Dear colleagues, We are pleased to invite you to the third edition of the Cultural Studies Conference organized by the GAME research group at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain), to be held on November 13–14, 2025, under the title *CULTURE OR BARBARISM. Tensions around culture in the 21st century.* We believe this conference may be of interest to you, and we would appreciate it if you could circulate the information among your academic contacts. Best regards, GAME Research Group – Universitat Oberta de Catalunya ------------------------------ *Call for Papers* Culture has been a central concept in Cultural Studies, understood as a way of life, social expression, system of values, and a field traversed by power relations. From this perspective, reflecting on culture also means examining its symbolic boundaries, as Edward Said noted when contrasting the familiar space of "our" culture against the "barbarism" of the other. Today, in a context marked by ideological conflicts, symbolic struggles, and technological transformations, it is urgent to rethink what we mean by culture, how it is regulated, who produces it, who is excluded, and which materialities sustain it. This conference proposes five areas of critical reflection on contemporary cultural tensions: 1. The materiality of culture and the working conditions and sustainability of cultural production. 2. The relationship between culture and technology in a digitalized context. 3. Cultural identities and narratives, with particular attention to symbolic hierarchies. 4. Institutions, cultural policies, and forms of citizen participation. 5. Media, spaces, and creative practices that are reshaping the cultural ecosystem. These topics invite discussions on the conflicts, paradoxes, and possibilities of the cultural field in the 21st century. *Submission of Proposals* We invite submissions in the form of an abstract (between 400 and 500 words) outlining the focus of the presentation and its contribution to the conference discussion. Presentations will be delivered in Spanish. Submissions should include: - Title of the presentation - Full name and institutional affiliation (if applicable) - Contact email address - Short biographical note (maximum 100 words) Proposals may be submitted in Catalan, Spanish, or English, and should be sent via email to: game@uoc.edu. Submission deadline: June 30, 2025 → *EXTENDED UNTIL July 15* Further information about the conference can be found at this link <https://gameresearch.uoc.edu/seminario-de-estudios-culturales-iii/>. -- Daniel Aranda Juarez Estudis de Ciències de la Informació i de la Comunicació *Sotsdirector de recerca* darandaj@uoc.edu grup recerca GAME <http://gameresearch.uoc.edu/> twitter <https://twitter.com/darandaj> ORCID 0000-0001-9290-0708 <http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9290-0708> Campus UOC Rambla del Poblenou, 156 08018 Barcelona [image: UOC] <http://www.uoc.edu> -- *Aquest missatge s'adreça exclusivament al seu destinatari i pot contenir informació confidencial. Si no sou el destinatari indicat, no utilitzeu, divulgueu ni copieu sense autorització el contingut del missatge. *Si heu rebut aquest missatge per error, us demanem que ens ho feu saber immediatament per aquesta via i que el destruïu.** *El responsable de les dades facilitades en aquest correu és la UOC; la finalitat és mantenir la relació contractual o facilitar-vos la informació que necessiteu. Les dades podran conservar-se mentre es mantingui la relació o s'hagi donat per resolta la sol·licitud d'informació. La base jurídica és la relació contractual que manteniu amb la UOC o, si s'escau, l'interès legítim de la UOC a donar-vos resposta.* *Les dades no seran cedides per al seu ús per tercers; hi poden tenir accés únicament proveïdors que ens presten serveis auxiliars i que tenen la condició d'encarregats del tractament.* *Podeu exercir els drets previstos als articles 15 a 22 del RGPD adreçant-vos a **fuoc_pd@uoc.edu* <mailto:fuoc_pd@uoc.edu>*. Podeu contactar amb el nostre delegat de protecció de dades a **dpd@uoc.edu* <mailto:dpd@uoc.edu>*. Així mateix, teniu dret a presentar una reclamació davant l'APDCAT.* *Este mensaje se dirige exclusivamente a su destinatario y puede contener información confidencial. Si usted no es el destinatario indicado, no utilice, divulgue ni copie sin autorización su contenido. *Si ha recibido este mensaje por error, le pedimos que nos lo haga saber inmediatamente por esta vía y que lo destruya.** *El responsable de los datos facilitados en este correo es la UOC; su finalidad es mantener la relación contractual o facilitarle la información que necesita. Los datos podrán conservarse mientras se mantenga la relación o se haya dado por resuelta la solicitud de información. La base jurídica es la relación contractual que mantiene con la UOC o, en su caso, el interés legítimo de la UOC de darle respuesta.* *Los datos no serán cedidos para su uso por terceros; pueden tener acceso a ellos únicamente proveedores que nos prestan servicios auxiliares y que tienen la condición de encargados del tratamiento.*  _Puede ejercer los derechos previstos en los artículos 15 a 22 del RGPD dirigiéndose a  *fuoc_pd@uoc.edu* <mailto:fuoc_pd@uoc.edu>_. Puede contactar con nuestro delegado de protección de datos en *dpd@uoc.edu* <mailto:dpd@uoc.edu>_. Así mismo, tiene derecho a presentar una reclamación ante la APDCAT.___ *This message is intended exclusively for its recipient and may contain confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, do not use, disclose or copy its contents without authorization. *If you have received this message in error, please let us know immediately through this channel and destroy it.** *The data controller for the data provided in this email is the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), and the purpose is to maintain the contractual relationship or provide you with any information you may need. The data may be retained for as long as the relationship continues or until the request for information is deemed to have been resolved. The legal basis is your contractual relationship with the UOC or, where applicable, its legitimate interest in responding to you.* *The data will not be transferred for use by third parties; only providers that provide auxiliary services and act as data processors may have access.* *You can exercise the rights provided in Articles 15 to 22 of the GDPR by writing to **fuoc_pd@uoc.edu* <mailto:fuoc_pd@uoc.edu>*. You can contact our Data Protection Officer at **dpd@uoc.edu* <mailto:dpd@uoc.edu>*. You are also entitled to file a claim with the Catalan data protection authority (APDCAT).*