ECREA upcoming events

ECREA European Media and Communication Doctoral Summer School 2026 (03.08.2026)

Sun, 02 Aug 2026 22:00:00 GMT

ECREA European Media and Communication Doctoral Summer School brings together members of the European research community to this summer school in order to debate contemporary issues in media, communication and cultural studies. The summer school aims to provide a supportive international setting where doctoral students can present their ongoing work, receive feedback on their PhD-projects from international experts and meet students and academics from other countries, establishing valuable contacts for the future.

Communicating Narratives, Imaginaries and Epistemes of Hope (07.09.2026)

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Joint Communication, Social Justice and Democracy IAMCR Working Group conference & ECREA 2026 pre-conference

7 September 2026, Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

Call for contributions

Political ideology, religious faith, science and art are all informed by visions of hope, the promise or prospect of a good state of affairs in the future. While hope is shaped by ideas of the present (and the past), it is mainly forward-looking, articulating visions of possible futures.

Hope can be a powerful motivator for mobilisation and societal change. At the same time, aspirations for a better future may be instrumentalised or manipulated for political gain or financial profit. This conference focuses on the constructive force of hope, addressing visions, discourses, and practices of hope for democracy, peace and justice, as articulated in media representations and communicative practices.

By focusing on hope, the conference aims to foster intellectual reflection and dialogue, through diverse approaches and methods, on how spaces, practices, cultures, and technologies of communication can give visibility to or help articulate claims and inform struggles for fairer societies, dignity, and freedom.

A wide range of settings, fields and practices may serve as objects or loci of study (e.g., journalism, political communication, campaigning, activism, popular culture, art, history, education, religion), exploring how hope is represented, negotiated, rearticulated and performed by actors and groups in the social realm.

We welcome contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following thematic areas:

how societal phenomena, challenges, and crises (e.g., climate change, migration, war and conflict, extremism) are mediated and reconfigured through narratives of hope at national and international levels;
how different actors, social groups, and institutions (e.g., media, political parties, education, religion, art) negotiate their visions of hope in mediated environments;
how visions of peace and justice are communicated in public discourse and through people’s struggles;
how history is mobilised in communicative practices and public debates in articulations of better presents and futures;
how space, time and technology inform narratives and imaginaries of hope;
how imaginaries of hope are constructed in contexts of persistent curtailment of freedoms and rights, and increasing authoritarianism;
how viable democratic presents and futures are imagined, under dire conditions of ongoingconflict, violence, or war;
how struggles against injustice, oppression and authoritarianism inform, and are informed by, cultures and epistemes of hope.

Abstract length and submission deadline

Abstracts of 400–500 words should be submitted by 10 May 2026 via email to vaia.doudaki@fsv.cuni.cz

Please note that this conference will be held in person only; no arrangements will be made for online participation.

Decisions will be announced by 10 June 2026.

Date and location

Date: 7 September 2026

Location: Centrum Voršilská, 5^th floor, Charles University /
Voršilská 144/1, Prague, Czech Republic

The conference is scheduled for the day before the ECREA 2026 main conference begins. Brno, the host city of this year’s ECREA conference, is approximately a 2.5–3 hour train ride from Prague, with very frequent connections.

Conference organisers

This is a joint Communication, Social Justice and Democracy IAMCR working group conference &ECREA 2026 pre-conference.

The conference is endorsed by the International and Intercultural Communication ECREA section, and is hosted by the Culture and Communication Research Centre (CULCORC) @ the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism(ICSJ) (Charles University)

Contact: Vaia Doudaki, vaia.doudaki@fsv.cuni.cz

Scientific Committee

Vaia Doudaki (Charles University, Czech Republic)

Nico Carpentier (Charles University, Czech Republic)

Ilija Tomanić Trivundža (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)

Andrea Medrado (University of Exeter, UK)

Fernando Oliveira Paulino (University of Brasilia, Brazil)
Tania Cantrell Rosas-Moreno (Loyola University Maryland, United States)

For more information: https://iksz.fsv.cuni.cz/en/research/conferences/communicating-narratives-imaginaries-and-epistemes-hope

ECC2026: YECREA conference fee waiver (08.09.2026)

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 22:00:00 GMT

ECREA and its Young Scholars Network (YECREA) invite applications from early-career scholars whose presentations have been accepted for ECC 2026 and who lack sufficient funding opportunities.

We offer 10 grants for early-career scholars in the form of conference fee waivers. At least 5 grants will be awarded to applicants from low- and middle-income countries (see the list here: https://ecrea.eu/Low-income-and-Middle-income-counries).

To apply for YECREA Conference Fee Waiver, click on the Register button on the left.

Conditions for applying

Conference acceptance: The grants will be awarded only to early-career scholars whose presentation has been accepted to the conference programme. Applications will not be reviewed in terms of academic quality. However, applicants should preferably have submitted abstracts as first authors to the ECC conference programme.
Career stage: Eligible applicants are PhD students and scholars within one year after completion of their PhD.
Membership: The grants are intended for YECREA members. Information on how to become a member is available at https://yecrea.eu/membership.
Access to financial resources: Applications will be evaluated based on several criteria, with the most important being the applicant’s access to financial resources (for example from their home university, third-party funded projects or national funding institutions).

The applicants are allowed to combine conference fee waivers with the YECREA Travel Grants (information and application form here: https://ecrea.eu/event-6608245).

If selected

Successful applicants will be asked to send proof of acceptance to the conference by forwarding the acceptance email, as well as evidence of their PhD or postdoctoral status. This may include proof of enrolment, a letter from their institution, or a link to their university profile.

Application deadline: 17 April 2026 (23:59 CEST). We will notify the applicants by May 30 2026. All grantees should confirm their attendance by 2 August 2026.

Questions? Email us at yecreanetwork@gmail.com.

ECC2026: YECREA travel grant (08.09.2026)

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 22:00:00 GMT

ECREA and its Young Scholars Network (YECREA) invite applications from early-career scholars whose presentations have been accepted for ECC 2026 and who lack sufficient funding opportunities.

We offer up to 5 travel and accommodation grants for early-career scholars. The travel grant reimburses travel and accommodation costs up to 310 EUR.

To apply for YECREA Travel Grant, click on the Register button on the left.

Conditions for applying

Conference acceptance: The grants will be awarded only to early-career scholars whose presentation has been accepted to the conference programme. Applications will not be reviewed in terms of academic quality. However, applicants should preferably have submitted abstracts as first authors to the ECC conference programme.
Career stage: Eligible applicants are PhD students and scholars within one year after completion of their PhD.
Membership: The grants are intended for YECREA members. Information on how to become a member is available at https://yecrea.eu/membership.
Access to financial resources: Applications will be evaluated based on several criteria, with the most important being the applicant’s access to financial resources (for example from their home university, third-party funded projects or national funding institutions).

The applicants are allowed to combine YECREA travel grant with the YECREA Conference Fee Waivers (information and application form here: https://ecrea.eu/event-6608234).

If selected

For the travel grant, the relevant claim form together with digitized invoices and receipts documenting the actual costs must be submitted electronically to treasurer@ecrea.eu. The original documents must also be posted to the ECREA accountants at: RSM Belgium, Lozenberg 22 b3, B-1932 Zaventem, Belgium.

Application deadline: 17 April 2026 (23:59 CEST). We will notify the applicants by May 30 2026. All grantees should confirm their attendance by 2 August 2026.

Questions? Email us at yecreanetwork@gmail.com.