The following call is for the fourth annual
conference of the European Network
for Cinema and Media Studies.
URBAN MEDIATIONS
NECS 2010 Conference
Istanbul, Turkey, June 24-27, 2010
In cooperation with the Communication Faculty, Kadir Has University
Submissions deadline: January 31, 2010
Please address all inquiries to (conference /at/ necs-initiative.org)
Founded in February of 2006, NECS, the European Network for Cinema and
Media Studies, brings together scholars and
researchers in the field of cinema,
film and media studies with archivists and film
and media professionals. A first
NECS workshop was held in Berlin on the occasion of the network?s founding in
2006, followed by large international conferences in Vienna 2007, Budapest
2008 and Lund 2009. Over the last three years, NECS has attracted more than
600 members worldwide. Detailed information on NECS can be found on the
NECS website, www.necs-initiative.org.
The 2010 NECS Conference will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from June 24
through June 27.
Istanbul, a global city of more than 12 million inhabitants occupying the
Eastern edge of Europe and the Western edge of Asia, inherits its name from
the Greek phrase ?eistinpolin,? which means ?in the city,? ?to the city,?
or ?downtown.? In 2010, along with the NECS Conference, Istanbul will be
hosting a great variety of events as a European Capital of Culture, an
occasion described by the European Commission as ?a golden opportunity to
show off Europe's cultural richness and
diversity, and all the ties which link us
together as Europeans.? In this light, Istanbul
is the ideal place to host the
2010 conference for the European Network of Cinema and Media Studies. In
Europe?s Capital of Culture, we would like to
debate issues of capitals, cities
and urbanity under the rubric of ?Urban Mediations.?
Confirmed keynote speakers include Saskia Sassen, Thomas Elsaesser and
Charlotte Brunsdon.
Paper topics may include, but must not be limited to, the following:
- Theories of urbanity (theoretical, methodological and political connections
between cityscapes and mediascapes)
- Urban aesthetics and experiences (urban events, creative urban culture)
- Urban mediascapes (media production, new media archi-tectures/-textures)
- CityPasts, CityFutures (utopias-dystopias,
virtual cities, cities-in-history)
- City as actor (representations of the city, the city film)
- Urban relationships (city-human interaction,
mediations / representations of
families, love, friendship in the city)
- City and (im)mobility (social movements, migrations, global circulations)
- New cities / new media (urban development, reshaping the sense of city via
new technologies)
- Media capital and cultures (cultural industries, cultural capital, festival
cities)
Scholars from all areas of cinema and media studies (radio, television, new
media etc.), whether previously attached to NECS or new to the network, are
invited to submit proposals for contributions.
Please note that you may hand in a paper or panel proposal related to the
thematic guidelines of the conference outlined
above, or alternatively submit a
paper or panel proposal for open call in any
field of cinema and media studies.
We especially encourage pre-constituted panels in order to strengthen the
thematic coherence
(1) by individually organizing a pre-constituted
panel within an already existing
network such as a NECS work group (see member section of the NECS
website - www.necsinitiative.org) or a research project. The members of the
NECS work groups are especially encouraged to put together a pre-
constituted panel;
(2) by organizing a panel via the NECS website (www.necs-initiative.org).
Those who consider putting together a panel outside already existing networks
are asked to send a call for papers with a title
and a short description of the
objectives of the proposed panel no later than December 15, 2009 to
(conference /at/ necs-initiative.org). The conference committee will post these
topics in the public section of the website,
collect all responses and keep you
informed about potential presenters;
(3) by responding to a call for papers that is proposed online (see item 2);
(4) by proposing an open call paper outside a preconstituted panel.
Please note that individuals may submit only one
paper proposal, either to the
open call or as a part of a pre-constituted panel.
Panels may consist of 3- 4 speakers with a maximum of 20 minutes speaking
time each. All presenters are obliged to provide
us with a title, an abstract of
max 150 words, 3-5 keywords, 3-5 key bibliographical references, technical
requirements, name of the presenter and institutional affiliation.
Panel organizers are asked to submit panel
proposals including a panel title, a
short description (up to 100 words) of the panel and information on all the
papers as listed above.
Please submit all proposals before January 31, 2010 by sending them via email
to (conference /at/ necs-initiative.org). Notification
will follow shortly thereafter
(around February 28, 2010). The conference language is English. Again, in
case you consider an open call for a panel
proposal, please send us your topic
until December 15, 2009 so that we can post the description of the objectives
of the proposed panel on our website.
Conference attendance is free, but valid NECS-membership is required to
participate in the conference (register with NECS at www.necs-initiative.org.
For the terms of NECS membership, please also refer to our website).
Participants will have to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses.
Travel information as well as a list of affordable hotels and other
accommodations will be posted on the NECS website in the spring of 2010.
For the conference organizers:
The NECS Conference Committee
Tina Bastajian, Melis Behlil, Olof Hedling,
András Bálint Kovács, Tarja Laine,
Terez Vincze, Patrick Vonderau
The NECS Steering Committee
Malte Hagener, Vinzenz Hediger, Dorota Ostrowska, Alexandra Schneider,
Patrick Vonderau
