[Commlist] Call for abstracts: Representation of Diversity in Mediated Popular Culture in the Twenty First Century

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Representation of Diversity in Mediated Popular 
Culture in the Twenty First Century, Rotterdam, 10-11 June 2024
Mediated popular culture consists of shared images, ideas, and objects, 
which emerge through a process of mass production aimed at a wide 
audience (Kidd et al, 2017). Today, digitalization paves the way for 
innovative models of visual creation, challenging both the elitist 
notions of “great art” and the “populist” conceptions of popular art 
(Laugier, 2023). In conjunction with globalization, digitalization has 
led to an increase in the circulation of transnational cultural 
products—such as TV series, films, video games, social media content, 
etc. —and in the diversity of their countries of origin, while also 
broadening their target audiences.

Million viewers watched the French TV series Lupin, starring black 
French actor Omar Sy in 2021 (Diallo, 2023), while both the U.S. TV 
drama Bridgerton, which addresses race relations, and the South Korean 
dystopian drama Squid Game on Netflix became the platform’s most-watched 
TV series, each attracting over 100 million viewers. In 2022, the 
British TV series ‘Sex Education’, lauded for its intersectional 
approach to gender and sexuality, and the Japanese anime ‘One Piece’ 
ranked among the most-watched (and most anticipated) shows on Netflix. 
Films examining race relations (‘Get Out’, ‘12 Years a Slave’), 
intersectionality (‘Moonlight’, ‘Barbie’), body dysmorphia (‘The 
Whale’), or produced outside Western countries (‘Parasite’ from South 
Korea; ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ from India), or featuring predominantly 
non-white casts (‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’; ‘Black Panther’), 
have not only won prestigious awards, but also achieved significant 
global box-office success.

 The extension to social media platforms confirms that contemporary 
visual popular culture is not only globalized but can also be measured 
in tangible, significant numbers (Lecler, 2019). Forbes’ 2023 list of 
the Top 50 Creators represents a diverse group of media producers who 
have collectively amassed 2.6 billion followers and earned $570 million 
(Bertoni, 2023). Moreover, the most popular YouTube channels originate 
from India, while hundreds of millions watch the latest music videos 
from Nigerian rapper Rema or Barbadian R&B singer Rihanna on YouTube, 
while simultaneously streaming their albums on various platforms and 
attending their concerts worldwide.

While popular culture may be seen as capitalistic (Horkheimer & Adorno, 
2002), owing to its capacity to transform billions of viewers into 
consumers, it also possesses significant democratic potential. It does 
not require formal or technical training to engage with its imagery 
(Laugier, 2023; Schuster, 2017), nor does it demand considerable 
cultural capital to be appreciated (Parker, 2011). Television series and 
popular cultural forms thus provide and confront viewers with a plethora 
of ideas and styles (Hirsch & Newcomb, 1983), which can modify people’s 
beliefs or knowledge or reinforce existing viewpoints (Furman Daniel & 
Musgrave, 2017), as well as influence their self-image (Fardouly & 
Vartanian, 2016; Saiphoo & Vahedi, 2019). Engaging with visual popular 
culture entails understanding its global and symbolic importance, but 
also considering how audiences interpret it (Fiske, 1991). TV series, 
films, social media, music, and other forms can be seen as spaces where 
artistic, ethical, and hermeneutic authority is reclaimed and re-routed, 
empowering viewers to create, share, and discuss content. The audience 
plays an active role in shaping the meaning of popular culture texts 
with viewers not just as passive consumers but as active participants in 
the reception and interpretation of cultural products (Fiske, 1991). 
Moreover, with the rise of social media, popular culture has become 
marked by the emergence of a participatory culture (Jenkins, 2006) where 
consumers not only comment on but also remix existing cultural products 
on digital platforms (Jenkins, 2006).
At the heart of popular culture lie the characters depicted on 
screen—whose lives, feelings, opinions, physical features, and actions 
are observed, analyzed, and discussed amongst audiences. Representation 
of diversity in contemporary popular culture has its contradictions. 
Although, in the past, films and TV series, particularly in Western 
nations, tended to feature homogeneous ensemble casts—typically white 
and male-dominated (Europe, U.S.), recent studies show that the 
situation has improved. At the same time, however, we still see that 
characters of minority ethnic backgrounds, the LGBTQ community, the 
elderly, and those with disabilities are often subject to stereotypes 
and underrepresentation (Ramon & Tran., 2023). On the other hand, 
today’s most popular creators, influencers, and streamers as a group 
represent more gender and racial/ethnic diversity than ever before 
(Bertoni, 2023). This shift raises new questions as recent studies 
emphasizes not only the role of an active audience, but also the 
production processes behind the on-screen representation (Renshon, 2014; 
Bal & Velkamp, 2013; Mares & Woodward, 2005; Brusselle & Crandall, 
2002). Thus, discussions on diversity cannot be reduced to calculating 
on-screen presence but should rather aim to take a more holistic 
perspective and interrogate how diversity on screen materializes through 
production processes and audience discourse.

Amidst a surge in publications analyzing the representation of diversity 
in popular culture (Nwonka, 2023; Hole et al, 2017; Gay, 2014; Sulimma, 
2021; Grandin, 1995), this international conference seeks to foster a 
transdisciplinary dialogue on how diversity is depicted, received, and 
produced in contemporary visual popular culture, from its traditional 
forms (TV series, films) to the latest evolutions (global social media 
platforms), thereby embracing Hall’s concept of culture as a continual 
process of deconstruction and construction of meaning (1997).
We invite scholars to submit proposals for paper presentations on topics 
that may align with, but are not limited to, the following themes:
-	Female/Male gaze in popular culture.
-	Conceptualizations and representations of masculinity/ femininity.
-	Discourses on race and ethnicity.
-	Representational tropes and stereotypes.
-	LGBTQ+ visibility and representation.
-	Inclusivity and intersectional storytelling.
-	Crip theory and popular culture.
-	Ageism and the elderly in media portrayals.
-	Body positivity movement and popular culture.
-	Representation of mental health issues.

The conference will take place on June 10th and 11th 2024 in Rotterdam 
(The Netherlands). Conference language is English. Contributions should 
not exceed a speaking time of 20 minutes.
Proposals, which should include an abstract (maximum 300 words), as well 
as a short bio-bibliographical note, should be received by 5 January 
2024 and should be directed to (diversityrotterdam /at/ gmail.com). 
Participants will be notified about the selection by 15 February 2024.
Steering Committee
Alexandre Diallo (Erasmus University Rotterdam); Sandra Laugier 
(University Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne; ERC DEMOSERIES); Ginette 
Vincendeau (King’s College London); Isabel Awad (Erasmus University 
Rotterdam); Jacco van Sterkenburg (Erasmus University Rotterdam); Mary 
Harrod (Warwick University); Juliet Floyd (Boston University); Jessica 
Ford (University of Adelaide); Paul McDonald (King’s College London); 
Charles-Antoine Courcoux (Universite Lausanne); Helle Kannick Haastrup 
(University of Copenhaguen); Shin Hae Rin (Korea University); Karla 
Bessa (Universidade Estadual de Campinas/UNICAMP)

Hosting Committee
Alexandre Diallo (Erasmus University Rotterdam); Sergül Nguyen (Erasmus 
University Rotterdam); Jacco van Sterkenburg (Erasmus University 
Rotterdam); Tatsiana Zhurauliova (University Paris 1-Pantheon Sorbonne; 
ERC DEMOSERIES);
Contact: Alexandre Diallo (Erasmus School of History, Culture and 
Communication): (diallo /at/ eshcc.eur.nl)

This event is co-organized by the Erasmus University Rotterdam and 
DEMOSERIES, a European Research Council project hosted at University 
Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne and funded under the European Union’s Horizon 
2020 research and innovation program.

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