FIRST CONFERENCE ON CULTURAL STUDIES IN COMMUNICATION
26-27 June 2025
This academic conference was conceived as a landmark meeting for the consolidation of Cultural Studies within the field of communication in Spain, with the aim of strengthening research and creating a stable space for exchange among researchers from different universities. Organised by the ASTERISC research group of the Rovira i Virgili University and the Faculty of Communication of the Pompeu Fabra University, the conference was held at the URV's Campus Catalunya in Tarragona.
The meeting brought together a wide range of research projects and papers focused on contemporary popular culture and communication processes, paying particular attention to power dynamics, identities, media representations and digital transformations. The conference functioned as a space for critical and interdisciplinary discussion, with the participation of national and international researchers, fostering debate on the main theoretical and methodological challenges facing the field.
The reflection was articulated around popular culture as a space of symbolic contestation, addressing issues such as media representations, identity discourses, fandom practices, digital activisms and new forms of cultural production, as well as the role of media and platforms in shaping the contemporary imaginary.
More information: https://www.upf.edu/web/focus/w/congres-estudis-culturals-comunicacio
5th AE-IC DOCTORAL SEMINAR - TARRAGONA 2025
18 – 20 June 2025
This academic meeting was conceived as a space for training and exchange aimed at early-career communication researchers, with the objective of supporting the development of their research and strengthening the scientific community in this field. Organised by the Spanish Association for Communication Research (AE-IC) and held at the Rovira i Virgili University, at the Reus campus (Tarragona), the meeting brought together doctoral candidates and experts in a collaborative working environment.
The sessions were structured around workshops, presentations of doctoral projects and discussion spaces, following a dynamic based on feedback between junior and senior researchers. This format fostered the exchange of ideas, academic guidance and the consolidation of research networks.
The reflection was articulated around the theme "Communicative Disorders and Social Challenges", addressing issues such as disinformation, digital communication, artificial intelligence and the ethical and methodological challenges of communication research, as well as debates on dissemination and academic evaluation.
More information: https://ae-ic.org/v-doctorial-de-la-ae-ic-tarragona-2025/
SECOND RURALIM SEMINAR "IMAGINING THE RURAL: CINEMA, MEDIA, NETWORKS"
21st-22nd November 2024
This research seminar on rural imaginaries was conceived with the aim of deepening the critical analysis of contemporary representations of rurality, while creating a space for dialogue between different lines of research linked to communication, culture, cinema and political discourse. The sessions were organised around several thematic panels and discussion spaces, including papers, dialogues and theoretical reflections, with particular attention to the evolution of cultural narratives, forms of mediatization and the construction of audiences around rural issues.
The reflection focused on the processes of symbolic and discursive construction of the rural world, addressing aspects such as depopulation, political and media discourses, cinematic and literary narratives, and the role of music and cultural practices, placing emphasis on the tensions between experience and representation, as well as on the dynamics of transformation, participation and resignification of rural imaginaries in the contemporary context.
More information: https://ruralim.wordpress.com/2o-seminario/
SEMINAR "BOARDS AND SCREENS: BOARD GAMES IN THE 21st CENTURY"
17th June 2024
This academic seminar on board games was conceived with the aim of analysing them as cultural, historical and communicative artefacts, in a context marked by the recent growth of both the industry and academic interest in the field. Organised by the Department of Communication Studies of the URV, with the participation of the ASTERISC research group and the collaboration of Digital Games Research Association (DiGRA), the meeting created an interdisciplinary space for reflection aimed at deepening the study of this emerging phenomenon.
The sessions were structured around several round tables and an opening keynote lecture, with particular attention to issues such as the history of board games, the current state of the industry and the construction of imaginary worlds through play, as well as the relationships between analogue and digital formats.
The reflection focused on board games as objects of cultural and discursive construction, addressing aspects such as their communicative potential, their capacity to generate narratives and shared experiences, and the dynamics of hybridisation with the digital environment, as well as the challenges posed by their consolidation as a field of study within the contemporary academic world.
More information: https://diaridigital.urv.cat/un-seminari-de-la-urv-aborda-la-recerca-sobre-els-jocs-de-taula-com-a-artefacte-cultural-historic-i-comunicatiu/
SEMINAR "POPULISM AND POLITICAL COMMUNICATION: CHALLENGES IN SPAIN AND EUROPE"
4th November 2023
This academic seminar on populism and political communication was conceived with the aim of analysing this phenomenon as a relevant communicative style within the contemporary public sphere, particularly in the European and Spanish context. Organised by the ASTERISC research group and the Department of Communication Studies of the URV, the meeting created an interdisciplinary space for reflection that brought together academic and professional perspectives in order to deepen the understanding of the dynamics of contemporary political discourse.
The sessions were structured around several papers and a final round table, with particular attention to the relationship between populism, media and the construction of political narratives within an increasingly digitalised and fragmented media environment.
The reflection focused on populism as a tool of discursive construction, addressing aspects such as its influence on public opinion, the simplification of political debates and the dynamics of polarisation, as well as the challenges these processes pose for political communication and democratic quality in Europe.
More information: https://diaridigital.urv.cat/experts-comunicacio-analitzen-populisme-comunicacio-politica-espanya-europa/
FIRST RURALIM SEMINAR "RURAL IMAGINARIES: CULTURE, CINEMA AND JOURNALISM"
11th-12th April 2023
This first seminar on rural imaginaries was conceived with the aim of analysing and debating contemporary representations of the rural world from different academic and professional perspectives, while also fostering dialogue among researchers from fields such as communication, cinema, journalism and culture. The sessions were structured around papers and non-simultaneous discussion spaces, combining keynote lectures, research presentations and a final round table.
The reflection focused on the media and cultural construction of rurality, addressing issues such as depopulation, journalistic narratives, cinematic and literary imaginaries, and the tensions between representation and lived experience, placing emphasis on the transformations, conflicts and opportunities shaping rural environments in the contemporary context.
More information: https://ruralim.wordpress.com/i-seminario-ruralim/
FIRST CONFERENCE OF THE GENDER AND COMMUNICATION SECTION OF THE SPANISH ASSOCIATION FOR COMMUNICATION RESEARCH
5th-6th November 2021
These first conferences of the Gender and Communication section of the AE-IC were conceived with a threefold objective: to map the research conducted by its members, to promote a network of researchers in training, and to establish contacts with European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA). Research presentations were organised through different non-simultaneous discussion workshops.
The reflection focused on the mediatizations of gender and sexualities from the perspectives of production, content and reception, placing emphasis on the forms of resistance and transformation facilitated by media and activism.
More information: https://ae-ic.org/agenda-de-genero-y-comunicacion/
FEMINIST DOCUMENTARY IN SPAIN AS AN AGENT OF SOCIAL CHANGE: THEMES, PRACTICES AND PEDAGOGIES
13th-27th September 2021
"Feminist Documentary in Spain as an Agent of Social Change: Themes, Practices and Pedagogies" (15-17/09) and the online documentary film series "If Not Now, When?" (13-27/09) were organised within the framework of the project "Articulations of Gender in Contemporary Spanish Documentary: An Intersectional Perspective".
This webinar examined feminist practices present in documentary filmmaking produced in Spain during the 21st century through papers, conversations and round tables addressing a broad spectrum of themes such as sexual violence, migration, colonial legacy, functional diversity, labour struggles, memory politics and the presence of women in music documentaries.
More information: documentalfeminista.wordpress.com/webinar-y-ciclo/
ROUND TABLE ABOUT WILD FIRES
Enric Castelló, researcher at the Department of Communication Studies (URV), coordinated a round table of the session entitled "Fire on the screen: media, cinema and video storytelling" in the framework of the 1st International Congress on Fire in the Earth Systems: Humans and Nature, held in Valencia between 3 and 7 November.
Further information: https://firecongress.eu/
SEMINAR ‘DISCOURSES, ACTORS AND CITIZENS IN THE COMMUNICATIVE CONSTRUCTION OF CONFLICTS’
Last October 2018, the management team of the Catalan Journal of Communication and Cultural Studies, the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, the Faculty of Letters of the URV, the URV/Repsol International Chair of Excellence in Communication and the Association of Political Communication organized the seminar ‘Discourses, actors and citizens in the communicative construction of conflicts’.
This meeting, which brought together experts, students and researchers interested in political communication, served to present the call for papers of the special issue 11.2 of the CJCS, which will be published in the fall of 2019 and will focus on the analysis of political conflicts. This special issue will be co-edited by Dr. Marta Montagut (URV), Dr. Carlota Moragas-Fernández (URV) and Dr. Alain-G. Gagnon (Université du Québec à Montréal).
The seminar had the interesting interventions of Dr. Cristina Perales (UPF), who gave the conference ‘The Catalan political situation in the international press’; Dr. Marc Esteve del Valle (University of Groningen), who spoke about the Catalan case through the conference ‘Social Media and Political Polarization: the Catalan Case’; and Dr. Marina Dekavalla (University of Sussex), who gave the conference ‘Framing referendum campaigns in the news’. The act concluded with a joint discussion on the communicative construction of political conflicts.
NARCÍS MASFERRER, THE GREAT SPORTSMAN
Seminar commemorating the 150th anniversary of the birth of the patriarch of Spanish and Catalan sports
April 18, 2017
Despite his impressive resume, Narcís Masferrer is today a figure almost unknown beyond the circles specialized in the history of the sport. On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of his birth, this seminar was intended to rescue his memory and give him a more than deserved tribute.
SEMINAR AND POSMEMORY OF FRANCOISM: CONTEMPORARY REPRESENTATIONS IN THE CINEMA, LITERATURE AND THE MEDIA
January 28, 2016
The event served to publicly present the first results of the research project "Memories in Second Degree: Post-Civil War, Francoism and Democratic Transition in Contemporary Spanish Society" (CSO2013-41594-P), funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and coordinated by Professor Laia Quílez.
SEMINAR II 'POSMEMORIES OF CIVIL WAR AND FRANCHISM: AUDIOVISUAL MEDIATIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY'
June 9, 2016
In this second meeting, the presentation of the results of the project coordinated by Professor Laia Quílez was expanded.
METAFPERCOM R&D PROJECT CLOSURE SEMINAR
December 12, 2016
The celebration of the Seminar "The role of metaphor in the construction of conflict in the public sphere (media, institutions and citizens)" took place as a closing of the R & D project METAFPERCOM, led by Dr. Arantxa Capdevila. This project aimed to analyze how institutions and the media use the metaphor as a discursive tool to influence the perception that citizens have on conflicting sociopolitical issues.
X INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON RESEARCH IN PUBLIC RELATIONS, 'New spaces for dialogue from public relations'
April 16 and 17, 2015
The inaugural conference was chaired by the General Director of the "la Caixa" Banking Foundation, Jaume Giró, who spoke on reputation management in a changing society in the presentation titled "Confidence and communication: Reputation management In a society in transformation".
HALF-DAY INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR 'Media framing and Metaphor use in conflict: politicians, science, sports'
April 22, 2015
The day was organized as part of the project funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness with the title: "The role of metaphor in the definition and social perception of Conflictive issues: institutions, media and citizens" (CSO2013 -41661-P). Framing and metaphors were the focus of the presentations and discussion of the seminar, which was attended by international speakers and from the URV.
ECREA GENDER AND COMMUNICATION SYMPOSIUM 'Media (in)visibility: Gender and sexual diversity in European popular media culture'
October 16 and 17, 2015
The Department of Communication Studies of the URV hosted the ECREA symposium on gender and communication. Dr. Richard Dyer, Professor of Film Studies at King's College London opened the symposium with the conference "Only White Men: Serial Killing in European Cinema".
SEMINAR 'BOARDS AND DISPLAYS'
October 29, 2015
The goal of the day was to place analogue games at the same level as video games in an academic setting. For more than four hours, nine experts from different areas explored in three roundtables the connections that exist between analogue games and video games, giving prominence to their communicative dimension.
SEMINAR 'Dance, an unconventional media'
November 24, 2015
More than fifty people among students, teachers and professionals from the audiovisual world gathered to know everything that connects dance with communication. The day was born of an initiative of the student of Communication Studies of the URV, Marta Arjona, who is dedicated to the production of videodance through its business project DansPXL.
WORKSHOP COMMUNICATING FOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS
Tarragona, 8-9 November 2012
The aim of the workshop was to explore how communication can be incorporated within the European Food Research Agenda. In order to strengthen the communicative framework the workshop was organized in four interrelated strands, each relevant to developing good practice in food risk and benefit communication.
The workshop was adressed to agrifood sector professionals, strategy and scientific comunication experts, public relations, journalists, nutritionists, bachelor students, master and Ph.D. in nutrition, comunication, marketing, psychology, economics and MBA...
Further information here.
III AE-IC INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS. "Communication and risk"
Tarragona, 18-20 January 2012
The Spanish Association of Communication Research (AE-IC) celebrated its 3rd congress in Tarragona, hosted by the Department of Communication Studies at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili. The meeting was a great occasion for measuring the quality and weight of the field, through the presentation of near four hundred communications.
The conference theme was 'Communication and Risk' and the invited keynote speaker in charge of it was Professor David L. Altheide (Arizona State University), who presented a speech entitled 'Shielding Risk'. Armand Mattelart was also present at the conference, in which homage was devoted to Roman Gubern.
Further information (in Spanish)
Narrating the Nation: Television Narratives and National Identities
Reus (Catalonia), 4-5 October 2007
The congress aimed to bring together scholars researching the processes of national identity building in relation to television narratives and the ways in which national identity is reflected in and itself influences television programs in content and form. Thus, this event was an opportunity to strengthen international relations in a field in which scholars often work solely or primarily within their own national social, political and media contexts.
Further info.
New Research for New Media: innovative research methodologies
Second edition - September 30th to October 2nd 2004
Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain)
After a successful and exciting first edition at the University of Minnesota, USA, the Symposium moved to Europe with the aim of broadening the research traditions sharing experiences. The goal was to provide an examination of current practices and an opportunity for reflection on future directions new media research methods might take.