The international conference “Transmedia History”—organised by the Impresso project and the University of Lausanne’s History Department—will gather scholars from various backgrounds around this question to exchange views on new prospects opened by digitisation and digital tools to carry out transmedia research. It will take place at the University of Lausanne from 27 to 28 January 2025.
Argument:
See the full call for paper online.
This international conference aims to invite papers that prioritise a “transmedia” approach. We seek to present research that explores media history through the simultaneous analysis of different media, thereby emphasising the significance of the media ecosystems in which they co-evolve. “Media” is understood in a broad sense here. It includes traditional media (books, posters, press, cinema, radio and television), but also recent ones such as video games, the Internet (e.g. streaming services, podcasts, online news) and social media. The targeted timeframe is extensive, spanning up to the present day. The conference ultimately seeks to present papers that contribute to a decompartmentalised and interconnected history of media. These papers will not only place media history within a broader social, political, and cultural context but also foster a dialogue among them.
In this regard, we invite papers that fall within three main research axes:
- Transmedia circulations, adaptations and reciprocal influences
- Intersections, reconfigurations and new media genealogies
- New approaches, resources and methods
Practical information:
The conference will be held at the University of Lausanne. Remote participation (via Zoom) will be possible only if absolutely necessary and on explicit request.
Working languages at the conference will be English and French. All speakers are kindly requested to prepare slides in the other language to accompany their talk. We strive to publish selected papers in the form of a special issue in a media history journal.
If speakers’ home institutions cannot cover travel and accommodation costs, partial or full support may be available depending on the number of requests. Please submit an explicit request for this funding. Priority will be given to junior researchers.
Submission procedure:
July 15, 2024: Proposals must be submitted via Easychair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=transmedia2025
Proposals (max. 350 words) should include a title, a clear outline of the research question, a bibliography (max. 5 references); please add a short bio-bibliographical note (max. 150 words) and a note as to whether or not you intend to travel to Lausanne. In EasyChair, please use the “Title and abstract” section to upload your plain text proposal: the abstract, its references and the bio–bibliographical note can be inserted in the same field. No need to produce a PDF document.
Scientific Committee:
Alexander Badenoch (Utrecht University); Gabriele Balbi (Università della Svizzera italiana); Kaspar Beelen (University of London); Mireille Berton (Université de Lausanne); Carolyn Birdsall (University of Amsterdam); Marie Cronqvist (Linköping University); Andreas Fickers (Université du Luxembourg); Matthieu Letourneux (Université Paris Nanterre); Simone Natale (Università degli Studi di Torino); Nathalie Pignard-Cheynel (Université de Neuchâtel); Yannick Rochat (Université de Lausanne); Valérie Schafer (Université du Luxembourg); Thomas Smits (University of Amsterdam); Dominique Trudel (Audencia Business School); Nelly Valsangiacomo (Université de Lausanne); Hans-Ulrich Wagner (Hans Bredow Institute); Anne-Katrin Weber (Université de Lausanne); Melvin Wevers (University of Amsterdam); Daniela Zetti (Universität zu Lübeck).
Selected bibliography
See online.