by Dan Mercea I am going to start this opinion piece with an oft-heard claim: democratic participation is deteriorating to the point that many of us observing it have become cautious if not pessimistic in our assessment of the strength of democracy. Evidencing this bleak outlook would be the rise of runaway populism bearing little…
Consumption Today: Thoughts on the ‘Buy Nothing Day’
by Eleftheria Lekakis Consumption today overtakes our everyday spaces. Advertising penetrates our vistas. We are increasingly asked to rebrand ourselves, to go on the quest of a better future. We consume material and immaterial objects on a daily basis. Yet, our consumption pollutes our environment, both material and mental, argued Kalle Lasn in his book…
“We’re doing it slow” – Community Archives as Protest Spaces
by Anne Kaun (Södertörn University) Community archives as self-organized spaces storing and working with ephemera, posters, books, pins, fanzines and other material forms are crucial to protect the voices of the movements beyond mainstream History writing. Community archives have been of importance since social movements emerged in the USA especially since the civil rights movement…
Global Humanitarianism and Media Culture
Re. Framing Activism‘s readers are sure to want to know about an upcoming conference on Global Humanitarianism and Media Culture. It will be held at the University of Sussex, 6-8 February 2015, is supported by the School of Media, Film and Music and the Sussex Centre for the Visual and is co-organised by our original…
UKIP Research and Activism Resources
The European elections are taking place this week. The UK Independence Party (UKIP) has dominated UK media coverage of the elections and is reportedly on track for a landslide victory. However, anti-UKIP activists have also been occupying the media coverage, from Twitter requests to post back UKIP flyers to subverting billboards, creative activist actions have…
“Yes! We Have Bananas”: The upcoming World Cup and issues of Racism in the football field
Marina Fuser is a doctoral researcher at the University of Sussex in Film Studies. She is currently at UC Berkeley, researching with Prof. Trinh Minh-a. Her research includes Feminism, Postcolonialism, Post-structuralism and cinematic experimentalisms. This week, Marina reflects on racism on and off the football field. The Brazilian football player Daniel Alves’ response to a…
‘Study Hard and Don’t Meddle in Politics’: Media Representation of Taiwan’s 318 Student Occupation
Emilia Chi-Jung Cheng is a research student in Film Studies at the University of Sussex. Her research deals with issues of historical representation, identity, and nationhood across contemporary transnational filmmaking practices across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. Kwan-Fan Su is also a research student in Film Studies at the University of Sussex. His research deals with…
Coffee Activism
Eleftheria Lekakis is Lecturer in Global Communications in the School of Media, Film and Music at the University of Sussex. Eleftheria’s research focuses on aspects of global communication which stem from the intersection of politics, economy and culture. This week, Eleftheria Lekakis introduces her new book on Coffee Activism. There are contemporary crises in the…
The Revolutionary Resonance of Praxis: Zapatismo as Public Pedagogy
James Anderson is a Ph.D student in Mass Communications and Media Arts at the Southern Illinois University Carbondale. His interests include social movements, alternative media, Amy Goodman, critical theory, prefigurative politics, horizontalidad, political economy and praxis. This week, James explores the practices of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. A little over 20 years ago,…
From optimism to delusion: Cyber-technologies, democracy and surveillance
Géraud de Ville is a PhD student at the Open University, Department of Engineering & Innovation. His research focuses on the use of information and communication technologies by indigenous communities in the Guiana Shield. In addition, he is a researcher on the EU-funded @Project_Cobra that uses participatory video and photo to disseminate community-owned solutions for…
In Between Priests and Units: A Manifesto for Education as Labour
Maïa Pal has a PhD in International Relations from the University of Sussex. Her research interests are on the politics and history of international law, extraterritorial property relations and jurisdictional struggles. She is engaged in debates on higher education, and lectures in Sociology at the University of Sussex. This week, Maïa Pal explores the lessons…
“I melt the glass with my forehead”
Joanna Callaghan is a filmmaker and Senior Lecturer in Film Production at the University of Sussex. This week, Joanna shares her documentary “I melt the glass with my forehead”. The film made in collaboration with Martin McQuillan explores the state of higher education in the wake of the introduction of £9,000 tuition fees. In the autumn of…