, misdemeanors, and disagreements of former faves, like Xiao Zhan, Joss Whedon, or JK Rowling. They are expressed in the strategies and tactics of inter- and intra-fandom conflicts, whether Meghan Markle and the Royal Family or some Chinese fan responses to BTS talking about the Korean war. And, pressingly, fan tourism, collector culture, and the energy use of digital culture all contribute to the ongoing climate crisis.

Scholars of participatory culture can play a key role in assessing many and more of these issues, but they will also have significant and ongoing impact on the way we conceptualize fans, fandoms, and participatory culture. This work builds on developing themes in the field. Ongoing scholarship about racism, sexism, and homophobia in prominent fan spaces is vital (Massanari, 2017; Pande, 2020; Scott, 2019), and Jonathan Gray’s conception of anti-fandom (2003; 2005; 2007) is an important moment in indicating the darker underbelly of fan cultures. Yet scholarship on QAnon and Trump fandom (Reinhardt, forthcoming; Miller, 2020), cancel and commenting culture (Clark, 2020; Ng, 2020; Barnes, 2018), reactionary fandom (Stanfill, 2020), ethical consumption (Wood, Litherland & Reed, 2020; Tyler, 2021) and serial killer fandom (Nacos, 2015; Rico, 2015) pose important questions which cannot be answered simply by reference to anti- or toxic fandom.

This collection brings together some of these authors and perspectives while developing and extending these debates. We are keen to broaden the scope of the issue so that studies of fans of film and television are included alongside studies of music, literary, theatre, sports and politics. And we are especially eager to include case studies beyond the anglophone and global north. We are also interested in the practices of organizations in fan-adjacent areas such as marketing, production, branding and influencer culture. We welcome traditional essays and research papers and non-traditional formats, such as roundtables, interviews, and think-pieces, from people inside and outside of the academy. Topics might include but are not limited to:

• Conspiracy theories and/as fandom.
• ‘Culture wars’, intra- and inter-fan conflicts, and other broader disagreements or discontent about the meaning and values of popular cultural texts.
• The consequences of anti-fandom and toxic fandom.
• Expressions and practices of ethical consumption, whether via “cancel culture”, commodity activism or similar.
• The moral economies of fandom, and their consequences for the media and cultural industries.
• The ethical implications of participation, whether through fan activism, dark fandom or other.
• The environmental impact of fandom, from NFTs to fan tourism.

Please send an abstract of 300 words, along with a short author biography of 150 words to participatoryculturewars@gmail.com by 31 July 2021. Please also address any queries to this email address.

Glasgow Caledonian University

This is a full time/fixed term maternity cover for 12 months

Glasgow Caledonian University is a vibrant, multi-cultural, modern university in the centre of Glasgow. It is placed amongst the top 50 universities globally (THE Impact rankings, 2020). Our welcoming community of 20,000 students from more than 100 countries enjoy a wide range of award-winning support services and excellent facilities across each of our campuses in Glasgow, London and New York. Our University mission, commitment to the Common Good and core values of integrity, creativity, responsibility and confidence are integral to everything we do and how we deliver our mission.

An opportunity has arisen to join us as a Lecturer in Media (12-month contract). The role is based within the Department of Media & Journalism, located within Glasgow School for Business and Society. The Department delivers a wide range of programmes and research in the area of Media & Communication and Journalism.

It is essential that the applicant should have the expertise and flexibility to develop and deliver a range of modules across the broad media discipline, such as audience, discourse, fan cultures, research methods, textual analysis, ideology and/or fan cultures. It is essential that you should also have experience supervising student dissertations. It is essential that you have experience of online pedagogies, online technologies, assessment design and learning and teaching. Experience of personal tutoring is desired.

Although ideally applicants will be qualified to doctorate level in a media related discipline, given the temporary nature of this position, applicants near completion of a PhD in a Media related subject and possessing a Masters qualification with experience of both and face-to-face teaching at higher education level are welcome.

Applicants are expected to have excellent communication, planning and organisational skills. You should also be able to demonstrate a student-centred approach and an ability to work in a collaborative manner with colleagues.

Further details on this post are available by contacting Dr Ben McConville, Head of Department; Email: Ben.McConville@gcu.ac.uk

As the University for the Common Good, we are committed to embedding equality and diversity, as well as our values in everything that we do. As such, we welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates who demonstrate the GCU Values.

Glasgow Caledonian University is committed to a fair and transparent recruitment process that is free from bias so that we can attract and retain a high performing workforce which makes a critical contribution to our success​.

As a Disability Confident 'Committed' employer, we are striving to ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible to people with disabilities. Although the Disability Confident 'Committed' level does not guarantee an interview for disabled applicants, we will make reasonable adjustments for applicants with a disability during the recruitment process.

The University offers a range of benefits including opportunities for professional development, family friendly policies, cycle to work scheme and onsite childcare facilities.

Please note that the appointment will be made on the first point of the salary scale (unless by exception).

https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/education/glasgow-caledonian-university/jobs/lecturer-media-217697

June 17-18, 2021

3rd Weizenbaum Conference

https://www.weizenbaum-conference.de/

https://www.weizenbaum-conference.de/pretix-test/

About the Conference

The spread of digital technologies has contributed to a multi-faceted change of democratic orders, actors, and practices. At the intersection of long-term evolution of democracies and the emergence of social media, we observe a profound redistribution of communication and political power. Traditional mass media are losing their privileged position as gatekeepers of the public sphere; social media are establishing new norms of social relevance and simultaneously give voice to ideas, opinions, and actors, which used to be marginalized.

This development seems full of ambivalences. Thus, the changing conditions of communication have spawned a situation of democracy in permanent flux. The debate on how digital technologies have changed public spheres and impacted democracy has been scattered across different scientific disciplines, political arenas, and civil society. The 2020/2021 Annual Weizenbaum Conference “Democracy in Flux – Order, Dynamics and Voices in Digital Public Spheres” aims to bring together these various perspectives and seeks to initiate an interdisciplinary exchange on the linkages between digital public spheres and democracy.

About the Weizenbaum Institute

The Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society – The German Internet Institute is a collaborative project from Berlin and Brandenburg funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Coordinator of the consortium is the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). The aim is to better understand the dynamics, mechanisms and implications of digitalisation.

To this end, the Weizenbaum Institute investigates the ethical, legal, economic and political aspects of digital change. This creates an empirical basis for responsible digitalisation. On the basis of the research findings, action options are developed for government, the economy and civil society, in order to shape the digital transformation in a responsible interdisciplinary manner.

Call for Chapters

Deadline: June 10, 2021

We are seeking a limited number of contributions for a forthcoming interdisciplinary edited volume that examinesthe intersection between media, freedom of expression, political participation, and human rights in the Middle East. The book is currently under contract with Routledge and is due to be published during next year.

You are invited to submit a 250-word abstract and a short biography by June 10, 2021. We welcome theoretical, empirical, or professional contributions of the highest standard on the following topics related to the Middle East including:

• Media and political participation after the Arab Spring
• Media and human rights in the MENA region
• Media and freedom of expression
• Online civic engagement and democracy
• Internet-based activism and political participation
• Media and democratisationin the Middle East
• Other topics related to the above are also welcome.

Both country-specific and regional contributions will be considered.

Ph.D. candidates with original empirical research are also encouraged to submit an abstract.

Chapters will be 6,000 to 7,000 words in length. The timeline for the chapters submission and peer-review process is as follows:

• Deadline for abstract submission: June 10, 2021
• Notification of acceptance: June 15, 2021.
• First chapter draft due October 1, 2021.
• Final chapter draft due December 1, 2021

Prospective authors should submit an abstract directly by email to Nael Jebril, Ph.D. njebril@bournemouth.ac.uk

Editors:

Dr. Nael Jebril, Doha Institute for Graduate Studies and Bournemouth University (UK)

Dr. Mohammed-Ali Abunajela,the UN Migration Agency (IOM)

 City, University of London

Full time, permanent post for a journalism studies researcher.

Applications close: May 23rd .

https://www.jobs.ac.uk/…jbe

Location: London

Salary: £38,017 to £54,131

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Permanent

Placed On: 30th April 2021

Closes: 23rd May 2021

Job Ref: 60032778

Background

Founded in 1894, City, University of London is a global university committed to academic excellence with a focus on business and the professions and an enviable central London location. City attracts around 20,000 students (over 40% at postgraduate level), from more than 150 countries and staff from over 75 countries. In the last decade City has almost tripled the proportion of its total academic staff producing world-leading or internationally excellent research.

Led by President, Professor Sir Paul Curran, City has made significant investments in its academic staff, its estate and its infrastructure and continues to work towards realising its vision of being a leading global university.

The School of Arts & Social Sciences is an internationally excellent centre of research and learning on the human condition in all its dimensions. It is a large and vibrant School with around 4,200 students and over 270 staff in seven Departments: Economics, English, International Politics, Journalism, Music, Sociology and Psychology. The School aims to attract outstanding members of academic staff who will produce world-leading or internationally excellent research of benefit to society; provide innovative and exciting programmes of study; and enrich the lives and enhance the career prospects of its students.

The Department of Journalism is a leader in its field, with an unrivalled record of securing attractive employment for its graduates in both traditional and emerging journalist roles. Ranked first in London and tenth in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2021, the Department provides an academic environment for the study and practice of journalism in one of the world’s media capitals.

Responsibilities

The Department is seeking to appoint an outstanding academic as Lecturer in Journalism to conduct world-leading or internationally excellent research and to contribute to the delivery of the Department’s undergraduate and postgraduate education.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will have a PhD, ideally in journalism studies; a research profile indicative of their potential to produce world-leading or internationally excellent research and to make successful applications to the UKRI and other funding bodies. You will have experience of working collaboratively as part of interdisciplinary teams and be enthusiastic about supporting and mentoring students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

The successful candidate will undertake administrative and management activities and the potential to undertake leadership roles in future.

Additional Information

City offers a sector-leading salary, pension scheme and benefits including a comprehensive package of staff training and development.

The role is available from 01 September 2021 or earlier by negotiation.

Closing date: 11:59pm, 23rd May 2021.

Interviews are scheduled for 11 June 2021

If you would like to have an informal discussion about the position, please contact Dr Paul Lashmar, the Head of the Department of Journalism: paul.lashmar@city.ac.uk

City, University of London is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in all its activities, processes, and culture, for our whole community, including staff, students and visitors. We welcome applications regardless of gender, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or social class. For more information on our approaches to encouraging an inclusive environment, please see our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Pages.

Academic excellence for business and the professions. 

November 2-3, 2021

Oslo, Norway

Deadline: August 15, 2021

The research group MEKK at Oslo Metropolitan University

The term ‘infodemics’ had its breakthrough in 2020. The term – a combination of information and pandemics – describes a rapid and important spread of both factual and false information in a situation marked by uncertainty, also for those who are expected to disseminate information about the pandemic. In some countries journalists are being deprived of the right to report on the pandemic and experience increased risk associated with covering the governments’ social and economic policies. Several organizations working with the safety of journalists, such as Reporters Sans Frontiers (RSF) have repeatedly documented in 2020 attacks and direct violence against journalists covering Covid-19. This includes both coverage of the actual situation at a given time, as well as for instance coverage of demonstrations against strict Covid measures.

Desinformation, so-called fake news and conspiracy theories were central topics in the public debate already before the arrival of the pandemic. Over the last year, the world has indeed experienced how dangerous it may get when there is a lack of safety in journalists’ work environment while disinformation and conspiracies about infection, actions and consequences flourish. The pandemic brought excellent conditions for disinformation and conspiracy theories to grow. They can contribute to weakening confidence in the media and can in some cases be increasing hostility towards journalists.

RSF’s survey for 2020 shows that as the number of journalists killed in war situations decreases, increasingly more journalists (2/3 of those who lost their lives) are killed in countries not at “war”, and more and more often while investigating sensitive issues. Those behind the attacks on journalists and free media are rarely prosecuted and we know little about who they are.

One of the conference tracks will be dedicated to gaining more information and knowledge about those behind threats against journalists, with an emphasis on times of pandemics and crises We are particularly interested in studies of cases where journalists have joined forces to complete investigations started by journalists being harassed or even assassinated, aiming to keep stories alive, refusing to surrender to censorship. The conference will emphasize that protecting journalists and media workers, in addition to physical security, also is about their financial and legal security.

The purpose of the conference is to produce knowledge about measures that can improve the situation for journalists and journalism. This can be linked both to what journalists can do to protect themselves, both individually and in groups, and to collective and structural measures to protect journalists to end impunity for violence against them. The conference is also open for papers on more general safety issues for journalists and media workers.

We call for papers on topics such as (but not limited to)

• Consequences of infodemics on the safety of journalists
• Risks to journalists caused by false information
• Digital security
• Education and safety of journalists
• The safety of journalists in authoritarian “democracies”
• Effects of campaigns and other actions to improve the safety of journalists
• Teaching safety in journalism education
• Killing the journalist won’t kill the story – studies on collaborations in to protect journalism
• Safety measures, both individually and collectively

We encourage studies with gender perspectives.

Paper presentations:

If you want to participate with a paper, an abstract of maximum 250 words and a short bio focusing on possible earlier experience with research/practice in the field of safety of journalists/digital safety should be uploaded to https://nettskjema.no/…737 before August 15, 2021. Please include your full name, institutional affiliation, and email. There is no registration fee and the participants are expected to cover their own costs for travel and accommodation.

A limited number of scholarships to cover flight and/or accommodation is available for Ph.D. students and researchers from low-income countries. Applications for scholarships should be submitted with the abstract together with a short CV.

The best papers will be considered for a forthcoming peer reviewed publication. Questions should be directed to safetyofjournalists@oslomet.no

June 21, 2021

Paul Hodkinson and Ranjana Das welcome you to the online launch event for their new book - New Fathers, Mental Health and Digital Communication, at 11 am UK time on 21st June. This launch event will feature a discussion of the main themes of the book by the authors, and commentaries from our invited guests and the opportunity for all attendees to ask questions. We will also be able to offer a publisher's discount from Palgrave Macmillan on the day.

Speakers:

• Paul Hodkinson and Ranjana Das (Authors, University of Surrey)
• Steven Roberts (Monash University, Australia)
• Rikke Andreassen (Roskilde University, Denmark)
• Andrew Mayers (Bournemouth University, UK)
• Kathy Jones (The Fatherhood Institute)
• Chair: Faith Gibson (University of Surrey)

About the Book:

New Fathers, Mental Health and Digital Communication - explores the experiences of new fathers struggling with mental health difficulties and focuses on the role of digital media as part of their approaches to coping. Hodkinson and Das show how the ways new fathers are positioned by society can make it hard for them to recognize their struggles as legitimate, or reach out for help. The book explores a range of different uses of digital communication by struggling fathers, from selective forms of disconnection, to the seeking out of online information or support. The authors highlight the significance even of the smallest digital acts as part of coping journeys and outline the development of tentative or hidden attempts to reach out for help, and the potential for supportive digital interactions to emerge. The book’s conclusions highlight the agentic possibilities digital media might offer for struggling new fathers, while emphasizing the need for improvements in how they are prepared and supported by health services and others.

About the authors:

Dr Paul Hodkinson is Reader in Sociology at the University of Surrey, UK. His research encompasses fathers and fatherhood, youth cultures, and the role of digital media in contemporary societies. He recently authored (with Rachel Brooks) Sharing Care: Equal and Primary Carer Fathers and Early Years Parenting (2020). Dr Ranjana Das is Reader in Media and Communication at the University of Surrey, UK. She researches uses and consequences of communication technologies, with a recent focus on parenthood. She explores what the digital turn has meant for new mothers in her latest book: Early Motherhood in Digital Societies (2019).

If you would like to attend, please register via our Eventbrite link: Book Launch: New Fathers, Mental Health and Digital Communication Tickets, Mon 21 Jun 2021 at 11:00 | Eventbrite

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on our lives, including how we experience our fandoms. Cons were moved online or cancelled. New movies came out on streaming apps at the same time as theatrical releases. Online gaming replaced in-person gaming. And people turned to their fandoms to cope with the pandemic.

Krysten Stein and  CarrieLynn D. Reinhard are academics interested in understanding how fans have responded to the pandemic and how they see the pandemic impacting their fandoms. This questionnaire asks you to reflect on your experiences over the past year for how they relate to your fandom experiences before the pandemic – as well as your hopes for how to experience your fandom after the pandemic.

The questionnaire is completely anonymous and anything you tell us will be kept confidential. We are hoping to publish the results of this questionnaire but will do our best to remove any identifying information before publishing.

We expect the questionnaire to take 15-20 minutes to complete, but your time may vary depending on how much you want to tell us. And if you have any questions or problems with the questionnaire and/or study, you can contact me, CarrieLynn D. Reinhard, at creinhard@dom.edu.

You must be at least 18 years old to participate in the study, and the primarily language for the questionnaire is English.

If you are interested in providing us with your experiences and opinions, then please click on this link to start.

This year’s motto: perseverance.

June 15-16, 2021

The conference focuses on a particular but extremely significant theme in the social sciences: the concepts of “footprint” and “trace”.

Usually associated with the digital world, the very idea of footprints clearly gives the image of what one leaves behind without being aware of it, a by-product of other (differently focused and oriented) actions that remains empirically imprinted on reality.

The topic of traces will be analyzed in a broad and interdisciplinary way, adopting quantitative and qualitative approaches, from different disciplinary angles: sociology, semiotics, social psychology, anthropology, legal studies, etc.

The conference will host 5 keynote speakers and 80 panelists from more than twenty Countries.

Free registration: https://forms.gle/bfL6XkCxoYtPfKac8

Full programme: https://web.uniroma1.it/whatpeopleleavebehind/conference-program

Contacts:

wplb2020.coris@uniroma1.it

web.uniroma1.it/whatpeopleleavebehind/

facebook.com/whatpeople.leavebehind/