Media representations, narratives and visual aesthetics of climate (im)mobilities
ECMN workstream
WorkStream
This workstream brings together ECMN members interested in the representational politics and narratives of climate mobilities. In particular, we are concerned about the impact that media narratives have and how it might be possible to move beyond the persistent sensationalist and inaccurate portrayals of a world where climate change and mass migration are inevitably linked and something to be feared. When climate change-induced mobilities are mediated in this way, what is often highlighted is the issue of security, rather than the need to reduce social inequality or vulnerability. As a group, we hope to focus our efforts on a) analysing media representations, narratives and visual aesthetics, and b) contributing in different ways to media coverage and social imaginaries on the topic.
Aims of the workstream:
- To create a space for discussing the topic, including sharing relevant examples and work, collaborating on publications, panels or other events, and reflecting on the scholarship to date
- To offer a space for considering how visual aesthetics and narratives have been used to frame climate-related (im)mobilities and with what consequences
- Where useful, to create opportunities for sharing works-in-progress with each other in order to help progress each other’s work, as well as more broadly to develop an interdisciplinary methodology for analysing media and narrative representations
- To develop an image database of relevant and unproblematic imagery that could be used for illustrating any publications on climate mobilities
- To develop a database of contacts in the media industry who are interested in this topic
- To hold events with journalists and media workers to discuss the question representation and to learn from them about what editorial pressures they might come under to, for example, use dramatic statistics or lead with sensationalist storytelling
- To reflect on what role visual aesthetics and counternarratives could play in re-narrating the relationship between
climate change and human mobility beyond its conventional vocabularies of security, humanitarian crisis and liberal modes of adaptation
Moving Forward
In the first instance, we would like to hold a meeting on Zoom/Teams this autumn (2024) with anyone who is interested in joining the workstream in order to discuss ways forward and come up with useful strategies and objectives that would benefit us all. This is an inclusive and democratic workstream and we are very keen to have anyone on board who is invested in the topic, whatever their disciplinary or professional background.
We also hope to hold another workshop at the next ECMN conference in Bonn in order to develop ideas and bring in even more participants, building on the first workshop on this topic that we held at the second ECMN conference in Liège.
Please complete this form if you are interested in joining the activities of the network and attending our first meeting: https://forms.gle/iwYXmrduEu4sVoQC6
For any general queries, please write to sophia.brown@fu-berlin.de, durand-delacre@ehs.unu.edu and elena.giacomelli4@unibo.it
Initial Convenors
Sophia Brown (Freie Universität Berlin),
David Durand-Delacre (UN University Institute for Environment and Human Security)
Elena Giacomelli (University of Bologna)
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