Cultural Studies, Media and Identity, Cultural studies, Cybercultures, Media and identity, Gender Studies, Social Media, Self Representation, Youth

Consuming and Maintaining Difference: American Fans Resisting the Globalization of Japanese Popular Culture

by Laura Beltz Imaoka

Published in disClosure 2010, Issue 19, p73-82

The article discusses how the popularization of Japanese popular culture in the U.S. has lead many American fans to... more The article discusses how the popularization of Japanese popular culture in the U.S. has lead many American fans to question the extent to which their identities are constructed through the consumption of foreign cultural materials that are increasingly being "Americanized." It also refers to increase of sales Japanese comics in the U.S. that coincides with the heightened global exchange and interest in Japan's contemporary popular culture.

Tsotsitaal, global culture and local style: identity and recontextualisation in twenty-first century South African townships.

by ellen hurst

2009 Social Dynamics,35:2,244 — 257

Tsotsitaal is a linguistic phenomenon which is inseparable from a style adopted by many youth living in urban... more Tsotsitaal is a linguistic phenomenon which is inseparable from a style adopted by many youth living in urban townships in South Africa. The style is signalled by the unique and innovative lexicon of Tsotsitaal, and additionally indicated by clothing and other identity markers. Features of the style are ‘urban-ness’, consumerism (in terms of brand names) and cultural iconography, such as music and sports. While many of these items are influenced by, or even drawn from,global cultures (particularly in the diaspora), they are transformed into uniquely South African cultural currency by a process of recontextualisation in township spaces and between individuals. There has been a dialogue between the Tsotsitaal style and the global since at least the 1940s, which should put to rest fears that increased global influence since the end of apartheid will diminish the integrity of local South African cultures.

Tsotsitaal: identity and style in 21st Century South African townships.

by ellen hurst

2009 6th World Congress of African Linguistics (WOCAL). University of Cologne, Germany, 17th-21stAugust.

Learning modernity: lifestyle advice television in Australia, Taiwan and Singapore

by Tania Lewis

Co-authored with Fran Martin
This is an electronic version of an article published in Asian Journal of Communication 2010, 20(2): 318-336. The final version of the paper is available online at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01292981003802192#preview

Une approche du média télévisuel par le genre

by Laetitia BISCARRAT

Actes des Doctorales de la SFSIC 2011

Media Representations of Young Black Men and Boys: Report of the REACH Media Monitoring Project

by Kerry Moore

Grant Holders: Kerry Moore, Dr Stephen Cushion, Dr John Jewell

Researchers: Dr Lucy Bennett, Liezel Longboan, Dr Max Pettigrew and Dr Darren Kelsey

Funder: Race, Cohesion and Faiths Research Unit, Department for Communities and Local Government

Project Duration: 2008 to 2010 (The research findings published 2011)

This project explores contemporary representations of black boys and young men in UK national media. It focuses... more This project explores contemporary representations of black boys and young men in UK national media. It focuses particularly upon measuring the extent of negative stereotyping of these groups in news narratives across mainstream print and broadcast news, current affairs and factual programmes as well as in BME news media. It explores, in depth, the patterns and key characteristics of this coverage across these media forms. While systematic media analyses provide a robust evidential base for understanding the manner and extent to which young black men and boys are portrayed in the news media, a production study involving interviews with journalists also contributes to a better understanding of how and why those portrayals are constructed.

Guigou, L. Nicolás. 2009. "Ciberespacio, memoria y tradición. Las artes de construir el tiempo en la alta modernidad". Civitas - Revista de Ciências Sociais, num. Mayo-Agosto, pp. 177-184.

by L. Nicolás Guigou

Guigou, L. Nicolás. 2009. "Ciberespacio, memoria y tradición. Las artes de construir el tiempo en la alta modernidad". Civitas - Revista de Ciências Sociais, num. Mayo-Agosto, pp. 177-184.

We intend to point out some of the characteristics of the cyberspace dimensions within contemporaneity. These... more We intend to point out some of the characteristics of the cyberspace dimensions within contemporaneity. These dimensions cannot obliterate their necessary relation with the imaginary, memories and traditions that deepen other temporalities, combining themselves with the finitude of the time marked by the technification and virtualization of the world.

Introduction to critical readings: Media and gender

by Cynthia Carter

Mapping the contested terrain of media and gender research

by Cynthia Carter

Critical readings: Media and gender

by Cynthia Carter

“Feminist and Gender Studies"

by Cynthia Carter

co-authored by Carter, C. and Mendes, K. (2008), International Enclyclopedia of Communication, Donsbach, W. (ed), Oxford and New York: Blackwell.

Trans Survey

by Rhonda J. Factor

unpublished survey, 2006

Diversity of gender expression, experiences, and identities.
I developed the Gender... more Diversity of gender expression, experiences, and identities.
I developed the Gender Expression/Experiences/Identities Questionnaire (GEEIQ; Factor, 2002; Appendix C, pp. 243-251) in collaboration with trans communities and trans researchers. Questions in areas of research important to trans people were developed through attendance at trans conferences, exploration of trans listservs, and consultation with trans individuals, mental health providers, and researchers. Previous research findings were also incorporated into the development of the questionnaire. Five qualitative pilot interviews were conducted. Empirical questions were developed based on the information elicited from open-ended questions. Drafts of the questionnaire were shown to consultants and feedback was incorporated.
The GEEIQ consists of questions about nine main areas: gender development, stability and/or fluidity of gender, naming, purging, dressing, other's perceptions, the body, sexual attraction, and relationship to community. The GEEIQ is unique in its ability to capture complex gender experiences that lie outside dichotomies, incorporate gender fluidity, may or may not be associated with eroticism, may manifest in "gender inconsistent" bodies, and may be associated with a wide range of sexual attractions and identities. Information gained from the GEEIQ will help identify, clarify, and honor the variety of ways individuals experience gender and negotiate their lives in a rigid binary gender system.
Levels of disclosure of transgender status. I adapted the Outness Inventory originally created for lesbians and gay men (OI; Mohr & Fassinger, 2000; Appendix C, pp. 247-248) for use with a transgender population. The Outness Inventory assesses level of outness to different people in different spheres of functioning. For trans people, level of outness about gender identity as well as level of outness about assigned birth sex were explored.

Call2_Project Rendering the Real

by Sireita Mullings

Project Rendering the Real, is calling for participants for an interactive symposium and exhibition by project titled the “Fourth Moment”.

March 22nd – April 27th 2012.

www.renderingthereal.com

The intention is to interrogate the visual representations of art practitioners and their project participants, by way... more The intention is to interrogate the visual representations of art practitioners and their project participants, by way of papers, presentations, workshops and artwork.

The exhibition and symposium will run between
March 22nd – April 27th 2012.

Visit www.renderingthereal.com for more information.

The Demonisation of Charlotte Church: Media Constructions of a UK child prodigy

by Jane O'Connor

Published in 'Journal of Children and Media' Vol 3, No. 2, 2009

This paper traces the media coverage of former child prodigy Charlotte Church over the period 1998-2007 as she moved... more This paper traces the media coverage of former child prodigy Charlotte Church over the period 1998-2007 as she moved from a charmed childhood through a turbulent adolescence and into young womanhood. Through an analysis of newspaper stories about the young star, I argue that Church is presented as a tragic figure who became symbolic of the metaphorical struggle between good and evil, and between childhood and adulthood, in British society. I demonstrate how certain key elements of Church's story adhere to the universal tale of the hero which recurs in myths and legends around the world, and argue that exploring the structural elements of such media stories is a useful way of understanding the continuing presence of the child star in Western culture.

'The dark side of Naomily': Skins, fan texts and contested genres

by Deborah Hunn

Published in Continuum, Vol. 26, Issue 1, 2012.

In 2009, Series 3 of the youth-focused British TV drama Skins won widespread praise from fans and critics for its... more In 2009, Series 3 of the youth-focused British TV drama Skins won widespread praise from fans and critics for its handling of the coming out story of two teenage girls, Emily and Naomi – known in both fan and official discourse alike as ‘Naomily’. However, despite, the Skins' productions team's commitment to dialogue with their youth audience – deemed central to maintaining ‘brand values’ of authenticity and marked by the use of young scriptwriters, by attempts to draw on input from Naomily fans via interactive and collaborative opportunities, and by intertextual plays on the Naomily fan text aesthetic – fan reactions to the recently aired Series 4 have been mixed, leading to heated debate on discussion boards, (‘You've ruined it’) and resistant responses in fan texts. Focusing on genre as a contested site in representations of sexuality and desire in contemporary read/write youth culture and on the generative and dialogical potential of intersections (including collaboration and contestation) between authorized producers and fan creators, as well as the problematic power relations that underpin it, this paper critically applies Derek Johnson's recent concept of ‘fan-tagonism’ to explore the creative tensions between the Skins writing team and Naomily fans.

Siber Kültürü Araştırmak

by Selva Ersoz

Paper Presented at New Media and Interactivity Conference, Marmara University, 28-30 April 2010 and Published in Proceeding Book of New Media and Interactivity
ISBN 978-975-400-330-7

Hypersexualized Females in Digital Games: Do Men Want Them, Do Women Want to Be Them?

by CarrieLynn Reinhard

This is an International Communication Association 2006 conference paper version of my master's thesis.

The digital game industry recognizes that women play fewer video games than men. One hypothesized reason for this is... more The digital game industry recognizes that women play fewer video games than men. One hypothesized reason for this is the sexualized portrayal of female game avatars, which may
dissuade women from identifying and wanting to engage with them. Such hypersexualism is hypothesized as being designed to entice men, who are thought to be attracted to such portrayals. In a 2x3 design of participant gender by avatar body shape, this study investigated how men and women perceive and react to female avatars that embody the hypersexualism body shape of big breasts, thin waist, and long, thin limbs. One-hundred and twenty men and women from a Midwestern university participated in the study. Contrary to industry and academic arguments, it was found that men indicated more engagement with the game when playing as a curvy character while women indicated more engagement playing as the hypersexualized character. Also, identifying with the character during game play was the only consistent predictor of engagement, and this was true regardless of the player's gender; thus, men were engaging in cross-gender identification, possibly due to the conditions of playing the game.

Colori della realtà

by Cristina Balma Tivola

2001, licensed under CC3.0.

The representation of immigration in national broadcasting in Italy between 1986-2001. The representation of immigration in national broadcasting in Italy between 1986-2001.

Jeunes et minorités ethniques dans la presse européenne: Les médias et les émeutes parisiennes de 2005

by Jessica Retis

At the end of October 2005, unrest broke out in an unprecedented way in the suburbs of Paris. Violence ensued during... more At the end of October 2005, unrest broke out in an unprecedented way in the suburbs of Paris. Violence ensued during the next three weeks following these events during which time police and youth collided. The riots spread out
gradually across the country and forced the government to declare a state of emergency on November 8. Given the scale of the events, political and media reactions constructed a social debate and there are many who believed that France
was undergoing a profound “crisis of meaning” and “identity crisis”. The riots are seen as reflecting the failure of the French integration model because the principal actors of the violence are mostly identified as immigrants. In this article we seek
to analyze and understand how media echoes public political debate. These questions will be examined through the analysis of editorials, newspaper articles and opinions derived from the national press.

Promises of Peace and Passion: Enthusing the Readers of Self-Help

by Rebecca Hazleden

Open access journal

Hazleden, Rebecca (2009) Promises of peace and passion: Enthusing the readers of self-help. M/C Journal, 12 1: 1-9

The rise of expertise in the lives of women is a complex and prolonged process that began when the old networks... more The rise of expertise in the lives of women is a complex and prolonged process that began when the old networks through which women had learned from each other were being discredited or destroyed (Ehrenreich and English). Enclosed spaces of expert power formed separately from political control, market logistics and the pressures exerted by their subjects (Rose and Miller). This, however, was not a question of imposing expertise on women and forcing them to adhere to expert proclamations: “the experts could not have triumphed had not so many women welcomed them, sought them out, and … organised to promote their influence” (Ehrenreich and English 28). Women’s continuing enthusiasm for self-help books – and it is mainly women who buy them (Wood) – attests to the fact that they are still welcoming expertise into their lives. This paper argues that a major factor in the popularity of self-help is the reversal of the conventional ‘priestly’ relationship and ethic of confession, in a process of conversion that relies on the enthusiasm and active participation of the reader.