***PLEASE CIRCULATE***** MEDIA PRACTICES AND CULTURAL PRODUCERS EASA Media Anthropology Network Second Workshop Barcelona, Spain, November 6-7, 2008 The workshop addresses media practices and the arenas of cultural production in the context of the "new media" landscape. In broad terms, the workshop will inquire into the leading theoretical and methodological perspectives for doing anthropological research on digital mediated practices and their implications for the understanding of people's interaction with media. The aim is to explore the circulatory flows of media practices and in particular, how digital technology use is changing media culture, cultures of media circulation and the very definition of cultural producer. Anthropological and ethnographic studies of media have been largely focused on analyzing reception of media products (television, radio, press and film) and media consumption related to domestic appropriation of technologies. There is also a wide body of research devoted to the study of the political dimension of alternative and indigenous media. However, there has been a separation between media and Internet studies, and between the analysis of media reception and practices of self production, such as family photography or home video. Current digital media practices urge scholars to examine self production contents and media flows from a broader perspective that cross-cuts divisions between public and private, media corporative products and people releases, home production and cultural industry, political activism and domestic affairs. The workshop aims to become a locus for discussing innovative theoretical and methodological approaches that deal with such interwoven practices of media production and consumption. The workshop will address questions like: how is self production entering circulatory matrices of media and power? How does cultural production itself become a practice of reception or consumption? What are the implications of understanding audiences as cultural producers? Do new media practices redefine the role of cultural producers? Are self production and content sharing new cultural forms of media production? What are the cultural implications of people's media productive practices? Rather than an uncritical celebration of people's empowerment, this workshop encourages exchange of research experiences about ways of doing ethnographic research by following social networks and the circuits of new media practices. Key note speakers Elizabeth Bird (University of South Florida) Don Slater (London School of Economics) Dorle Drackle (University of Bremen) Nick Couldry (Goldsmiths, University of London) Coordinators Elisenda Ardèvol Open University of Catalonia Sigurjon Baldur Hafsteinsson Coordinator of the European Association of Social Anthropologists Media Anthropology Network Organization Committee in Barcelona Begonya Enguix Edgar Gomez Cruz Adolfo Estalella Studies of Humanities Universitat Oberta de Catalunya Gemma San Cornelio Toni Roig Studies of Sciences of Information and Communication Universitat Oberta de Catalunya Call for "research in progress" presentations The workshop will include presentations and a poster session. Please if you are interested in presenting your research about such topics, send abstracts (500-800 words) to mabcnworkshop(at)gmail.com (please replace (at) with @). The deadline for submissions is 17 May 2008. Submissions will be reviewed by the organizing committee, and will be selected for a paper presentation or for the poster session. Notice of acceptance will be sent by 17 June. This event is funded by a conference grant from the MEC and the UOC. Funds are available to cover travel costs for researchers whose submissions are selected for presentation at the workshop. Registration Due to the limited number of places available, please register in order to take part in the event. Registration fee: Euro 80 (Euro 60 students) Coffee breaks and one cold lunch is included Registration until 17 of July For registration and further information please contact mabcnworkshop(at)gmail.com (please replace (at) with @). Venue Drassanes University of Catalonia (UOC) http://www.media-anthropology.net/events.htm