Carola Richter is one of 14 members of the network which is funded from 2011 to 2014 by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The network consists of young German scholars who aim to bridge the gap between communication studies and regional studies due to their own interdisciplinary background. The objective of the network is to encourage innovative research with regard to medialisation processes in non-Western societies.

Idea of the network

Mediated forms of communication increasingly shape social relations and therewith power structures, political economy and media practices in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Arabic-speaking world. To understand the profound social change that goes along with this process, area studies as well as Islamic studies should more intensively deal with the phenomenon of medialisation. The network aims to show the relevance and the large innovation potential of the media perspective in area studies for research and teaching while providing substantial suggestions for their systematic institutionalization in area and Islamic Studies. The focus of the discussion is on the intersection of the three fields of media, religion and the public sphere. The network considers the scientific exploration of (trans)local dynamics within and between these three closely entangled fields to be particularly suitable to gain a deeper understanding of the interactions between medialisation processes and social change in the regions under study.

Projects of the network

The members meet twice a year to discuss issues in the intersection of media, religion and the public sphere in relation to the regions in focus. These workshop also include guests. In 2011, the members spoke with Prof. Dr. Christiane Brosius (University of Heidelberg) and Prof. Dr. Kai Hafez (University of Erfurt) about research on medialisation in non-European regions and its  opportunities and deficiencies. In 2012, Prof. Arvind Rajagopal (NYU) and Prof. Dr. Dorothea Schulz (University of Cologne) have discussed their thoughts on the formation of the public sphere in India and on media and religious groups in Mali respectively.

Conference 2013

In November 2013, a three-day international conference was held at the Humboldt University of Berlin under the title "New Media Configurations - Changing Societies? Current Research Perspectives on South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa". In addition to the keynote speakers Prof. Maitrayee Chaudhuri (Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India), Prof. Ziad Fahmy (Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA) and Prof. Marwan M. Kraidy (University of Pennsylvania, USA) more than 20 presenters and members of the network contributed to the success of the conference.

The full conference program and further information can be found here: http://iaaw.hu-berlin.de/medialitaet/conference

Workshop 2014

On 19. September 2014, an international workshop will take place at the Humboldt University of Berlin under the title: "THE END OF TELEVISION? - AN EXPERT WORKSHOP ON THE FUTURE OF TELEVISION (STUDIES) IN SOUTH ASIA AND ARAB COUNTRIES". In addition to the lectures of Prof. Naomi Sakr (Director of the CAMRI Arab Media Center, University of Westminster) and Prof. Andreas Hepp (University of Bremen) a panel discussion will be held with the participation of Prof. Maitrayee Chaudhuri (Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi), Prof. Xenia Tabitha Gleissner (University of Exeter) and Prof. Marwan M. Kraidy (University of Pennsylvania). Moderation: Prof. Nadja-Christina Schneider (Humboldt University Berlin) and Prof. Carola Richter (Free University Berlin).

Book Publication in 2015

In July 2015, the conference papers have been published in the anthology „New Media Configurations and Socio-Cultural Dynamics in Asia and the Arab World“. By systematizing the research on medialisation in various fields such as gender, political economy or media practices, the book addresses theoretical and methodological approaches to medialisation research with regard to non-Western regions and links it to empirical studies. The book is edited by Prof. Dr. Nadja-Christina Schneider (HU Berlin) and Prof. Dr. Carola Richter and published by Nomos and Bloomsburry

New Media Configurations and Socio-Cultural Dynamics in Asia and the Arab World

Herausgegeben von Jun.-Prof. Dr. Nadja-Christina Schneider, Jun.-Prof. Dr. Carola Richter 2015, 372 S., Gebunden, ISBN 978-3-8487-1293-9 (In Gemeinschaft mit Bloomsbury Publishing)

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