This month the research project 'Media & Citizenship: transnational television cultures reshaping political identities in the European Union', financed by the European Commission, has started. Utrecht University is the coordinator of the project, in which five European universities participate. Scientific leader is professor Christina Slade from the Research Institute for History and Culture (Utrecht University).
Media & Citizenship is the first European-wide empirical research on the use of media by Arabic speakers in the European Union. They have access to well over 300 satellite television channels in Arabic, ranging from Al Jazeera to rebroadcast national channels. What is being watched and how do television broadcasts influence perceptions of citizenship of the European Union?
Television diary
At the beginning of this month, over 400 Arabic speakers from six European countries have filled out a questionnaire about their media consumption. At the end of November, 150 participants in these six countries keep a television diary during one week. These quantitative data will be used to gain insights into the use of Arabic language television in Europe and its effect on integration in multicultural societies. This will result in well-founded policy advice on issues relating to the media and its regulation. The project continues until March 2011, with focus groups and community meetings to follow the quantitative data gathering.
Participants
Five universities cooperate in the project Media & Citizenship: Utrecht, Bielefeld, Leeds, Örebro and Paris 3 (Sorbonne Nouvelle), studying viewers in the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, France, Spain and Cyprus. Among the members of the Advisory Board of Media & Citizenship are dr. Gerry Powers of BBC World Trust, dr. Malek Triki of Al Jazeera, dr. Tom Heneghan from Reuters and leading scholars from each country. Members of the Board from Utrecht University are professor Rosi Braidotti (faculty professor and director of the Centre for the Humanities) and professor Sonja de Leeuw (professor of Dutch television culture in international context).
About the project coordinator
Christina Slade, the leader of the project, is professor of Media Theory at Utrecht University's Faculty of Humanities, where she holds a part time appointment. She takes up the role of Dean of Arts and Social Sciences at City University in London in January 2009. She has been Dean of Humanities at Macquarie University (Australia) and has taught at a number of universities including New York University, La Universidad Ibero Americana and the ITESM, in Mexico City.
More information
The coordination of the project is facilitated by the Faculty of Humanities' EU Liaison Office: +31 30 253 4136, http://www.media-citizenship.eu/.