Projects

Abstract

The overall aim of this project is to explore the relationship between clothing and masculinity in non-conforming men's everyday life sartorial practices. Specifically, it will look at the impact of gendered norms on the articulation, policing, and experience of the dressed male body in public space in both Belgium and Italy. This research will consider the dressed male body as a pivotal element in the biopolitics of masculinity by examining the importance of dress practices in biopower's disciplinary and regulatory interventions on the body, a dimension which has been all too often overlooked. This will be done through an ethnographic wardrobe studies investigation. By bridging material culture and embodied research, the project will consider to which extent norms of masculinity restrict the self-expression of the dressed male body, and how this embodied knowledge affects the everyday act of getting dressed. As research on the relationship between men and fashion in everyday life is an area still in need of greater investigation and understanding, this project will extend and expand our understanding of the dressed male body, emphasizing the fundamental role of dress practices as identity-making practices in the biopolitics of masculinity. As such, it aligns with recent scholarly and mainstream concerns with the changing nature of masculinity and with the backlash towards more inclusive forms of male embodiment.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: Eeckhout Bart
• Fellow: Brajato Nicola

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests the acceleration of a "loneliness epidemic" in the West, mainly driven by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Promises of advances in artificial intelligence (AI) claim that human-machine communication (HMC) will be able to mitigate the disruptive forces of this pandemic. Communicative and social robots are programmed to better serve the communicative and emotional needs of people and therefore help to mitigate subjective loneliness. Yet, should communicative and social robots mitigate loneliness? Despite the promises made about advancements in AI and HMC, this project argues we need to investigate the normative implications for the practice of communication when HMC becomes broadly adopted to mitigate loneliness. This is important because communication has a constitutive role in societies. Moreover, the long-term societal consequences of such changing perspectives on companionship, communication, care, and empathy are unknown, but they could be significant. This project approaches the condition where communication does no longer uniquely takes place between humans but also between humans and machines as a unique historical marker of our times, conceptualizing it as the post human communication condition. Drawing on a number of qualitative and participatory research methods, this project will investigate (1) what the normative stakes are for societies in relation to the post-human communication condition, (2) the key promises, values, and ideals incorporated in the development of human-machine communication to mitigate loneliness and "ordinary" people's (imagined) meanings, emotions, and feelings on the adoption of human-machine communication to mitigate loneliness. Drawing on these investigations, this project seeks to set an agenda for the critical study of the post-human communication condition. Thereby, it seeks to contribute to the future directions of the normative study of communication in relation to the development and broad adoption of communicative and social robots.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: De Ridder Sander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Technological and economic developments have led to the availability of an overwhelming quantity of digital content. Therefore, it has become crucial, in particular for media content providers, to incorporate algorithmic gatekeepers, which filter, rank and recommend content. Are these algorithmic gatekeepers undermining media's contribution to epistemic welfare? In ALGEPI, we start from the novel concept of epistemic welfare, defined as the individuals' right to know and be exposed to trustworthy, independent and diverse information while respecting individual rights to their own data. By connecting legal, political, technological and sociocultural perspectives, we will develop a conceptual framework for epistemic welfare. This framework will allow us to understand the effects of algorithmic gatekeepers on epistemic welfare. The new interdisciplinary research program will build on multi-method empirical research applied to algorithmic gatekeepers. Thanks to the theoretical and empirical findings, we will be able to develop normative instruments to align algorithmic gatekeeping with epistemic welfare. Taking the novel concept of epistemic welfare as a starting point allows all project partners to embark on a joint, integrated exploration of the concept. This may lead to a paradigmatic shift in the conceptualization of the impact of algorithmic gatekeepers in media sectors, proposing to expand the notions of media pluralism and consumer welfare to epistemic welfare.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Paulussen Steve
• Co-promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Contemporary events since 2008 have revealed that we are not only facing enormous democratic challenges on an ecological level, but also on an economic, political and social level. The financial-economic crisis and its numerous global and local ramifications, political events such as the political crisis in Belgium and the Arab Spring, rising levels of unemployment and poverty, the emergence of new social movements protesting austerity policies, etc., all raise the question to what extent media fulfill a role of encouraging a broad democratic debate, by reporting on the alternative analyses and policy programs at stake on each of these issues. However, as is the case with the research line on 'media and science', the question is again whether existing models of media and democracy sufficiently allow to address this, and consequently, enable a well-founded, substantive critique on the role and performance of media in 21st century liberal democratic societies, which could lead to recommendations on how to improve media reporting from a perspective of democratic politics. The previously developed framework promises great potential to reveal the extent of agonistic media pluralism in 21st century professionalized-commercial media landscapes on the one hand, while simultaneously identifying potential alternative spaces for agonistic media pluralism and democratic debate on the other, either outside or within commercial media systems, such as in the case of alternative media or particular entertainment media, respectively. The aim of this second mandate is to expand this research line on media and democracy, (i) by broadening it to other countries to allow conclusions on the extent of media pluralism within and between media systems, (ii) by deepening it through involving longitudinal, historical analyses on the one hand, and a systematic inclusion of new, alternative media as well as entertainment media, and (iii), by reinforcing the policy-supporting dimension of this work, focusing on the implications for a) journalistic routines, practices and values, and b) science communication organizations.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter
• Fellow: Maeseele Pieter

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Current society faces multiple challenges that are perceived as crises. Recent examples include the COVID-19 health crisis, the climate change crisis, the global energy crisis and the 'trust crisis', eroding trust in government, science, etc. They constitute complex, 'wicked problems', which are hard to resolve, and are the object of divergent views. What becomes increasingly apparent is that knowledge of the facts does not suffice to understand discussions of these complex events and evolutions. The ways these challenges are spoken about, how they are represented and conceptualized, is what we understand here as crisis discourse. Rather than simply capturing reality, discourses give meaning, attribute causes and consequences, and express moral views. Consequently, discussions on societal challenges can be viewed as a discursive struggle where different views of reality compete for dominance. For example, in discussions on climate change, ecological discourses compete with economical and social ones. Media play a crucial role in this discursive struggle to make sense of these societal challenges and construct them as crises. Media act as meaning-making devices, giving sense to the complex reality that surrounds us. Social media immediately come to mind, as highly influential platforms spreading ideas. However, 'legacy' media, such as newspapers and TV, also continue to play a key role in broadcasting and legitimizing certain worldviews and discourses. All these media are strongly intertwined in our current digitized and 'mediatized' society, where media both reflect and impact societal events on an everyday basis. The aim of the challenge we propose is to better understand the workings of competing mediated discourses on current societal crises. Drawing on Harold Lasswell's classic definition of communication, we ask the question: Who says what, in which channel, to whom, and with what effect? The focus is on 'what': the way a certain topic is talked about and made sense of. Here, the candidate uses one or more of the methods the PI's are specialized in to analyze media content on a topic of their choice: quantitative and qualitative content analysis, framing analysis, discourse analysis and digital ethnography (see further 2.2). The aim is to chart the competing discourses on a particular societal challenge that is perceived as a crisis, and to get a grasp on the discursive landscape, which includes attention to 'who' (the actors uttering certain discourse, such as journalists, politicians, experts) and 'in which channel' (TV, newspapers, social media, ...). Optionally, the candidate may also investigate the audience side ('to whom'), aiming to understand how media users deal with competing media discourses, and how these affect them ('with what effect'). Contrary to the linear nature of Lasswell's communication model, the research will also acknowledge the complex interaction between these different aspects of the communication process (for instance, audience members also producing discourse by commenting on social media).

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: De Ridder Sander
• Co-promoter: Maeseele Pieter
• Co-promoter: Paulussen Steve
• Fellow: Silva Luna Daniel

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

There have been significant investments in researching the concerning effects of social media on young people's intimacies (infringement of rights, social-psychological well-being, harmed sexual reputations, health, and bodies). Yet, this project argues there is a lack of understanding of how social media platforms and their value-driven operations (e.g., a focus on commercialization and datafication) are causing new public concerns and conflicts related to young people's intimacies. Therefore, this project investigates public controversies and societal breakdowns of trust in social media platforms. The proposed research explores two recent and high-impact cases in the public breakdown of trust in Instagram and Facebook. Using a digital ethnographic approach, this project maps these public concerns and controversies over young people's digital intimacies and examines the public demands for accountability from social media platforms. Situating this public breakdown of trust in a broader context, this project seeks to initiate a new agenda to study social media and young people's intimacies that go beyond the effects of social media. It argues for a serious engagement with the operations and core values of social media platforms and how they cause public conflict and debates on intimacy. This newly proposed agenda shifts the focus to the responsibility of social media platforms and their operations in understanding the impact of social media on young people's intimacy.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: De Ridder Sander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Throughout history, artists have been captivated by the characters of classical mythology. As the youngest of the arts, one of the most lucrative contemporary entertainment industries and an influential socio-cultural force, video games are also inspired by the Greco-Roman gods and heroes and allow their audience to actually 'become' a god or hero themselves. Though there has been a rising academic interest in the ludic reception of antiquity, the topic of mythological characters in video games has largely been neglected. This project will examine ancient gods and heroes in video games through the perspective of characterization theory. This term from literary studies refers to how characters are constructed, which can be studied by examining how characters are named, what they do and how they are described. In video games, however, characterization operates very differently from the way it does in literature or cinema since games are 'ergodic' (Aarseth 1997): they require the user to partake in the progression of the text, and by extension also in the characterization process. This project will lead to the construction of a theoretical framework to study ergodic characterization, which will be applied empirically to mythological characters in video games. It therefore expands both our theoretical knowledge of 'character' and brings the study of antiquity reception into new and exciting areas.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Malliet Steven
• Fellow: Vandewalle Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Lesbian and gay rights are increasingly included in the self-presentation of Western nations. Critics label this as 'homonationalism', pointing out how inclusion in the national ingroup comes at the price of normativity and the exclusion of (presumably) homophobic 'others', mostly originating or situated in the East or South. This project aims to contribute to existing scholarship by systematically analyzing homonationalist discourses and counter-discourses, focusing on Flanders as a specific (sub)national context, and exploring the role of media in circulating such discourses. The main research question is: To what degree and how do homonationalist discourses and counter-discourses ¬circulate in Flemish media? Sub-questions and related work packages focus on (1) the prevalence of homonationalist discourses in Flemish newspapers and news sites, (2) the characteristics of these discourses, and (3) the way such discourses circulate across legacy media (in particular newspapers), owned media (e.g. political party publications) and social media (Facebook and Twitter). Focusing on the contemporary Flemish situation, we use a mixed-method design combining quantitative content analysis with critical discourse analysis. As to data, we move from a one-year sample of all reporting on homosexuality (1), through a more focused sample of homonationalist discourses during that same year (2), to a few 'discursive moments' for which we complement legacy media with owned and social media.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Fellow: Verhoeven Emma

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to investigate the role of media in relation to sexual and gender identifications among different generations of queer people. The term queer is used in this context as an umbrella term for people who do not identify as straight. While the media representation of queer people has been extensively researched, the way they use media in processes of identity building remains underexplored. Moreover, although an emerging literature focuses on the use of online media by younger queers, the media uses of older queers are hardly researched. Nevertheless, they grew up in a different era in terms of social acceptance as well as media representation. By comparing media 'generations', i.e. people who grew up with different media repertoires, it is possible to more exactly pinpoint the importance of media in processes of sexual and gender identity formation. This issue is all the more pressing, as processes of collective identity formation seem to be shifting, away from more fixed categories like gay/straight and towards more fluid categories. To investigate these issues, this project will use in-depth interviews with 40 queer people, evenly divided over two generations: the so-called 'generation X', born between 1960 and 1980, and 'Millennials', born between 1981 and 2000. Drawing on a preliminary online survey, a diverse range of participants will be selected in terms of gender identifications, ethnicity etc. The interviews will span the participant's entire lives, aiming to pinpoint which media were available at what time in their lives, and how this related to their process of identity formation.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to investigate the role of media in relation to sexual and gender identifications among different generations of queer people. The term queer is used in this context as an umbrella term for people who do not identify as straight. While the media representation of queer people has been extensively researched, the way they use media in processes of identity building remains underexplored. Moreover, although an emerging literature focuses on the use of online media by younger queers, the media uses of older queers are hardly researched. Nevertheless, they grew up in a different era in terms of social acceptance as well as media representation. By comparing media 'generations', i.e. people who grew up with different media repertoires, it is possible to more exactly pinpoint the importance of media in processes of sexual and gender identity formation. This issue is all the more pressing, as processes of collective identity formation seem to be shifting, away from more fixed categories like gay/straight and towards more fluid categories. To investigate these issues, this project will use in-depth interviews with 40 queer people, evenly divided over two generations: the so-called 'generation X', born between 1960 and 1980, and 'Millennials', born between 1981 and 2000. Drawing on a preliminary online survey, a diverse range of participants will be selected in terms of gender identifications, ethnicity etc. The interviews will span the participant's entire lives, aiming to pinpoint which media were available at what time in their lives, and how this related to their process of identity formation.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

CritJourn will examine how journalism is critiqued online and how journalists experience these critiques. Public critiques of journalism seem to have become more visible than they have ever been in the past. In particular, critiques of the legitimacy of mainstream media representations - from different ideological perspectives - have become an everyday feature of public discourse about journalism on digital platforms like Twitter. The overarching aim of this project will be to develop new concepts for understanding how journalism is critiqued, and how journalists negotiate and experience media critique, by different online publics. This research is timely and important because it will illuminate our understanding of the relationship between journalism and online culture in a political moment where the bonds that have historically sustained the relationship between journalism and the public have been weakened. The overarching aim will be supported by 4 specific objectives, 2 conceptual and 2 empirical. The conceptual supplements will put communication, media and journalism research into conversation with, first, interdisciplinary debates about the nature of critique and, second, radical democratic theories about the nature of ideological conflict. The first empirical element will undertake a (quantitative and qualitative) critical discourse analysis of how UK journalists and media institutions are critiqued on Twitter. The second will interview journalists in Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands and UK about their experiences of media critique.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter
• Fellow: Phelan Sean

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Amongst the key trends in Arab television drama productions is the rise of the so-called 'pan-Arab dramas', serialized television fictions in which an ensemble of characters from various Arab nationalities is presented in transnational settings. While the outbreak of the 'Arab Spring' and the consequent emigration of Arab talents to new centers of production has played a role in this emergence, pan-Arab dramas may have also been a reaction to the Arab television industry's need to catch up with the ongoing boom of 'glocal' production and distribution approaches. As television narratives have been often considered catalysts for national and transnational imagination, pan-Arab dramas potentially influence the imagination of the Arab World's cultural identity. Through a qualitative content analysis of selected pan-Arab dramas and interviews with their makers, this research aims at understanding the texts of these dramas within the discourses of nationalism and cultural identity. Additionally, the research will explore the context of these dramas' screenplay development as a tool of cultural production with the potential ability to redraw the imagination of the Arab world's cultural identity.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Fellow: Haddad Fadi

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This research project is the first ever to directly address the relationship between fashion, body and gender identity in the well-known Antwerp fashion scene. Specifically, it will focus on the creative practices of four designers from different generations (Raf Simons, Ann Demeulemeester, Bernhard Willhelm and Glenn Martens) and investigate how they all contributed to reshaping the idea of male aesthetics through a critical approach to menswear. The research is innovative for its multidisciplinary approach at the intersection of fashion studies, men's studies and queer studies. It will combine theories on the construction of masculinity with insights into the role of fashion in creating and questioning embodied gender norms. Methodologically, it will primarily draw on the analysis of visual and audio-visual materials (i.e. fashion show videos and images, catalogues, look books, magazine editorials, etc.) provided by the MoMu fashion museum and other archives, combined with interviews with the designers and relevant personalities from the Antwerp fashion scene. Because of its multidisciplinary character, this project will contribute to several fields: it will strengthen the existing literature on Belgian fashion by providing new insights from a masculinity perspective, put Belgium on the fashion studies map, and add a totally new angle to men's and queer studies in Belgian academia.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: Eeckhout Bart
• Fellow: Brajato Nicola

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to enrich our knowledge of the cultural value and artistic meaning surrounding jazz by investigating how international jazz competitions can be used to (re)produce, articulate, and negotiate certain values and beliefs about the music, such as collectivity, exceptionalism, and tradition. This will be done through a multi-layered comparative analysis of two of the most prestigious and longest running international jazz competitions, the B-Jazz International Contest (1979, Belgium) and the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition (1987, US). The research's interdisciplinary approach is designed to engage multiple perspectives (WP1: historical, WP2: demographic), levels (WP3: written, visual, aural), and actors (WP4: directors, jury, and contenders). As research on jazz contests is virtually non-existent, this project will extend and expand our understanding of the meaning and significance of jazz practices by gathering historical and demographic data about music competitions and offering innovative interpretations of the cultural values on which they are based. As such, it aligns with recent scholarly concerns with cultural dynamics and meaning-making, and its results will be of particular interest to music scholars, professionals from the cultural and creative industries, and conservatoire educators and students.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Fellow: Heyman Matthias

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This research is based on the limited acceptance of LGB sexuality in certain groups of foreign origin, as recently observed in the survey Living Together in Diversity. Behind these numbers, however, there is a complex reality, so we should be cautious not to generalize too quickly to entire countries of origin. Moreover, this research shows what acceptance correlates with, but not why. For this kind of explanations, which can also lead to remedies, we need more in-depth qualitative research. The purpose of this research is to contribute to the acceptance of LGB sexuality in certain groups of foreign origin, the Moroccan, Turkish and Congolese communities in Flanders. In a first stage, an elaborate literature research is done. In a second stage, in-depth interviews with LGBs from these three groups are used to explore which problems they experience but also which solutions they see. In a third stage, these insights are brought together in a list of recommendations and good practices.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

PHASE I - Information point (*) of the creation of ZORROLA, Expertise Center for Gender and Human Dignity in Advertising & Communication consisting of providing online information based on scientific research - to combat sexist, gender-unfriendly and inhumane advertising and communication with an eye to the various intersections, such as in addition to the gender identity and expression intersections, the intersections with sexual orientation, age, validity (disability), ethnic-cultural and religious diversity - to raise awareness / support and to promote radical advertising literacy of o the general public, civil society organizations and educational actors o the business world and their marketing and advertising professionals

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to evaluate the offer of Flemish Sign Language by publice service broadcaster VRT, and to make recommendations for future Flemish media policy. The project combines in-depth interviews with programme analysis to propose a new format.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The RejournID project will rethink the relationship between journalism and ideology in contemporary media and political cultures. The concept of ideology has been a longstanding concern of media and communication researchers ever since the Frankfurt School. However, the importance of the concept to the field has been displaced in recent decades, despite a revived interest in ideology among political theorists. This project will reinvigorate the place of ideology analysis in media research through an interpretivist study of how journalism and ideology intersect in four European countries: Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands and UK. The project offers a combination of conceptual and empirical innovations. Conceptually, it will put the field of media, communication and journalism studies into interdisciplinary conversation with a theoretical literature on ideology that has been relatively under-explored in media and journalism research. The empirical dimension has two distinct strands. It will extend ideology analysis into the domain of comparative media research through an analysis of how Brexit has been represented in different media cultures. And, most significantly, it will interview journalists to see how they understand ideology and its potential impact on different aspects of their practice. I am well placed to do this project, because I am already internationally recognized for my work on the ideological dynamics of media. The research is important because it speaks to current societal challenges about the place of journalism in liberal democracies, as illustrated by increased public distrust of journalists, the colonization of journalism by economic logics, the emergence of more ideologically partisan media outlets, and intensified political attacks against media. From a training perspective, the fellowship will significantly advance my research programme and facilitate my reintegration within European research networks.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter
• Fellow: Phelan Sean

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

In this current age of fake news and post-truth, traditional forms of journalism are under pressure. At the same time, online news startups are proliferating in today's digital media environment. These generally present themselves as alternatives to traditional, mainstream media and professional journalism. While past research has focused on content, production or interpretive strategies of the audience, there remains a gap in alternative media scholarship in terms of research that combines these three levels in a comparative design. The aim of this research proposal is to investigate if and how alternative media contribute to media pluralism in 21st century media landscapes. To this end, we put forward a highly innovative multimethod design, in which a quantitative and qualitative content analysis are used for the content level, interviews with the involved editors and contributors and document analysis for the production level, and online data streams and focus groups for the user level. In this way, this proposal not only puts forward a multi-methodological approach that combines the paradigm of cultural media studies with rigorous social-scientific research. It also makes this study comprehensive and able to triangulate its results into these different levels, thereby offering a multidimensional picture of how these digital media startups push the boundaries of journalism and also provide new ways of engaging the audience with the news.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The project ambitions to chart how information overload caused by virtual and augmented reality influences the decision making process of duty officers during a navigational watch on bridge simulators. How information overload arises has to be researched first. In a traditional bridge setting, with wellknown instruments and settings, information overload may occur during difficult navigational circumstances. This information overload might not be experienced in the same way by students or more experienced duty officers. Personality might also play a role in handling or encountering information overload. The question arises weather virtual and augmented reality help to prevent information overload from occurring. Will these new technologies contribute to a higher level of situation awareness in bridge simulators, or will it cause more stress and an overload in already very complex surroundings? Can virtual and augmented reality play a role in avoiding accidents at sea? Can the high level of human errors contributing to marine accidents be lowered by letting duty officers train with virtual and augmented reality? Can training centres contribute to a better acceptance by a ship's crew to these new technologies? Research on the role of virtual and augmented reality in increasing the safety of navigation at sea is currently ongoing at a partner institution in the Netherlands (Maritiem Instituut Willem Barentsz, Terschelling), but not specifically on how virtual and augmented reality may contribute to information overload.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

In the current journalistic context, in which traditional conceptions of journalism are faltering, there is a strong need for research into alternative conceptions of journalism and news, which assesses the democratic potential of these new practices. This proposal provides a direct contribution in this respect by offering a comprehensive examination of satirical news in the Netherlands and Flanders, crossing disciplinary boundaries and combining different theoretical and methodological approaches. The aim of this proposal is to investigates if and how De Ideale Wereld ("A perfect world", Flemish public broadcaster) and Zondag met Lubach ("Sunday with Lubach", Dutch public broadcaster) function as alternative forms of journalism and as resources for public engagement, while assessing whether they realize the potential to facilitate democratic conversation, and contribute to media pluralism, in 21st century media landscapes. To this end, we put forward a highly innovative multi-method design, in which interviews with media professionals and professional journalists are used for the production level (WP1), online data streams and focus groups for the user level (WP2), and a qualitative content analysis for the content level (WP3).

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter
• Fellow: Nicolaï Jonas

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This research aims to enrich our knowledge of cultural ideology and mediation within jazz by investigating how a core set of beliefs about the music, including collectivity, American exceptionalism and cultural ownership, are (re)produced within two of the oldest ongoing international jazz competitions, the B-Jazz International Contest (1979, Belgium) and the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition (1987, U.S.). I will combine insights and methods from cultural musicology, sociology, and history into an interdisciplinary approach that is designed to engage multiple perspectives (historical, demographic), levels (written, visual, aural), and actors (directors, jury, and contenders). The multifaceted impact will target both broad and focused audiences through a dissemination plan that includes academic articles and presentations, public discussions with non-academic stakeholders and public, and a symposium comprising a keynote, research panels, and a roundtable with CCI professionals. As research on jazz contests is virtually non-existent, this project will extend and expand our understanding of the meaning of jazz practices by providing relevant data about music contests and offering innovative interpretations of the cultural politics that surround them. As such, this aligns with recent scholarly concerns with cultural conflict and identity, and its results will be of particular interest to music scholars, CCI professionals, and conservatoire educators and students.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Fellow: Heyman Matthias

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

How news media frame and portray public opinion contributes to what audiences perceive to be the majority opinion. Journalists have several means at their disposal to present public opinion in the news. Opinions polls and vox pops—interviews with the ordinary man or woman on the street—are possibly the most common and recognized representations of the public in the news. Surprisingly, little is known about how these public opinion displays relate to each other in the influence they have on audiences. Although the effect of vox pops is well-established, we do not know whether vox pop statements are able to 'overrule' other more valid public opinion data such as opinion polls, especially in television news. This is why the main objective of this study is to analyze how opinion polls and vox pops affect audiences' perceived public opinion and personal opinion. Moreover, this project will also study whether these effects persist over time and how they influence news item evaluation. To do so, this project uses a large-scale, web-based experiment. The stimuli are sixteen constructed television news items apparently from the Flemish public service broadcaster. The treatment news items will contain the real news anchor and journalists, making the items very realistic. The dependent variables are perceived public opinion, personal opinion and news item evaluation. In sum, this experiment will provide a unique understanding of when and why vox pops and opinions polls influence audience perceptions and judgments. Not only will this project address several gaps in the research field, but it will also help journalists to inform audiences about public opinion in a more insightful way.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Beckers Kathleen

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to study the artistic and educational vision, value, and standards of the B-Jazz International Contest, an international jazz competition held in Belgium since 1979. In that year, the Belgian jazz aficionado Albert Michiels (1923–2008) established the first edition of what was to become an annual international jazz contest, picking up a tradition that began in Belgium as early as 1932. Today, B-Jazz is one of the longest-standing and most prestigious jazz competitions worldwide, annually attracting over a hundred jazz bands competing for a place among the final six. With this long a history and widespread presence these contests seem more prevalent than ever. Yet, for all their importance, there is relatively little research undertaken on the origins, the various meanings as well as the impact such tournaments had and continue to have on the jazz milieu. Using B-Jazz as a case study, this project will focus on this contest's historical and contemporary artistic-educational aspects, and reveal its importance in establishing an early career as a music professional.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This study explores the role that Belgian men's fashion played in the redefinition of masculinities from the mid 1980s to the present. More precisely, it examines how the creative practices of a cohort of designers of the world-famous 'Antwerp fashion scene' have made an impact, not just in the fashion scene, but also in society at large, for presenting alternative 'queer' versions of masculinity. By tackling queer identity formation through the process of body-fashioning in the work of Belgian fashion designers, we set out to address two key research questions: 1. How did Belgian fashion designers manage to dismantle pre-existing paradigms of masculinity as well as mold new subversive ones? 2. How was their work of redefining masculinities through fashion related to, and informed by, the visual culture in which they were operating? The time span under consideration encompasses the socio-historical period of the AIDS epidemic up until present time. The choice of this particular context is not haphazard: it was during the 1980s and 1990s that, as a consequence of the epidemic, fashion became quintessential in the shaping of new male corporealities, e.g., hyper-masculinity or androgyny, that would become paradigmatic in the 2000s. Moreover, this is the time frame in which queer theory, namely, a set of theories aimed at denaturalizing heteronormative understandings of gender, sex, and sexuality, emerged in academia, and 'New Queer Cinema' developed, carving out new radical configurations of queerness opposing the clichéd representations of sexuality in mainstream film. Despite the vast existing research on the arts and literature of this period, there is still a huge gap in academic scholarship on the topic of fashion in this historical framework. By filling such an epistemological gap, this project also seeks to dismantle the deep-seated association of fashion with merely frivolous concerns. We believe that fashion represents an important barometer of social change, both reflecting and affecting cultural development, and that, due to its constitutive link with the body, it is meaningful in defining and negotiating our being in the world and our being with others. To shed light on the redefinition of masculinity by the Antwerp fashion scene from the mid 1980s until 2015, this project will examine the work of a group of internationally established menswear designers, all of whom either trained or worked in Belgium, particularly in Antwerp, and gained success worldwide. In order to do this, we will analyze their collections: both the garments and their visual representation in 'lookbooks', clips of catwalk shows, advertising campaigns and fashion editorials. To contextualize these images, we will draw on visual analysis of intertextual references, in particular to film and photography, as well as interviews with the designers. Such analyses will be developed in three stages: archival research; visual analysis; and interviews. This research is constitutively interdisciplinary, insofar as it is situated at the intersection of three main academic disciplines: fashion studies, queer studies, and masculinity studies. This project being one of the first instances of fashion studies in Belgium, it will help put the country on the map of fashion studies by breaking the intellectual disregard for fashion research outside of the Anglo-American context; it will contribute to the development of queer studies in Belgian academia, where queer theory has only slowly penetrated without having yet achieved institutionalization; and it will enrich, through a cross-disciplinary approach, current debates on both fashion as a form of culture and on masculinity as a set of social norms.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Fellow: Brajato Nicola

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Contemporary society is marked by the ideology of ableism, which devalues disabled people on the basis that they are less than humans and should be cured or ameliorated (Campbell, 2009). However, disabled people and scholars are challenging this view by creating a social perspective on disability, distinguishing between impairment as a physical, sensory or cognitive functional limitation; and disability, a consequence of disabling physical and social barriers (Goodley, 2011). Autism is also seen through these perspectives, the medical ableist and the social. As an ideology, ableism is defined as an "attitude that devalues or differentiates disability through the valuation of able-bodiedness equated to normalcy", treating disability as an inherently negative condition that "should be ameliorated, cured or indeed eliminated" (Campbell, 2009, p.5). Meanwhile, in the case of autism the social perspective presents the neurodiversity movement, embracing autistic neurological difference and understanding it as formed by challenges and strengths (Armstrong, 2011). Since ableism is still a pervasive ideology, the formation of a positive identity is essential to promote neurodiversity. One of the places where disabled people can perform identity is on the Internet. By affording the creation of a public sphere in which "collective opinions can be formed and voiced" (Song, 2009, p.4), the online medium allows not only personal expressions, but also the formation of communities where disabled identities can be performed. The identities present online may be uneven, as different values coexist in society; however, the Internet does open space for people to contest and deconstruct the idea of ableism. Such acts are seen "as crucial to the future of minority people and their quest for social justice and inclusion" (Siebers, 2013, p.284). Based on these insights, the current project seeks to explore how perceptions of autism are transposed to and changed by social media in Brazilian society, which lacks investigation in the proposed topics. This investigation is guided by two research questions: 1. How do autistics and their supporters use social media to create an autistic cyberculture, focusing on individual and collective identities? 2. What are the consequences of this usage for autistic people? To answer these questions, we analyze cyberculture, that is: how people use digital media to create representations and narratives, and how this affects their lives, including aspects such as forms, practices, politics and, a key focus in this project, identities (Bell, 2006). We analyze this culture using digital ethnography, which offers both the methodological tools, combining elicitation methods with online participant observation (Boelstorff, 2013), to investigate the online culture of autism; and a way to effectively include the communities studied into the research, presenting them as subjects of their own histories. By the end of this project, we expect to comprehend how autistics and their supporters are creating an online culture of autism in Brazil, mainly in terms of identity, and what are the consequences of the social media usage for those people.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Fellow: Antunes Débora

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Qualitative research into the representation of minorities, ordered by public service broadcaster VRT. Each year a specific group is studied, using a selection of clips to check how the VRT fulfils its obligation to adequately represent social diversity.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: Paulussen Steve

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This research project concentrates on Turkish police procedural TV series. It is argued that, stuck between the 'Western-ness' of the police procedural genre and the national reflexes, tendencies, anxieties and tastes both in the textual and industrial dimensions of a non-Western country, Turkish police procedural TV series have been formed by the tendency to appropriate 'Western' police procedurals while simultaneously preserving 'Turkish' values. Inspired by this dialogic and discursive process, the research concentrates on five Turkish police procedural TV series: Arka Sokaklar (Backstreets, 2008-), a combination of the 'local' generic forms and the police procedural format; Kanıt (The Evidence, 2010-2013), a forensic TV series which can be considered as the Turkish appropriation of the CSI franchise; Behzat Ç. (Behzat Ç., 2010-2013) which is considered as a highly provocative TV series because of its critical narration of the contemporary political issues; Cinayet (The Murder, 2014), a short lived format adaptation of the popular Danish crime series, Forbrydelsen (2007-2012); and a historical police procedural TV series, Filinta (Flintlock, 2014-) which revolves around the adventures of an Ottoman police commissar. By primarily focusing on the intertwined dynamics between global media flows and the growing Turkish national television industry, and aware of the ambivalence embedded in the past and the present of Turkish national identity and the articulation of the West in this construction, it is examined how the police procedural genre is adapted to the Turkish context while creating TV series for the 'national' audiences.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The study is the result of VRT's desire to theoretically frame and academically analyse the concept of 'Societal Impact'. VRT wants the project to analyse how public service broadcasting and societal impact are interconnected, to what extent such a conceptualisation is useful for public service broadcasting and how existing research into societal impact can be understood theoretically.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The internet, and social media in particular, create new opportunities and pose new challenges for the ways people think about themselves as well as manage the expressions and performances of their identities. In this research project I aim to refine and extend the latest theories on social media and identity, especially about 1) fixating the fragmented self (van Zoonen 2013), 2) collapsed contexts (boyd 2011) and 3) the multiplication of contexts (Papacharissi 2011), by investigating those phenomena from the perspective of diasporic LGBTQs (Polish post-accession immigrants to the UK). I will examine what diasporic LGBTQs and their social media's uses can teach us about the relationship between the internet and identity, as well as what opportunities and difficulties social media create to a group that faces different challenges of exclusion and discrimination. I will first use a quantitative survey to map the diversity of social media used by Polish LGBTQs in the UK. However, because I am primarily interested in meanings of daily media practices, it is qualitative methods, and in-depth interviews in particular, which will form the core of my methodological toolkit. At the same time, to trigger more and better quality data I will combine traditional qualitative methods with such innovative approaches as think-aloud protocols (which require from participants to talk about the activity in which they are involved) and digital methods (the methods of the medium under scrutiny).

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: Eeckhout Bart
• Fellow: Szulc Lukasz

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Supplanting the current analyses of ethical consumption within society, the aim of this research proposal is to study ethical consumption in Flanders as a struggle between different discourses on ethical consumption, by focussing on the concept of de-politicisation. Merging the stringent empirical approach of the case studies with the critical aim of the theoretical analyses, we put forward ethical consumption as a concept which is above all discursive in nature. To study the (contingent) role of ethical consumption within society is to map existing discourses about ethical consumption by either organisations or citizen-consumers as diverse kinds of ethical consumptions and critically dissect the underlying assumptions of these discourses.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter
• Fellow: van der Steen Laurens

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a research contract awarded by the University of Antwerp. The supervisor provides the Antwerp University research mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions stipulated by the university.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a formal research agreement between UA and on the other hand the client. UA provides the client research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The aim of this study for The Flemish Government and the Department of Culture, Youth, Sports and Media is to benchmark 11 European public service media (PSM) in order to get an insight into the position of VRT. The selection includes, next to VRT, PSM from comparable countries and regions (Ireland, Austria, Wallonia, The Nederlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switserland) and two are amongst the leading institutions (France and United Kingdom). Based on extensive study of a range of data, these broadcasters are compared and contrasted with regards to five themes, resulting from an analysis of 53 indicators: (1) Supply/programmes, (2) Crossmedial and digital services, (3) Audience reach and special interest groups, (4) Remit and organisation, and (5) Financing. Results indicate similarities as well as striking differences. Some insights gained from this study include: they are strongly rooted in the media landscape and continue to hold strong position with regards to audience and market shares, but show quite varied forms of organisation. Mixed financing remains dominant but the size and type of commercial revenues differ considerably. In most cases, information, education and culture, together with sports and entertainment make up the key aims of these institutions. PSM have built online and new media services. These and many other results will be analysed and discussed in light of the current debates regarding the role and position of PSM in contemporary media ecologies in Europe.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a formal research agreement between UA and on the other hand the client. UA provides the client research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Paulussen Steve
• Co-promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: Vandebosch Heidi
• Co-promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a formal research agreement between UA and on the other hand VRT. In the first part of the study experts were asked to provide input regarding what they consider to be objectivity. On the basis hereof, VRT developed a definition. In this second part of the study, expert were asked to evaluate this definition and to benchmark it against examples.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a formal research agreement between UA and on the other hand Erasmus Mundus. UA provides Erasmus Mundus research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a formal research agreement between UA and on the other hand Erasmus Mundus. UA provides Erasmus Mundus research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a formal research agreement between UA and on the other hand Erasmus Mundus. UA provides Erasmus Mundus research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to examine the impact of social media on the sourcing and flow of news in the Flemish networked public sphere. A multi-method research design is proposed to investigate the conditions under which social media can contribute to the source diversity in journalism. We hypothesize that social media's source power in journalism will depend on the actor using social media, the medium covering the news, the type of issues in the news, and the degree of routine involved in the coverage of the news.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Paulussen Steve
• Co-promoter: Van Aelst Peter

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a formal research agreement between UA and on the other hand Erasmus Mundus. UA provides Erasmus Mundus research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The aim of this PhD research project is to investigate to what extent and how social media are reshaping sourcing and agenda-setting practices in mainstream journalism and how this affects the mediated debate on public affairs. To this end, a three-step multi-method research design is proposed, which will generate statistical evidence and in-depth insights into the role of social media in the flow of news in today's networked public sphere. First, in order to examine inter-media agenda-setting relations between old and new media, time series analyses will be done on an integrated large-scale dataset of news output from different Flemish media outlets, including newspapers, TV, radio, online and social media. Next, the study will take a closer look into the ways in which social media, and particularly Twitter, are handled as sources of information in mainstream news stories, and vice versa. This will be done by means of a qualitative content analysis, which will be supplemented with in-depth reconstruction interviews with professional journalists to deepen our understanding of journalists' sourcing practices in the social media age. The research project focuses on three different 'news beats' or 'issue domains' in the journalistic field: political news, economic news and crime and justice news, each reflecting a dominant field of power in society (i.e. politics, business and the judicial field). Through the combination of agenda-setting and gatekeeping theory and the focus on social media, this project will generate unique and original results on the flows of news in today's 24/7, cross-media, networked news ecology.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Paulussen Steve
• Co-promoter: Van Aelst Peter
• Fellow: Harder Raymond

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Supplanting the current analyses of ethical consumption within society, the aim of this research proposal is to study ethical consumption in Flanders as a struggle between different discourses on ethical consumption, by focussing on the concept of de-politicisation. Merging the stringent empirical approach of the case studies with the critical aim of the theoretical analyses, we put forward ethical consumption as a concept which is above all discursive in nature. To study the (contingent) role of ethical consumption within society is to map existing discourses about ethical consumption by either organisations or citizen-consumers as diverse kinds of ethical consumptions and critically dissect the underlying assumptions of these discourses.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter
• Fellow: van der Steen Laurens

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to investigate the intersection of different sources of identification: nationality, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Theoretically, it aims to explore and develop parallels in thinking on these three fields, focusing in particular on the uneasy relation between ethnic and sexual 'minority' status in a particular national context. Empirically, it aims to do this through in-depth qualitative research on the media uses and identifications of migrant and ethnic minority LGBTs. Rather than focusing on one medium (as is usual in reception research), this project will consider the different uses of 'old' mass and 'new' online media.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the existence of echo chamber and source cycle effects due to the use and remediation of social media as sources in professional mainstream news coverage. First, a quantitative descriptive content analysis will be done of articles published in 7 Flemish newspapers over a period of six consecutive weeks in 2013 that explicitly mention Facebook, Twitter or YouTube as sources of information. The content analysis will provide an overall picture of how social media are being used in routine, day-to-day news reporting in the Flemish press. Next, a sample of news items will be selected for a qualitative content analysis to examine how social media are handled as sources in news reports. The qualitative content analysis will focus on the 'source credibility' of social media. Do they serve as primary or secondary sources of information? How often and how is social media content explicitly cited in the news items? Is social media content presented as representative or indicative for public opinion? And (how) do journalists deal with problems of reliability, authenticity and objectivity of social media content? Additionally, to deepen our understanding of these questions, the content analysis will be combined with 'reconstruction interviews' with newspaper journalists to obtain detailed information about the journalist's sourcing practices in the process of the news production.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Paulussen Steve

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a formal research agreement between UA and the Flemish Public Service. UA provides the Flemish Public Service research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract. The main objective is to investigate the media representation of young parenthood on Flemish television and its reception among socially vulnerable young people.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Paulussen Steve
• Co-promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: Maeseele Pieter
• Co-promoter: Mortelmans Dimitri
• Co-promoter: Neels Karel
• Co-promoter: Ponnet Koen
• Co-promoter: Vandebosch Heidi
• Co-promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde
• Co-promoter: Walrave Michel

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Combining insights from communication studies, political science and economics, the project aims to understand the characteristics of the current media concentration (and resulting media conglomerates) and its impact on content diversity in historical and cross-country comparative perspective to answer the question if concentration of media ownership limits the plurality of issues, actors, viewpoints and discourses in the media, undermining their democratic role.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde
• Co-promoter: Bouckaert Jan
• Co-promoter: Maeseele Pieter
• Co-promoter: Van Aelst Peter

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The researchers propose to fill a critical gap of scholarly knowledge on the concept of sexualisation of children. This concept refers to a process in which young people are drawn in and socialized by a culture that attaches great importance to physical appearance, heterosexual attraction, and romantic and sexual success. The aim of the project is to run a content analysis, qualitative reception analysis, and longitudinal survey in order to observe the content, use, and effect of sexualizing media with 9- to 12-year-olds.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

In this project we aim to analyze and situate Blanton's artistic output in its historical context using a combination of methods such as transcription, comparative musical analysis, archival research and musical experimentation. We will do this in two parts. Based on transcriptions, the first part will analyze Blanton's own bass playing styles and techniques. The second part will use case studies as a basis to compare Blanton's bass playing to that of a selection of precursors and contemporaries.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a research contract awarded by the University of Antwerp. The supervisor provides the Antwerp University research mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions stipulated by the university.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to contribute to a better understanding of the function of music in processes of subcultural identification, focusing on the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) community in Antwerp. It is widely accepted that music plays an important role in the formation and self-definition of minorities and subcultures, but its function in the LGBT community has not been extensively investigated yet. Moreover, Flemish LGBT culture and its history have hardly come up for academic analysis to date. Our aim is, first, to find out what musical repertoire and which musical functions were shared within the LGBT scene, focusing on the largest Flemish urban centre Antwerp, between 1960 (the start of the LGBT movement in Antwerp) and 2010. Secondly, we will analyse how this repertoire and its uses operate as subcultural capital and contribute to the formation of one or more LGBT subcultures.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: de Smaele Henk
• Co-promoter: Eeckhout Bart

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Jimmie Blanton is widely regarded as one of the prime innovators of jazz bass playing. However, to date there has been no attempt to precisely and systematically determine in which areas he was innovative. Based on a strong theory-practice nexus, this artistic research aims to reach a thorough understanding of the innovative aspects in the jazz bass playing of Blanton, in order to fill the lacunae that still prevail on this issue.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project represents a formal research agreement between UA and on the other hand Erasmus Mundus. UA provides Erasmus Mundus research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The aim of this research proposal is to analyze the circulation and transformation of meanings of global climate change in local public discourses, by focusing on the reflexive circuit between frame sponsors, news media discourses and audiences. This design allows to draw conclusions not only on the contribution of news media to facilitating democratic debate and democratic citizenship on the issue of global climate change, but also on how to communicate this issue more effectively from the perspective of democratic politics.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter
• Co-promoter: Loots Ilse

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to better understand the function of music in processes of subcultural identification, focusing on the LGB (Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual) community in Antwerp. It is known that music plays an important role in the formation and self-definition of minorities and subcultures, but its function in the LGB community has not been extensively researched. Moreover, Flemish LGB culture and its history have hardly been academically researched to date. Our aim is to first find out which musical repertoire and which musical functions were shared within the LGB scene, focusing on the largest Flemish urban centre Antwerp, between 1960 (the start of the LGB movement in Antwerp) and 2010. Secondly, we will analyse how this repertoire and its uses operate as subcultural capital and contribute to the formation of one or more LGB subculture(s). A combination of qualitative methods (archive research, document analysis, in-depth interviews with informants and participants in LGB culture) is used to get a holistic view on historical processes and evolutions in these musical cultures. This project brings together insights from media studies, LGB/queer studies and history, aiming to bridge the distance between these disciplines in a specific case study.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: de Smaele Henk
• Co-promoter: Eeckhout Bart

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

PLACES is a four-year European project establishing and developing the concept of the European City of Scientific Culture. The project focuses on developing and strengthening City Partnerships, bringing together 67 science centres, museums, festivals and events, each partnering with local authorities, and 10 European regional networks. The project facilitates cooperation among these alliances to structure their science communication activities, sharing tools, resources and results. Within the framework of PLACES, the Universitat Pompeu Fabra coordinates an independent European committee of academic researchers involved in the field of Science in Society with the objective to measure the socio-economic value of various activities in order to extract concrete recommendations for future actions on the field of cities of scientific culture.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

In the past years, it has been widely acknowledged that handling climate change is one of the greatest political challenges the industrialized world faces today. This brings forward important questions regarding the social role of news media in democratic societies and the relationship between media, power and democracy. Characterizing climate change as a risk conflict between various groups with competing values and interests, the research question of this proposal is whether and to what extent news media in Northern Belgium are found to facilitate democratic debate about climate change. To provide an answer to this question, this proposal combines two levels of analysis: in a first stage (§ 1), frame sponsorship is mapped of the various organizations in Northern Belgium having an interest in the representation of climate change. In a second stage (§ 2), a cross-media and cross-national comparison is made of the representation of climate change in: (i) the evening news broadcasts of the public channel één and the commercial channel VTM, (ii) a range of new and alternative media covering the politico-ideological spectrum (for example, DeWereldMorgen, Uitpers, In Flanders Fields, The Brussels Journal), and (iii) two local (De Standaard and De Morgen), two Dutch (NRC Handelsblad and de Volkskrant) and two American quality newspapers (The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times). The results of this study will be significant on three levels: (i) an empirical level, in terms of collecting important data on the role of local news media in the climate change debate today, (ii) a theoretical level, in terms of theory development concerning the role of media in risk conflicts in general, and (iii) a policy level, in terms of collecting important data for future strategies towards a broad social debate on science and technology.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This research project explores how members of sexual and gender minority communities (activists, editors and media users) represent themselves using online media. In particular, the project aims to explore representational practices among different sexual and gender minorities (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and/or queer persons) and in different national, cultural and religious contexts (Poland, Scotland and Turkey).

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: Eeckhout Bart
• Fellow: Szulc Lukasz

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The objective is to further expand the research line on media and science -which was started in my doctoral research-, in the immediate future (i) by broadening it to the representation of climate change in the media, and (ii) by deepening it to include a reception analysis of climate change in the media. In the near future, many additional avenues for research come forward. This expansion benefits from my earlier work in two important ways: (i) the formulation of an alternative media-sociological approach to the relation between media and science, following an inventory and structuring of the theoretical and empirical studies on the domain of "media and science", which has opened up perspectives for a very elaborate research agenda, and (ii) the development of a methodological framework to adequately examine this research agenda, following the comparison of previously used methods.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Maeseele Pieter
• Fellow: Maeseele Pieter

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This research studies transmedia fiction, i.e. fiction series that are not restricted to television. First, the study will focus on the production of transmedia fiction: how and why is this transmedia process happening and which possible paratexts can a TV text have? Second, the study will focus on the reception of transmedia fiction: what does it mean to follow a show, why and how do viewers engage with a TV series?

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project investigates the opinion of the audience on the future position and role of public broadcasting in society. Based on a literature review on the task and future of public broadcasting, a representative sample of Flemings (1500 respondentsz) is surveyed. The analysis and interpretation of the data leads to a report analysing the vision of the audience and discussing implications for the future contract between the Flemish government and the public broadcaster.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: Vandebosch Heidi
• Co-promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The project concerns a mid-term review of the 2007-2011 management contract between the VRT and the Flemish Community. The assessment covers the evolving media landscape and the role of the VRT therein and in particular to the area of the evaluation task relating to the protection and promotion of Flemish culture and identity.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The aim of this project is the study of the cultural programming of a selection of public service broadcasters in Europe with a view to create benchmarks for the evaluation of the cultural programming on Flemish PSB VRT.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde
• Co-promoter: Dhoest Alexander
• Co-promoter: Vandebosch Heidi

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The core question of this project looks at how celebrity engagements exert influence on the operations of social movements, and on the relationships of these social movements with one another and with the citizens-consumers. To what extent and in what way is the support of a famous person a necessity for a social movement in a society dominated by media and market-philosophy? In what ways does the presence of the celebrity-activist influence the ideas and actions within the movement or action group? What, if any, are the changes in the relationships between movements that do and do not used a famous face, and, finally, what impact does the introduction of celebrityactivists procure with the wider audience?

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

An analysis of the impact of the growing celebrity activism: the cooperation between organisations that make up civil society and Flemish celebrities. This entails: the impact of celebrity activism on the content and functioning of social movements and the relationships between these organisations and citizens-consumers. A comparative case design is operationalized via multi-methodical data collection and analysis.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde
• Co-promoter: Van Aelst Peter

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The study involves an analysis of gender representation in advertising and its policy context.. This includes 1. study of past complaints against gender representation in advertising in a Belgian context (2005-2008) and the consultation of representative actors (advertisers, gender organisation in civil society, legal institutions and media) with regards to their views on what is considered acceptable/unacceptable with regards to gender representation in advertising 2. A tool for advertisers based on what was found under 1 3. analyse and compare regulatory frameworks and bodies in different countries to come up with an evaluation and advice with regards to the Belgian case.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Aim and Objectives Media coverage of ethnic minority women (and their perception hereof) is a strongly debated, yet far less researched topic. Especially in relationship to the specific position of women within the ethnic minority community and their participation in wider society, the role of the media is regarded important. In Belgium the discussion is based on impressions rather than research, some interesting studies notwithstanding (cf. d'Haenens & Koeman, 2005). In other countries there are examples of studies of the perception by certain female ethnic groups of their media representation (cf. Gillespie, 1995), but this is rarely linked with a detailed study of the specific content of this type of media content. This project aims to shed new light upon this topic by combining content analysis of news and news commentaries with qualitative reception analysis of these media messages by ethnic minority women. The relationship between the media and gender-specific ethnicity is investigated, in the first part of this research project, by means of a content analysis of the representation and framing of ethnic minority women in an extended sample of non-fiction television programmes. In the second part, we will gain insight into the way in which ethnic minority women deal with this representation by qualitatively studying their viewing habits, perception and interpretations of media portrayal withing the broader reception context. The third part of the research project puts the results of the first and second phase into context by confronting experts (television makers, ethnic minority organisations,¿) with the obtained results. These experst have been dealing with these issues for a long time but, up un til now, have not had at their disposal any systematic analysis of the relation between the content of media messages and the way in which they are perceived and interpreted by ethnic minority women.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde
• Co-promoter: Michielsens Magda

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The study 'Labour in advertising m/v' is part of the ESF study (2006-2007) with regards to the representation of labour in Flemish media. This specific sub study analysis advertising in particular, advertising involving labour. The study analysis the role of man and women in these labour related advertisements. The aim is a handbook on gander in advertising. The study 'labour in advertising m/v' has two parts 1 analysis of an artificial week of advertisements in prime time tv (19 - 21 h) 2 analysis of the ZORRA archive of advertisements (1996-2005)

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project researches the contemporary reception of and identification with Flemish television fiction. First, the textual characteristics of contemporary TV-fiction are charted. The basic question is: how is Flanders represented? A particular point of attention is the representation of 'normality'. On this level, we situate the contemporary form of national identity in television fiction: that what is represented as 'common sense', everyday and taken for granted. Secondly, this project researches viewer responses to contemporary Flemish TV-fiction. How are its images of Flanders experienced by the viewers, and do they identify with it? There are many indications that a stable notion of national identity was replaced by less stable, multiple forms of identification. To research this, we use qualitative audience research.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Dhoest Alexander

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project deals with the relationship between popular TV series and how Flemish youngsters between the age of 12 and 18 form an attitude on the use of stimulants. Both theoretically and methodologically, the research combines framing research and the literature on the study of representation and stereotyping. Besides an analysis of the use of frames in a case study of the use of alcohol in TV series, an experiment will be set up to explore the effect of mediaframes on the attitude concerning these stimulants by youngsters. The expected outcomes of this project include, first, a better understanding of the interrelationship between media frames and audience frames with regards to the use of alcohol and youngsters, but, second also the applicability of these concpetual and methodological new insights to other cases.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The main goal of this project is to analyse the contemporary role of media in collective identity formation. In particular, it sets out to study whether and how notions of national identity ' the key form of collective identification in modernity ' are articulated in a globalising and postmodernising society, particularly in the audiovisual media in Belgium. The Flemish and French speaking audiovisual media can be considered an excellent field of study as the articulation of collective identities within these communities and their media have always been a central and complex topic. The project wants to look at the way in which broadcasters, in the changing media and society, articulate, create and maintain collective identity. To this end, on the one hand, a theoretical framework will be built. On the other hand an actual analysis will be done, concentrating on Flemish and French speaking audiovisual media content, situated within the specific social changes of the last few decades. Both policy analysis of public and commercial broacasters and actual content analysis will be conducted.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van den Bulck Hilde

Research team(s)

• Antwerp Media in Society Centre (AMSoC)

Project type(s)

• Research Project