International Symposium at Lund University, Sweden

Department of Communication and Media, March 15th 2018

Organisers: Annette Hill, Michael Rübsamen and Zaki Habibi

Freedom is embedded within the values of media and democracy. Seemingly self evident freedom is hard won and comes at a cost in media, culture and society. Media freedom evokes our right to communicate, where access to media and public spheres holds the promise of freedom of expression, diversity of representation, and media accountability. The constraints on media freedom occur in the form of state control, a lack of public accountability and restricted access to technological infrastructures and content across geographical and economic borders. Constraints also appear where the market freedoms of media institutions eclipse the civic freedoms of audiences and users. In the current climate of the rise of populism, fake news and filter bubbles within the social network media economy, neo liberal politics and commercial logics threaten to narrow civic liberties within the populist divide, This international symposium critically examines media freedom and stricture, addressing both the values of creative freedom and communicative rights and the ways in which these may be compromised.

We invite contributions to this symposium on media freedom that address the theme from political, social-cultural and personal perspectives. The symposium seeks to debate both the political economic and policy contexts to media freedom and the aspects of freedom related to creative labour, representation and cultural practices. Contributions ought to address the following areas of enquiry: media and democracy, political engagement and social activism, technological infrastructures and the material aspects of freedom, freedom of expression and creative freedom, media independence and media work, cultural citizenship, popular culture, media audiences, media censorship and media ethics, amongst other areas of inquiry. The research questions include: 1. How can we critically examine media freedom in news, radio and television, film, digital and social media? 2. In what ways can we understand freedom in the context of contemporary media ecologies? 3. What are the power dynamics of freedom in media, society and culture? Different approaches to research on media and freedom can include media, communication and cultural studies, political communication, sociology and anthropology, cultural geography, media history, film studies, memory studies, amongst others.

Confirmed speakers include John Corner (Leeds University), Rita Figueiras (Catholic University Lisbon) Des Freedman (Goldsmith’s College, London), Joke Hermes (InHolland University, Netherlands), Annette Hill (Lund University), Viola C Milton (University of South Africa), Winston Mano (University of Westminster, UK), and Jane Roscoe (University of West of England, UK),

Please submit an abstract of 300 words in English by December 12th 2017 to the conference email: mediafreedom@kom.lu.se. For further information please consult our website http://www.kom.lu.se/mf2018.There is a registration fee of 800 SEK (85 Euros) that covers food and drink for the day and an evening buffet.

—  Annette Hill, Professor of Media and Communication, Lund University —