There is no conference fee, but valid NECS membership and online registration are required in order to participate in the conference, see http://necs.org/conference/

in/between: cultures of connectivity

Connecting people has always been one of the most important functions of media, but arguably, the pervasiveness of media since the digital revolution has increased the awareness of the fact that interrelatedness is the basis of culture, and that media therefore play a crucial role in the formation of human relations. Originally used in technological discourses to describe and advertise the potential of media devices to link up with other devices, connectivity has recently emerged in media studies as a new concept with a much broader meaning, i.e. the potential of media to link objects, agents, and processes. Such links exist and operate on various levels, from the material to the symbolic. From this perspective, mediation involves much more than what is traditionally defined as communication, and this in turn presents a challenge to media studies, both in theoretical as well as methodological terms.

The 2016 NECS conference aims to reflect on our current culture of connectivity from a variety of perspectives. In 2016 and with this conference, we will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the European Network for Cinema and Media Studies (NECS), in itself a success of the principle of connectivity between scholars. Thus it is in every way a timely undertaking to investigate how different forms and aspects of connectivity have influenced our work as scholars in Cinema and Media Studies.

About NECS (European Network for Cinema and Media Studies)

NECS is a non-profit organization bringing together scholars, archivists, programmers and practitioners. NECS’s aims are to foster high-level and innovative research in film and media theory, history and practice, to provide a forum for communication, exchange and scholarly debate, to support young and early-career researchers, and to establish film and media studies as a dynamic and important part of the arts and humanities research in Europe. NECS has currently over 1300 members from all over the world.
Further information http://necs.org/

Accompanying Events

The 14th NECS Graduate Workshop

The format of the NECS Graduate Workshop was designed to give scholars at the beginning of their career a platform for networking with established European film and media scholars. The 14th NECS Graduate Workshop in Potsdam is dedicated to the topic “Return of the Living Dead Media: Media Cultures of Persistence, Resistance and Residue”.

NECS Pre-conference Workshop: European Media Studies

For the 10th anniversary conference of NECS, and following our successful workshop on „The Future of NECS“ at the Lodz conference in 2015, this preconference workshop will report on the state of the art in media studies in individual European countries. In particular, it will deal with the question whether there is a common perspective that can be regarded as specifically “European”, and if so, how this relates to other parts of the world (such as the USA or developing countries).

HoMER Pre-conference and Panels

Bringing together cinema historians from all over the world, HoMER (History of Movie-Going, Exhibition and Reception) is an international network interested in understanding the phenomena of cinema and cinema-going from a multidisciplinary perspective. One of HoMER’s main purposes is to facilitate connections between acclaimed and aspiring researchers and the multitude of academic disciplines they represent.
Further information http://homernetwork.org/

The conference will be held in English.

KOORDINATION
Dr. Annemone Ligensa, ZeM