September 2025 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Counter-Research Symposium CfP
by Matthias De Bondt 17 Sep '25

17 Sep '25

Hi all, Please find below the CfP for our very first Counter-Research Symposium, taking place at King’s College London on 27 February 2026. All the best, Matthias De Bondt PhD Researcher & Teaching Assistant KU Leuven / Media Culture & Policy Lab — Call for Papers – Counter-Research Symposium King’s College London | 27 February 2026 Deadline for abstracts: Friday 21 November 2025 NB: This is an in-person event to be held in London. Due to the sensitivity of the topics discussed, the symposium will not be recorded. About the symposium The Counter-Research Symposium is a one-day event organised by CRIMSON (Counter Research in Media Studies Organized Network), a new cross-institutional research network that centres research on marginalised, precarious, contentious, and often silenced communities. It supports media scholars and activists undertaking politically and emotionally complex work in challenging environments, including closed authoritarian regimes, and whose research directly confronts state and institutional power. The symposium will bring CRIMSON members together with invited participants to explore the meaning and stakes of counter-research in global media and communication studies - particularly in the context of rising right-wing populism and intensifying attacks on critical theories and DEI initiatives. It will also serve as a space for collective reflection on the methodological, ethical, and emotional challenges of conducting research that unsettles and confronts structures of the state, establishment, and academy. We welcome contributions that engage with the concept of counter-research and examine its diverse dimensions - epistemological, methodological, and practical. We are especially interested in work that explores positionality and vulnerability in counter-research; interrogates the risks shared by researchers and participants and how these may be entangled; and work that complicates the very idea of the counter and considers how counter-research methods might unsettle conventional approaches to media and communication. We also invite contributions that propose new frameworks for sustaining such scholarship in precarious times, and that reflect on the role of institutions in promoting more inclusive and reflexive scholarly cultures. We welcome papers related to any of the following topics: · Researcher vulnerability in conflict-ridden contexts · Researcher vulnerability in state-critical research · Conducting research on authoritarian regimes (fieldwork challenges and strategies of resistance or workaround) · Researching the ‘other’: ethics, representation, and power · Researcher–participant relationships in counter-research contexts · Intersections of gender, race, sexuality, class, coloniality, and caste in counter-research · How institutions (universities and beyond) respond—or fail to respond—to the challenges of counter-research · Emotional labour, care, and precarity in counter-research · Counter research as a contentious concept (thinking about who is claiming to produce counter discourse or research, why and for what ends) Submission details Please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words and a short biographical note (up to 100 words) to crimsonsymposium(a)gmail.com<mailto:crimsonsymposium@gmail.com> by Friday 21 November 2025. We encourage submissions from PhD students, Early Career Researchers, and scholars in precarious positions or from underrepresented backgrounds. Key dates · 21 November 2025: Deadline for abstract submissions · 19 December 2025: Notification of decisions · 19 January 2026: Full programme released · 27 February 2026: Symposium at King’s College London Organising Committee Munira Cheema, King’s College London Anna Khlusova, King’s College London Yuval Katz, Loughborough University Matthias De Bondt, KU Leuven Woori Han, University of Exeter Jiali Fan, University of Cambridge Hong Yu Liu, University of Sussex

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Race & Media Conference CfP - Deadline 19 September
by Cindy Xinyi Ma 17 Sep '25

17 Sep '25

Hi all, Please find below the CfP for a new Race and Media Conference, which will take place at the University of Leeds on 22–23 April 2026. Do share widely with colleagues and networks who may be interested! Race and Media Conference - Call for Papers University of Leeds, April 22nd-23rd 2026 https://conferences.leeds.ac.uk/raceandmedia/ Deadline for paper abstracts/panel submissions: 19th September 2025 Keynote speakers: Herman Gray - Emeritus Professor of Sociology, UC Santa Cruz Paula Chakravartty - James Weldon Johnson Associate Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication, NYU About the conference: How we live with racial difference has long been a defining issue for modern societies, but recent years have brought this question into even sharper focus. We are witnessing a striking contradiction: while media content around the world has become increasingly superdiverse, this has occurred alongside the resurgence of the far right in ostensibly stable democratic societies and includes the distressing everyday live-streaming of systemic racialised violence. The growing presence of generative AI further complicates this terrain, raising urgent questions about the politics of race-making in algorithmic and seemingly automated cultures. Scholars have long shown how media serve as powerful sites for the dissemination of racist ideologies – but also as spaces for resistance and transformation. Today, the representation of race across news, entertainment, and social media offers a rich landscape for interrogating how racial hierarchy is constructed and contested in contemporary life. This international conference will bring together researchers producing fresh, incisive critique, and new insights working in the field of race and media research. We are inviting papers that explore this topic in myriad ways, adopting a range of theoretical and methodological approaches, though with a shared criticality. We welcome work that re-examine the theories and concepts that have defined our sub-field and/or explores new frameworks and paradigms for research. We are interested in how ‘race’ as an analytic is being put to work outside Anglophone contexts, and in societies that seek to bury their racialised histories. We encourage contributions that analyse rising ethnonationalism and nativism in Global South/Global Majority media spheres. This conference aims to bring a global perspective to the study of race and media, tracing the filiations and resonances of racist, divisive and far-right discourses across ‘liberal’ and illiberal, ‘democratic’ and authoritarian media landscapes and political contexts. We welcome papers related to any of the following topics: • Intersectional approaches to race and media • Media, racism and authoritarianism • Race and generative AI / algorithmic media cultures • The politics of race in popular culture • Mediating colonial violence and genocide • Race and production studies • Reactionary media • Digital race/racism • Anti-racist media activism • Postcolonial nationalism, race and media • Affect, emotion, race and media • Racial capitalism and media in the Global South • Race in influencer culture and promotional culture • Caste, racialisation and media • Mediating urban multiculture • Diasporic and transnational media cultures • Intersections of race and religion in media • ‘Decolonising’ media studies • Race, media and migration Key dates: • 19th September 2025: Deadline for proposal submissions • 17th October 2025: Notification of decisions; registration opens • 16th January 2026: Full programme released Submitting proposals We welcome both paper and panel proposals for this conference. Paper proposals should be for 15-minute presentations. Submitted abstracts should be no more than 300 words (excluding references). If you wish to propose a panel, please note the following stipulations: • Panel proposals should include a panel overview (max. 300 words), outlining the title, synopsis, and chair details, as well as the abstracts for each contributor (no more than 250 words each). • Panels usually consist of three to four papers and a chair. • Panels should aim to reflect the diversity of the profession. Please submit all proposals as Word document or PDF via email: raceandmedia(a)leeds.ac.uk<mailto:raceandmedia@leeds.ac.uk> Practice-based presentations We are also interested in receiving submissions based around creative practice. If you are interested in putting together a session around a practice-based presentation then please email us at raceandmedia(a)leeds.ac.uk<mailto:raceandmedia@leeds.ac.uk>. Registration fees The cost of attendance is £180 for salaried academics and £80 for students or low-waged participants. This covers lunches, coffee breaks and a drinks reception. Bursaries We aim to offer a limited number of travel subsidies to support postgraduate student participation in this event. Postgraduate students interested in applying for these subsidies should please note this when submitting. For all enquiries please email: raceandmedia(a)leeds.ac.uk<mailto:raceandmedia@leeds.ac.uk> Conference organising committee: Maitrayee Basu, Israel Campos, Helen Kim, Cindy Ma, Dibyadyuti Roy, Anamik Saha, Sara Takafori The conference is hosted by the School of Media and Communications, University of Leeds, and sponsored by European Journal of Cultural Studies and Ethnic and Racial Studies. -- Dr. Cindy Ma Lecturer in Race and Media she/her Room G.23C School of Media and Communication Clothworkers' Building North University of Leeds Leeds LS2 9JT Read my latest: "Thinking for themselves: Bootstraps discourse and the imagined epistemology of reactionary YouTube audiences." Political Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2023.2283703

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Cfp: Digital Methods Winter School '26 - Univ. Amsterdam
by rogers＠govcom.org 17 Sep '25

17 Sep '25

Hello all, The call is out for the upcoming Digital Methods Winter School. Would be pleased to welcome you to Amsterdam. Best regards Richard Rogers Digital Methods Winter School and Data Sprint 2026 Media Studies, University of Amsterdam 5-9 January 2026 Call for Participation Research-with-AI Critique The Digital Methods Initiative (DMI), Amsterdam, is holding its annual Winter School on 'Research-with-AI critique'. The format is that of a (social media and web) data sprint, with tutorials as well as hands-on work for telling stories with data. There is also a programme of keynote speakers. It is intended for advanced Master's students, PhD candidates and motivated scholars who would like to work on (and complete) a digital methods project in an intensive workshop setting. Just a part of the pipeline Chatbots have become a ‘part of the pipeline’ in a number of research methodologies in the social sciences and humanities, contributing to formatting, summaries, annotation, labeling and the generation and use of synthetic data. One question is how to go about using chatbots in the first place for such research tasks, and make use of the many best practice guides that have been shared across the research landscape. These guides contain steps about how to prompt and query chatbots properly. But they also advise that the chatbots explain themselves and that researchers validate their outputs and claims. How does one gain confidence in how the chatbots work for the researchers? In other words, at each of these steps, one could consider how to ground chatbot findings, raising a series of questions such as when and now to undertake a manual and/or multiple chatbot comparison.   Digital methods and AI  Taking such a series of steps is in keeping with a digital methods outlook that would ask, what does this medium have to offer, and how can those offerings be repurposed for social and cultural research? And under which conditions can the findings be grounded in the medium? But it would also ask, what are AI native or medium methods? Can chatbots be used as societal and cultural reflections such as the promise of 'synthetic data'? How does the medium or the platform affect the data? Here is where guardrail auditing comes into the picture. How to detect the guardrails that have been put up by the chatbots so that they can interact with users without offence? How do they affect the quality of the data? The Winter School is dedicated to how to undertake research with AI through a critical, digital methods lens. Applications: Key Dates There are rolling admissions and applications are now being accepted. To apply please send a letter of motivation, your CV, a headshot photo and a 100-word bio to winterschool [at] digitalmethods.net. Notifications of acceptance are sent within 1 week after application. Final deadline for the rolling applications is 12 December 2025. The full program and schedule of the Winter School are available by 19 December 2025. Full call for participation and all additional information is here: https://www.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/WinterSchool2026 Prof. Richard Rogers Media Studies University of Amsterdam T. Venturini & R. Rogers (2025) Digital Methods: A Short Introduction. Polity. R. Rogers (2024), Doing Digital Methods, Los Angeles: Sage. 2nd edition. R. Rogers (ed.) (2023). The Propagation of Misinformation in Social Media: A Cross-platform Analysis. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. R. Rogers (2023) Métodos Digitales. Guadalajara: ITESO - Universidad Jesuita de Guadalajara.

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Invitation: Hertie School Digital Governance Research Colloquium, Fall 2025
by Rada Kalina 17 Sep '25

17 Sep '25

Dear colleagues, The Centre for Digital Governance at the Hertie School invites you to join our Digital Governance Research Colloquium, an online forum for open dialogue on digital government, AI, and the politics of technology. Upcoming sessions include: * Jakob Mökander (Tony Blair Institute) on Tech Policy in Practice * Amanda Clarke (Carleton University) on Digital Government Reform in the Age of Trump & AI * Jacob N. Shapiro (Princeton) on Instrumenting the Information Environment * Oliver Neumann (University of Lausanne) on Agentic AI & Public Administration * Nomalanga Mashinini (University of the Witwatersrand) on AI, Social Media & the Exploitation of Identity * Clément Bénesse & Martin Lestra (Opsci.ai) on AI Tools to Tackle Disinformation You can register here for the colloquium: https://www.hertie-school.org/en/digital-governance/colloquium Centre for Digital Governance | Hertie School

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Research Specialist Opportunity at the Academia Sinica, Taiwan
by 王文心 WEN-HSIN WANG 17 Sep '25

17 Sep '25

Dear colleagues, The Center for Survey Research, Academia Sinica (Taiwan) is recruiting at the rank of Assistant Research Specialist or above. The position focuses on data mining, knowledge extraction, and data analysis in support of computational social science and survey methodology. *Application deadline: October 31, 2025.* Details: https://survey.sinica.edu.tw/?p=19950&lang=en Please kindly share within your networks. Kind regards, Wen-Hsin Wang Executive Officer, Center for Survey Research *Websites: * Academia Sinica: https://www.sinica.edu.tw/en Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences: https://www.rchss.sinica.edu.tw/main.php Center for Survey Research: https://survey.sinica.edu.tw/

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Support for Community Organizing Against Data Center
by Alexis de Coning 16 Sep '25

16 Sep '25

Hi folks, My father-in-law is involved in a community organizing effort to prevent a data center from being built in their semi-rural neighborhood in Minnesota, USA. I'm sharing this call for financial assistance via their GoFundMe page <https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-preserve-our-quality-of-life?attribution…>. They've registered as a non-profit organization and are currently involved in a lawsuit against the local government regarding the rezoning of the land. There are many efforts like this across the United States and abroad, so if you're not able or interested in offering financial support, please consider spreading the word. Is there a list of all organizations, like this one, that are fighting to prevent data center growth in their areas? Best regards, Lexi -- Assistant Professor of Communication Legal Studies Minor Coordinator

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New Book: Symbolic Interaction and AI
by Sarina Chen 16 Sep '25

16 Sep '25

Greetings! *Symbolic Interaction and AI*, Vol. 61 of *Studies in Symbolic Interaction: A Global Bi-Annual Book Series*, published by Emerald Publishing, will be available by November 1, 2025. Please find the Table of Contents below. Pre-order information is available at Emerald Publishing Bookstore and Amazon. Emerald Publishing Bookstore, https://bookstore.emerald.com/symbolic-interaction-and-ai-hb-9781837086931.… Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/Symbolic-Interaction-AI-Studies-Book-ebook/dp/B0FPCF… Thank you for your consideration. Shing-Ling Sarina Chen *Studies in Symbolic Interaction* ******************************************************** Symbolic Interaction and AI Studies in Symbolic Interaction, Vol. 61 Table of Contents PART A Symbolic Interaction and AI AI and Para-Interaction Shing-Ling S. Chen and Michael Katovich Prompt Engineering Meets “Definition of the Situation” and Identity Theory: Using ChatGPT to Study Big Social Media Datasets from a Qualitative Symbolic Interactionist Perspective J. Patrick Williams, Samuel Judah, Rolf Lyneborg Lund and Xie Yu >From Mead to Machine: Conversational Choreographies with ChatGPT and the Emergence of the Socio-Technical Self in Generative AI Martin Berg External Intelligence: Oracles, Divination and Animism, and the Use of LLMs/Generative AI Michael Fischer, Sally A. Applin and Sridhar Ravula Hey Alexa, Who Will I Be?: A Theoretical Exploration on Personal Assistants and the Shaping of the Future Self Theodoros Kouros >From Dear Diary to Dear Chatbot: Technological Formats and Mental Health Matt Amos, Maxwell Kayser and Shing-Ling S. Chen PART B New Interactionist Research Flustered Faces and Helping Hands: The Importance of Teamwork in Teaching Susie Scott and James Hardie-Bick *******************************************

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News and events for social researchers
by Janet Salmons 15 Sep '25

15 Sep '25

Thinking about your social sciences career? In transition, voluntarily or not? It is a tough time for scholars and academics, whether you are a new grad, someone whose position and/or funding was terminated, or someone who wants to leave academia. Don't despair! Dr. Eleanor Pritchard and I are offering a free webinar, a mini-course, and a bi-weekly newsletter with practical tips. Get started! Free webinar 10/7/25 2 pm UTC/10 am EDT Register: https://tinyurl.com/2dtd8d83 Plan and Progress in Community 5 week mini-course, starting 10/21/25 Small group with 3 synchronous sessions (recorded), plus discussion and resources. Register: https://tinyurl.com/53m7pahv Subscribe to our newsletter: https://reimagineresearch.substack.com Hope to see you and I welcome questions off-list. Janet Janet Salmons, PhD (She/her/hers) www.salmons.blog Free-Range Scholar and Creative Boulder, Colorado USA janet(a)salmons.blog<mailto:jsalmons@vision2lead.com>

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Webinar: Democracy in the Digital Age: Foundations of Digital Democracy Analysis
by Christian Fuchs 15 Sep '25

15 Sep '25

Webinar on Democracy in the Digital Age: Foundations of Digital Democracy Analysis Organised by the Horizon Europe Project INNOVADE Tuesday, October 21, 15:00 CET In this webinar, the EU research project INNOVADE: INNOVAtive DEmocracy through digitalisation presents its research report on the foundations of digital democracy. The report deals with the question of what democracy and digital democracy are and how we should best understand its various aspects and dimensions. Programme Introduction by Trust-IT Input talks: What is Digital Democracy? Christian Fuchs (Paderborn University, Germany) How can Open Governance Work in Practice? Laurien Coenen (KU Leuven, Belgium) What Global Trends Shape the Future of Digital Democracy? Fatih Yilmaz (Beyond the Horizon, Belgium) Discussion Registration: https://innovade-democracy.eu/events/shielding-democracy

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Job: Assistant Professor of Video Game Studies at University of Rhode Island
by Leah Heilig 15 Sep '25

15 Sep '25

Hello all, My colleagues in Communication Studies at the University of Rhode Island are hiring for an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies with an emphasis/specialty in Digital/Video Game Studies. Please refer to the ad below for more information. I'm serving on the search committee and happy to field any questions or forward them to our search committee chair, Molly Yanity (molly.yanity(a)uri.edu) Thank you! *To Apply: *https://jobs.uri.edu/postings/15677 *Assistant Professor of Communication Studies (Video Game Studies)* *Job Description Summary, Duties and Responsibilities, Required Qualifications and Preferred Qualifications* The search will remain open until the position has been filled. First consideration will be given to applications received by* November 3, 2025.* Applications received after November 3, 2025 may be reviewed depending on search progress and needs but are not guaranteed full consideration. The Department of Communication Studies at the University of Rhode Island invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor specializing in video/digital game and communication studies. The appointment will begin in August 2026. We seek a dedicated scholar and colleague to join our vibrant faculty in scenic New England. The assistant professor position is centered on video/digital game studies and communication, and it aligns with existing communication courses (e.g., media theory, media advertising, entertainment media research, rhetorical criticism, organizational theory, research methods). Successful candidates should be well versed in theories and concepts connected to game studies and immersive, interactive media, and be able to teach and connect across general media theory and practice. Areas of research and teaching interest within the communication and gaming context may include digital game storytelling, platform studies, science and technology studies, qualitative research in gamers and game companies, emerging media Industries, Esports, Human-Machine Communication, Human-Computer Interaction, and representation (race, class, gender, sexuality, ability). The successful candidate will contribute to emerging areas of emphasis at URI in gaming, design, and computing. Opportunities also exist for collaborations with colleagues in Computer Science, Art, Economics, and Data Science, as well as a new 3D Animation and Gaming Working Group. The faculty share a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as to providing a safe space for constructive conversation and increasing diverse voices in the classroom. Thus, we encourage applicants who can reflect that commitment to apply. *Duties and Responsibilities:* - Develop and deliver new courses in communication studies at the undergraduate level and possibly at the graduate level. - Teach and enhance existing or new course offerings, advise students, develop a scholarly or creative agenda, and perform service at the department/program, school, college and/or university level(s) as appropriate. - Establish and maintain a research program within the field and pursue funding as appropriate. - Advise undergraduate students on course selection, academic progress and career planning. - Develop curriculum as needed to help shape the major and keep it at the cutting edge of the industry. - Contribute to the institution’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. - Perform service duties to the department, university and profession. *REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:* 1. Ph.D. (or similar terminal research degree) in communication studies or a related field with a demonstrated area of specialization in video/digital game studies and communication. ABD candidates will be considered; if hired, the degree must be completed no later than September 1, 2026. 2. Ability to develop and deliver courses at the undergraduate level in video/digital game studies and communication, as well as general media theory and practice. 3. Ability to develop a scholarly or creative agenda in an area related to video/digital game studies and communication. 4. Proficiency in oral communication. 5. Proficiency in written communication. 6. Proficiency in electronic media. 7. Knowledge of digital media as it relates to video games and gaming. 8. Ability to work with diverse groups/populations. *PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:* 1. Professional experience in video/digital game development, marketing, criticism, or related field. 2. Evidence of seeking and/or securing funding for research or creative work. 3. Experience teaching video/digital game studies and communication at the undergraduate and/or graduate level. 4. Experience teaching courses in organizational communication, interpersonal communication, rhetoric, research methods, and/or strategic communication. *ABOUT THE HARRINGTON SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA AT URI* Administratively housed within the College of Arts and Sciences, URI’s largest college and home to the university’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter, the Harrington School of Communication and Media aims to grow students into creative communicators who become engaged citizens and leaders in the communities they serve. Alumni thrive in media industries, digital journalism, sports enterprise, public and community relations, corporate communication, human resources, and education. The Harrington School offers programs in Communication Studies, Film/Media, Journalism, Library and Information Studies, Public Relations, Sports Media and Communication, and Professional and Public Writing. *ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND* Located in the rural village of Kingston in southern Rhode Island, the University of Rhode Island occupies the traditional stomping ground of the Narragansett Nation and the Niantic people. The Kingston campus features a traditional college quadrangle designed by the firm of Olmstead and Elliot, surrounded by a ring of colorful Zelkova trees, majestic granite buildings, and numerous walkways and greenspace. Situated in spectacular South County along Narragansett Bay to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, URI is ideally located for outdoor pursuits and cultural endeavors alike. The region boasts extensive wooded hiking trails, golf and sports clubs, and more than 100 miles of coastline, including 20 pristine public beaches. Historic Newport is just 23 minutes east by car or bus, while Rhode Island’s capital city of Providence, a hotbed of innovative cuisine, contemporary art, and professional theater, is a 30-minute drive northward. Amtrak service right in Kingston serves cities along the Northeast Corridor, including Boston an hour north and New York three hours south; the award-winning T.F. Green Airport is a 25-minute drive away, connecting Rhode Island to metropolitan areas around the country. The University of Rhode Island is an equal-opportunity employer. It is the policy of the University of Rhode Island to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability. -- Dr. Leah Heilig (she/her) Zoom Link: https://uri-edu.zoom.us/j/2891477568 Assistant Professor Department of Professional and Public Writing Harrington School of Communication and Media University of Rhode Island

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