*CFP* "GENDER AND MEDIA STUDIES. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS AND DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES", SPECIAL ISSUE, SOCIOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION JOURNAL

Despite the widespread perception of an abundance of literature and opportunities for discussion about gender and media, “researching the gender-media dyad is still an important project for media scholars” (Ross, 2010, p. 3). One reason for the prominence of the topic is the richness and rapidity of the evolution of media products, technologies and actors. Indeed, the contemporary media landscape and its cultural dimension are the result of the accumulation and juxtaposition of content, media forms, production and consumption practices, and everything in between (Bolter, 2020). Rigid and stereotyped images of women, men and other subjectivities coexist with critical content, as the result of practices of remix, sharing, co-creation and contestation.

The relationship between gender and media also appears to be of interest due to the growth of studies about the complexity and variety of subjectivities, identities, orientations and social and sexual relations in the media universe. Indeed, in the last two decades, theoretical reflections and empirical analyses have flourished in the scientific debate, thematizing the gender-media dyad beyond the conspicuous theme of representations, beyond binary opposing and heteronormatively visions (Buonanno, Faccioli, 2020; Farris, Compton, Herrera, 2020; Kay, 2020; Scarcelli, Krijnen, Nixon, 2020; Ross, 2020). Moreover, gender and media studies have recently been enriched by wide-ranging interdisciplinary analyses that look at the topic from a prismatic, intersectional perspective, which deepens the encounter between sociology and feminist media studies (Corradi 2008; Buonanno, 2014; Byerly, 2017). In this regard, there is an increasing sensitivity to the transformations in the social discourse of feminism due (also) to its mediatisation and the re-signification of feminist terms in a neoliberal perspective (Banet-Weiser, 2018; Gill, 2016; McRobbie, 2020; Rottenberg, 2018).

Thus, the sphere of the feminine is the main object of reflection of the special issue of the journal “Sociology of Communication”, whose intention is to enhance the less visible areas in the relation between sociology and feminist media studies, women and audience studies (Cavalcante, Press and Sender, 2018), the new identities of women (Lotz, 2010), but also the topic of masculinity and LGBTQI+ subjectivities in relation to the media.

The aim of this special issue is to propose a critical reading of the state of the art of reflection on gender and media, highlighting lights and shades, and identifying the main research questions that the scientific debate should address.

In particular, the guest editors invite theoretical reflections and empirical analyses about elements of continuity and rupture in the relationship between gender and media, especially in relation to mainstream media.

Among the topics of interest:

• intersectionality in gender and media studies; 
• new frontiers of audience studies 
• women in cultural industries 
• new images of women in the media 
• new image of men in the media 
• media and new gender and sexual identities 
• feminist or anti-feminist discourse in the media, with particular attention to the Italian case;

 

Authors interested in submitting a paper are invited to send an extended abstract (in Italian or english) of 2500-3500 characters (excluding references) by 30 September 2021 at the following addresses: (franca.faccioli@uniroma1.it); (paola.panarese@uniroma1.it)

The abstract should clearly present:

• aims of the article 
• theoretical background 
• research question(s), methodology and main results achieved, in the case of any empirical contribution references

 

In the selection process, preference will be given to proposals that offer an advancement of knowledge and innovative elements in the current scientific debate.

If the abstract proposal will be accepted by the Journal (the outcome of the selection will be communicated by October 30th), the authors will have to upload on the Journal platform an unpublished article, of 30.000-40.000 characters, together with an abstract of 600-750 characters and an author profile of 300-500 characters, by January 15th, 2022, sending simultaneously a mail to the editorial staff (Stefania Antonioni (stefania.antonioni@uniurb.it) and to the editors (franca.faccioli@uniroma1.it); (paola.panarese@uniroma1.it).

Editorial rules can be downloaded from the journal’s website.

Articles will be double-blind refereed and publication will be subject to the outcome of the evaluation.

A maximum of 4 articles will be published.

No payment from the authors will be required.

Extended abstract deadline: 30 September 2021

Article deadline: 15 January 2022

Info: (paola.panarese@uniroma1.it)