Inaugurele rede uitgesproken in verkorte vorm bij de aanvaarding van de positie van lector Meertaligheid en Geletterdheid aan de NHL Stenden Hogeschool. In deze rede gaat Joana Duarte dieper in op het thema meertaligheid in het onderwijs vanuit een sociolinguïstisch perspectief op het noorden van Nederland.
Social media is a transformative digital technology, collapsing the “six degrees ofseparation” which have previously characterized many social networks, and breaking down many of the barriers to individuals communicating with each other. Some commentators suggest that this is having profound effects across society, that social media have opened up new channels for public debates and have revolutionized the communication of prominent public issues such as climate change. In this article we provide the first systematic and critical review of the literature on social media and climate change. We highlight three key findings from the literature: a substantial bias toward Twitter studies, the prevalent approaches to researching climate change on social media (publics, themes, and professional communication), and important empirical findings (the use of mainstream information sources, discussions of “settled science,” polarization, and responses to temperature anomalies).Following this, we identify gaps in the existing literature that should beaddressed by future research: namely, researchers should consider qualitativestudies, visual communication and alternative social media platforms to Twitter.We conclude by arguing for further research that goes beyond a focus on sciencecommunication to a deeper examination of how publics imagine climate changeand its future role in social life.
Biodiversity, including entire habitats and ecosystems, is recognized to be of great social and economic value. Conserving biodiversity has therefore become a task of international NGO’s as well as grass-roots organisations. The ‘classical’ model of conservation has been characterised by creation of designated nature areas to allow biodiversity to recover from the effects of human activities. Typically, such areas prohibit entry other than through commercial ecotourism or necessary monitoring activities, but also often involve commodification nature. This classical conservation model has been criticized for limiting valuation of nature to its commercial worth and for being insensitive to local communities. Simultaneously, ‘new conservation’ approaches have emerged. Propagating openness of conservation approaches, ‘new conservation’ has counteracted the calls for strict measures of biodiversity protection as the only means of protecting biodiversity. In turn, the ’new conservation’ was criticised for being inadequate in protecting those species that are not instrumental for human welfare. The aim of this article is to inquire whether sustainable future for non-humans can be achieved based on commodification of nature and/or upon open approaches to conservation. It is argued that while economic development does not necessarily lead to greater environmental protection, strict regulation combined with economic interests can be effective. Thus, economic approaches by mainstream conservation institutions cannot be easily dismissed. However, ‘new conservation’ can also be useful in opening up alternatives, such as care-based and spiritual approaches to valuation of nature. Complementary to market-based approaches to conservation, alternative ontologies of the human development as empathic beings embedded in intimate ethical relations with non-humans are proposed. https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenkopnina/
This PD project explores alternative approaches to audiovisual technologies in art and creative practices by reimagining and reinventing marginalized and decommodified devices through Media Archaeology, artistic experimentation, and hands-on technical reinvention. This research employs Media Archaeology to uncover “obsolete” yet artistically relevant technologies and hands-on technical reinvention to adapt these tools for contemporary creative practices. It seeks to develop experimental self-built devices that critically engage with media materiality, exploring alternative aesthetic possibilities through practice-based investigations into the cultural and historical dimensions of media technologies. These developments provide artists with new creative possibilities beyond mainstream commercial standardized tools and infrastructures. A key component of this project is collaborative innovation with artist-run analog film communities, such as Filmwerkplaats. By fostering knowledge exchange and artistic experimentation, this research ensures that reinvented tools remain relevant to both analog film communities and contemporary media art practices. The intended outcomes directly benefit two key groups: • Artist-run film labs gain sustainable methods for evolving their practices, reducing dependence on scarce, out-of-production equipment. • Digital-native artists are introduced to alternative methods for engaging with analog processes and media materiality, expanding their creative toolkit. This collaboration also strengthens art and design education by embedding alternative technological perspectives and research methodologies into curricula, providing students and practitioners with resourceful, sustainable approaches to working with technology. It advocates for a more diverse educational paradigm that incorporates media-technological history and critical reflection on the ideologies of linear technological progress. Ultimately, this research fosters critical discourse on media culture, challenges the dominance of corporate proprietary systems, and promotes innovation, redefining the relationship between creativity and technology.
There are many digital tools and online agendas that try to help people in getting a clear overview of the cultural events and venues available in their city. They generate an overview which is quite suitable for finding commercial, mainstream entertainment events but most of the time they lack the ‘in depth’ content. As such, they are quite ‘generic’ and overlook the niches and specific sub-genres that define the heart of the cultural sector of a city (and match the individual preferences of the consumer). On the other hand, larger cities, with more than 100.000 inhabitants, may have websites or apps that counter this mainstream approach but tend to be too ‘cultural’, in the sense that they focus on artistic niche cultures or on specific events for very small target audiences. Both approaches make it challenging for (starting) artists to reach their potential audiences in a structural way and in that sense ‘valorise’ their content. A combination of those approaches could work, but that leads to the problem of overchoice, and requires a better filtering system. The “Just What I Want project” aims to bridge this gap in approach and uses the knowledge of experienced parties like the Groningen Night Mayor and the conclusions that were drawn after 3 years of the existence of the Here & Now in Groningen platform to generate a new form of cultural participation. This participation is intended to suit a wide variety of audiences and their potential events as well as venues and the audience that they search for.
There are many digital tools and online agendas that try to help people in getting a clear overview of the cultural events and venues available in their city. They generate an overview which is quite suitable for finding commercial, mainstream entertainment events but most of the time they lack the ‘in depth’ content. As such, they are quite ‘generic’ and overlook the niches and specific sub-genres that define the heart of the cultural sector of a city (and match the individual preferences of the consumer). On the other hand, larger cities, with more than 100.000 inhabitants, may have websites or apps that counter this mainstream approach but tend to be too ‘cultural’, in the sense that they focus on artistic niche cultures or on specific events for very small target audiences. Both approaches make it challenging for (starting) artists to reach their potential audiences in a structural way and in that sense ‘valorise’ their content. A combination of those approaches could work, but that leads to the problem of overchoice, and requires a better filtering system. The “Just What I Want project” aims to bridge this gap in approach and uses the knowledge of experienced parties like the Groningen Night Mayor and the conclusions that were drawn after 3 years of the existence of the Here & Now in Groningen platform to generate a new form of cultural participation. This participation is intended to suit a wide variety of audiences and their potential events as well as venues and the audience that they search for.
