At the University of Bremen, the "Communicative figurations" research network was funded – from 2013 to 2016 – by the Excellence Initiative of the Federal Government and the Federal States as "Creative Unit". The Creative Unit was based at the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI) and consisted of eleven projects in which the concept of "communicative figurations" is developed further in different areas of investigation - both theoretically and empirically.
Mediatization research demonstrates that the growing establishment of technical communication media as a whole and the resulting change of the ‘manufacture’ of our reality is are core moments of this transformation. The aim of the Creative Unit is therefore preparing a systematic analysis of communicative figurations with respect to the transformation of social realities, shaped by media.
Through the innovative linking of humanities with social sciences the aim is also to get closer to an answer to the following question: How significant is the transformation of media and communication for culture and society? The objective of the Creative Unit is to further develop the already existing excellent basis for such research at the University of Bremen.
Flyer of the Creative Unit (PDF)
Research areas and projects
The projects of the Creative Unit aim to develop the concept of "Communicative Figurations" further. Thereby the projects focus on the development of theoretical approaches as well as on empirical testing to investigate the transformation of communicative figurations in the course of an increasing mediatization. Nevertheless, the starting point of the analysis differs for each project.
Three research areas can be distinguished for our Creative Unit: projects which analyse communicative figurations 1) based on the individual as a starting point; 2) emanating from different social relationships; and 3) from the point of view of certain sociocultural fields.
Frame Project:
Area Indiviual:
- Habits in Communicative Figurations
- Informal and non-formal learning
- Irritation and coping in the middle classes
Area Relationships:
- Mediatized localities of urban transcultural communitization
- Collective identity constructions in media cities
- Communication networks and roles
Area Field:
ECREA Section "Mediatization"
The Section "Mediatization" of the European Communikation Research and Education Association (ECREA), coordinated at the University of Copenhagen, the Södertörn University, Stockholm, Sweden and the Centre for Media, Communication and Information Research (ZeMKI) at the University of Bremen.
ECREA European Media and Communication Doctoral Summer School
The ECREA European Media and Communication Doctoral Summer School brings together members of the European research community to this summer school in order to debate contemporary issues in media, communication and cultural studies.
The Mediatization of Culture: The Challenge of New Media
Research program "The Mediatization of Culture: The Challenge of New Media" at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, headed by Stig Hjarvard.
Mediatized Stories
Research network on "Mediatized Stories", coordinated by the University of Oslo, Norway and headed by Knut Lundby.
Storycircle Project
The storycircle project headed by Prof. Nick Couldry (London School of Economics and Political Science) is interested in tracking the consequences for narrative exchange and wider demcoratic culture of developing digital infrastructures.
NIIK (Netzwerk Interkulturelle und Internationale Kommunikation)
Das Netzwerk Interkulturelle und Internationale Kommunikation beschäftigt sich mit Kommunikation in einer globalisierten Welt, in der der Kontakt zwischen Menschen unterschiedlicher nationaler Herkunft und kultureller Prägung zum Normalfall wird.