European Conference: ‘Diasporas, Migration and Media: Crossing Boundaries, New Directions’ 

Diasporic communities develop networks of communication that run across continents and that make use of a variety of media including mail, telephone, music, film, satellite television, chatrooms, blogs, social network sites and on line newspapers. At the Utrecht conference, the field of diaspora, media, and migrancy will be explored, from Turkish on line role playing gamers in Austria over the appeal of Nigerian newspapers in Ireland to diasporic filmmaking in Norway.

Key note speakers are Kenan Malik (University of Surrey) and Prof. Gloria Wekker (Utrecht University).

State-of-the-art
In the last two decades, an increase in the number of theories and in the amount of empirical research have enhanced our understanding of the everyday lives of diasporas and migrants. Through this process, the area of diaspora, migration and media has consolidated its position as an important area of investigation.

On the other hand, any emerging canon needs to be criticized and challenged if the field is to retain its dynamism. In addition, the increasingly vocal critiques against multiculturalism give rise to defensive writing: is it time to develop more positive and forceful lines of enquiry.

Cultures and Identities
The conference is organised by the 'Diaspora, Migration and the Media' section of ECREA (European Communication Research and Education Association). At Utrecht University, the conference is hosted by the programme 'Media and Diaspora' of the research focus area Cultures and Identities. Co-hosts of the conference are Nottingham Trent University (UK) and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece).

What:	European Conference: ‘Diasporas, Migration and Media: Crossing Boundaries, New Directions’
Programme:	Read the conference programme (pdf)
Registration:	To register for the conference, please fill in the registration form and return it as an attachment by email
More information:	Read more on the ECREA website