Call for expressions of interest for Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship (MSC-IF)

The Institute for Media and Journalism (IMeG) at the Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland, welcomes one highly motivated post-doc researcher wishing to apply to the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship programme (Commission deadline: 14 September 2016) in the field of media studies.

The field of media studies at IMeG is active in many research projects at both national and international level, and has a vast network of collaborations. The main research areas of the Institute in the field of media studies include:

  • the historical evolution of media within different socio-political, economic and cultural contexts: especially movie industry, broadcasting and digital media (internet and mobile networks especially);
  • the political economy of analogue and digital media, with a specific focus on the relationships among States, private companies and users;
  • the consumption dynamics of media products within different contexts and by different social groups;
  • theoretical reflections on media history/historiography and, more broadly, on media studies.

Additionally, IMeG institute hosts the China Media Observatory (CMO) – a research centre devoted to study the development of Chinese media at global level, with specific interests on Internet policies and audiovisual industries.

The fellow will carry out the research project under the supervision of Professor Gabriele Balbi, whose main area of research is media history and history of telecommunications. Additionally, Professor Balbi is the director of the China Media Observatory. The fellow will be integrated into a young and dynamic team of researchers and will be provided with all the administrative and practical support necessary for a smooth integration into the University life.

Research field/requirements

The Institute welcomes expressions of interest of researchers interested in the following fields:

  • Media and communication in China
  • Media studies/ media history/ history of Telecommunications
  • Media theory
  • Political economy of communication, especially in digital networks
  • Cultural studies

Researchers wishing to apply should comply with the eligibility criteria of Marie-Curie Individual Fellowships:

  • at the deadline date (14 September 2016), the researchers shall be in possession of a doctoral degree or have 4 years of full-time equivalent experience;
  • they must not have resided or carried out their main activities in Switzerland for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the deadline.

Experienced researchers interested in the above-mentioned topics and having a strong interest in China studies, are kindly requested to send:

  • a letter of motivation,
  • their CV
  • a three-page outline of their project idea

to Professor Gabriele Balbi (gabriele.balbi@usi.ch), by the end of July 2016.

Number of positions available: 1


Project Remapping or Remapped - A workshop on Chinse Global Media

Funded by Sino Swiss Science Technology Cooperation Program

Leaders of the project:

  • Balbi G. (Responsible)
  • Fei Jiang, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Co-Responsable)

The goal of the proposed workshop is to explore and discuss the political economy and the intercultural and transnational narratives of Chinese media from a global perspective. Consequently, the workshop aims to explore some issues at the intersections of the following fields:

  • Narratives and arguments related to the global strategies of Chinese media companies, focusing on economic (co-production and competition with Western media corporations) and cultural perspectives (promotion of Chinese discourse and image);
  • The way Chinese people and institutions are perceived by foreign governments, companies and, more specifically, by Western media;
  • Global media and soft power discourses that guide Chinese media policy, especially in the movie industry - for example, the attempt to counteract Hollywood’s dominant position in the market through forms of cooperation between the EU and China.

The workshop is co-organized by Professor Gabriele Balbi, Director of the China Media Observatory at the Università della Svizzera italiana, and Professor Jiang Fei, Director of the Center of Global Media & Communication Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

 


 

Project “Communications in the Olympics – The Challenge and Opportunity for Beijing 2008 in Intercultural Exchange”

 

authorized by Olympic Studies Center (OSC)
International Olympic Committee (IOC) and
State Council Information Office of People’s Republic of China.
Organized by the Asia Media Research Center, Communication University of China.
Co-organized by Olympic Studies Center, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain,
China Media Observatory, Università della Svizzera italiana, Switzerland, and
Global Key Visual Network, Jacobs University of Bremen, Germany.

Taking the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games as a fresh case in communications, this project aims to create the cross-cultural approach between East and West in the contemporary “Olympics Communication Complex”, and to investigate the role of communication – especially mass media - in the construction of the social value of the Olympic Games. In particular, it will take into account the change of paradigm occurring with the advent of Internet and the need to develop new regulations in the communication framework of the Olympic Games.
With the cooperation of about ten research centers located in the US, Europe, South America and Asia, the project will mainly focus on the most representative audiovisual communication of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. One of the objectives is to identify how the 2008 Olympic Games are reinterpreted by different types of media (TV, radio, press and new media like Internet and mobile) from different countries.

The results of the research project will be published by Routledge Taylor & Francis in a book and in the International Journal of History of Sport. The double publication is expected by end of 2010.