We are currently witnessing profound shifts in cultural norms, marked by ongoing societal crises and transformations that are reshaping how we communicate, engage, and experience the world.
The Media, Popular Culture and Social Change research group is interested in the ways media and popular culture both reflect and actively participate in processes of social and political transformation. Taking popular culture as an everyday space of socio-cultural negotiation, we analyze and discuss the intersections of power, representation, aesthetics and participation through various cultural practices and media forms. Our research projects grapple with the visual representation of migrants, political protest in popular music, modes of representation and aesthetic innovations in racialized pop culture forms, the transformative potential of online fan fiction, the role of the novel in emancipation movements, as well as the embodiment and subaltern knowledge in philosophical thought.
By focusing on the politicization of the everyday and exploring the notion of crisis as a pervasive structure of feeling, we aim to offer a critical lens on how societal tensions manifest in media, culture and daily life. We engage with the aesthetic forms and politics of representation of various cultural objects, investigating their capacity to both reinforce and reconfigure social power dynamics such as race, gender, and sexuality. Our focus lies on contemporary phenomena and forms of social change, while addressing them within larger historical frameworks and contexts.
Our group is committed to an engaged and critical approach, actively reflecting on and intervening in contemporary cultural and social debates. We seek to contribute to discussions on power, politics, and representation, striving to foster intellectual and activist dialogues.
Mission statement
Our mission is to create a vibrant intellectual space where scholars, artists, and practitioners can collaborate on projects that push the boundaries of media and cultural studies. By organizing a range of events, from intimate workshops, reading sessions and peer-support to larger public engagements, we aim to connect with a diverse audience, including scholars from other disciplines, artists, and cultural workers. These collaborations will help us explore different modes of engagement with social change, encouraging experimentation and interdisciplinary approaches.