"Comparative studies of journalism have become immensely popular in recent times, yet a range of methodological and logistical challenges persist in existing work. This introduction to the special issue on “Comparing Journalistic Cultures” provides a brief overview of these challenges, before pr
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oviding an overview of the genesis of the Worlds of Journalism Study, an unprecedented, global and collaborative undertaking to examine journalistic culture in 66 countries. In particular, we reflect on how the study approached and aimed to solve methodological challenges, providing some ideas that may aid future studies in this field." (Abstract)
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"Research on popular culture is a dynamic, fast-growing domain. In scholarly terms, it cuts across many areas, including communication studies, sociology, history, American studies, anthropology, literature, journalism, folklore, economics, and media and cultural studies. The Routledge Companion to
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Global Popular Culture provides an authoritative, up-to-date, intellectually broad, internationally-aware, and conceptually agile guide to the most important aspects of popular culture scholarship. Specifically, this Companion includes: "interdisciplinary models and approaches for analyzing popular culture; wide-ranging case studies; discussions of economic and policy underpinnings; analysis of textual manifestations of popular culture; examinations of political, social, and cultural dynamics and discussions of emerging issues such as ecological sustainability and labor. Featuring scholarly voices from across six continents, The Routledge Companion to Global Popular Culture presents a nuanced and wide-ranging survey of popular culture research." (Publisher description)
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"Das Handbuch bietet erstmals einen umfassenden interdisziplinären Überblick über die postkoloniale Theorie und Forschung in den Literatur- und Kulturwissenschaften. Es verbindet die Einführung in das Thema mit einer kritischen Zwischenbilanz zu diesem internationalen Forschungsfeld. Auf einen T
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heorieteil und die lexikalische Darstellung von postkolonialen Grundbegriffen folgen Artikel zur Literatur-, Kultur- und Mediengeschichte des Kolonialismus und Postkolonialismus in den betroffenen Kulturräumen sowie ein Anhang mit historischen Überblicken zu einzelnen Ländern und weiterführenden Informationen. Das Handbuch richtet sich an wissenschaftliche Leserinnen und Leser und bietet Ansatzpunkte für künftige Forschung, soll aber auch für Studierende und interessierte Laien eine verlässliche Basis zur Auseinandersetzung mit der europäischen Kolonialgeschichte, ihren kulturellen Resonanzen und ihrer postkolonialen Aufarbeitung in Literatur und Kultur bereitstellen." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"These are the latest findings from the Ipsos Perils of Perception survey. The results highlight how wrong people across 38 countries are about some key issues and features of the population in their country. Perceptions are not reality … Things are not as bad as they seem ... Only a small minorit
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y of people in most countries think the murder rate has declined in their country since 2000, despite that being true in most countries, and the overall rate across these countries having declined by 29% [...] Very few people in most countries think deaths from terrorist attacks are lower in recent years, despite that being the case in most countries [...] Most countries greatly overestimate the proportion of prisoners in their country that are immigrants, with the Netherlands, South Africa, France and the USA particularly likely to guess too high [...] All countries overestimate teenage births, and many are hugely wrong, particularly in Latin America and South Africa. But even countries with very low levels of teenage births overestimate significantly. For example, actual rates are under 1% in Canada and France but the average guess is that one in five teenagers get pregnant each year [...] Nearly six in ten people across the countries as a whole say they are unsure or believe that there is a link between vaccines and autism in healthy children, despite the claim being widely discredited. Some countries, particularly Montenegro and India, have very high levels of belief in the claim [...] (Slides 2-12)
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"Der Begriff "Weltmusik" war in den 1980er Jahren die gängige Beschreibung für Musikstile, die aus westlicher Perspektive "exotisch" wirkten. Er stand für unterschiedlichste musikalische Traditionen, die oftmals nicht viel mehr gemein hatten, als dass sie plötzlich für den westlichen Markt inte
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ressant und doch mit den dortigen Hörgewohnheiten kompatibel waren. Diesen Prozess der kulturellen Globalisierung und Aneignung bezeichnen Kritiker als koloniales Relikt, schreibt die Vermarktung von "Weltmusik" doch zuweilen die globalen asymmetrischen Machtverhältnisse fort. Nichtsdestotrotz haben es Labels, Privatleute und Communities geschafft, Hörern auf der ganzen Welt diverse Musiktraditionen näherzubringen und kulturelle Vermischungen und Transfers zu bewerkstelligen. Zusehends richtet sich der der Blick nun auf die vielfältigen, eigenständigen und unbequemen Sounds beispielsweise aus Afrika, Lateinamerika oder Asien und den hybriden Charakter vieler transnationaler Musikproduktionen, die eine "Weltmusik 2.0." oder einen "Global Pop" begründen. Dieses Buch stellt Konzepte und Diskurse sowie Akteure, Ausprägungen und Erscheinungsformen der abseits des Mainstreams bestehenden globalen Populärmusik vor und erhebt dabei nicht den Anspruch, die unermessliche Fülle regionaler Sounds zu dokumentieren oder gar zu systematisieren." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Seib traces how terrorism has proliferated and increased significantly in menace in the relatively brief period between the rise of al-Qaeda and the creation of Islamic State. With close attention to the linkages between media, religion, and violence, the book offers incisive analysis of how organi
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zations such as Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram operate and reflects on how terrorism may continue to evolve. Seib argues that twenty-first-century terrorism is enabled by new media and depends on social networks as connective tissue, while interacting simultaneously with religion and socio-economic and political grievances. As Terrorism Evolves prescribes new measures for counterterrorism efforts, underscores the importance of soft power, and makes a strong case for recognizing that we have entered an era of terrorism of undetermined duration." (Publisher description)
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"The State of Technology in Global Newsrooms is the first-ever survey on the adoption of digital technologies in news media worldwide. The International Center for Journalists, working with Georgetown University, conducted the study in 12 languages, and received more than 2,700 responses from journa
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lists and newsroom managers in 130 countries [...] Most newsrooms are not redefining roles for the digital era. Eightytwo percent of newsroom jobs remain in established roles (reporters, editors, editorial writers). About 18% are new digital roles (social media editor, digital content producer, analytics editor). Journalists use a limited range of digital skills. Of the 23 digital skills we surveyed, most newsrooms primarily use four: posting/commenting on social media (72%), taking digital photos (61%), engaging audiences on social media (58%), and distributing content across multiple platforms (56%). Digital-only and hybrid newsrooms are outpacing traditional ones in seven of the eight regions surveyed. The leader in digital is Eurasia/former USSR, with the highest percentage of digital-only newsrooms (55%) compared to anywhere else in the world. The laggard in digital is South Asia, the only region where legacy media remain dominant. Nearly half of all outlets (43%) are traditional newsrooms." (Executive summary)
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"A majority respect religious people but are divided on religion’s impact on the world and its importance for a “moral life” [...] Half of people around the world think that religion does more harm than good – but views vary greatly between some countries [...] Two in five people around the
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world say their religion defines them as a person – this is most true for Indians and South Africans [...] The majority in all countries feel “completely comfortable” being around people of different religions [...] Most countries are tolerant of people without religious beliefs – although more Indians report this as an issue compared to others [...] Only one third of countries think that religious people make “better” citizens – but this varies greatly between some countries, including India and Japan… but on average, countries are more split on whether or not religious practices are important to a “moral life”." (Pages 3-10)
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"This guide is driven by the need not to add to the library of information on violent extremism but to underscore a message often missed: to reach young people effectively, we must respect their ability to grasp the reality of injustice, intolerance, and inequity [...] we found that three key messag
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es emerged from our analysis of all Youth Contributor submissions. For each key message, we have identified a corresponding framework to guide policy support to empower stakeholders.
1. Peace, empathy, and compassion cannot be taught. These are skills that are only fully realized through experiential learning and lived experience.
Policy Action: Provide opportunities for exchange and interaction and create conducive environments in which young people can develop and practice these skills.
2. Start now. Stakeholders can take immediate and important actions, even small actions, to support a culture that prevents violent extremism. No one needs to wait for permission or a comprehensive set of instructions.
Policy Action: Provide resources such as technical support, financing, guidance, and networks to empower actors.
3. This is a long, slow process. Preventing violent extremism requires the development of a resilient culture. It is the work of expanding opportunity. All stakeholders can play critical roles in making this culture a reality." (Preface, page 10-11)
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"We have noted profound transformations in the field of media freedom, which is making progress in certain areas, but losing ground in others. Media freedom is limited in particular by many legal restrictions on the right to impart information and ideas, although progress is being made with regard t
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o legal guarantees to seek and receive information. With regard to media pluralism, the last five years have seen a considerable increase in the number of sources of information. Yet the concentration of ownership of media companies and Internet services raises major concerns. The filtering effects of social media, which create “bubbles” in which people do not access the truth or “points of view” they consider “irritating” or “inappropriate” is one example. Another is the manipulation and dissemination of false information by propaganda mouthpieces. There has also been a hiatus in the progress of gender equality in content and staffing. Trends show that media independence is weakening and the professional standards of journalism are being eroded by economic forces on the one hand and lack of recognition by political actors on the other. Media and Internet companies are increasingly aware of the need for self-regulation. Finally, with regard to the physical, psychological and digital safety of journalists, trends remain extremely alarming, although implementation of the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity offers hope. There is new momentum for mechanisms to monitor, prevent, protect and strengthen justice for crimes against journalists." (Foreword, page 10-11)
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"18 countries participated in the research, 200 representative smartphone owners from each country [...] The majority (63%) of smartphone owners worldwide use their mobile device at least every 30 minutes. This usage includes any and all different ways a mobile device can be used, from making calls,
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to checking the time, to accessing the internet [...] Nearly half (49%) of smartphone users worldwide spend at least 3 hours each day on their mobile device, 22% spend 6 hours or more. South America has the most heavy mobile users (29%) who spend 6 hours or more on mobile each day [...] The average number of mobile websites and mobile apps used is about 6 each day. China shows the strongest levels of daily consumption of both mobile websites and mobile apps." (Takeaways)
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"Wie thematisieren Staaten und internationale Organisationen Religion in den internationalen Beziehungen? Wodurch bauen sie Religionskompetenz in ihren Außenbeziehungen auf und wo arbeiten sie mit Religionsgemeinschaften erfolgreich zusammen? Was folgt daraus für Deutschlands Außenpolitik? Diese
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Studie antwortet darauf mit einem Überblick über Hauptakteure und Handlungsfelder mit Fokus auf die Religionen Christentum, Judentum und Islam. Bei den religionsbezogenen Außenpolitiken ausgewählter Staaten dient als Analyseraster der Studie die Untersuchung der wichtigsten Aktivitäten zentraler außenpolitischer Akteure mit dem Fokus auf Außenministerien und internationale Organisationen, punktuell ergänzt durch besondere Initiativen anderer Ressorts und Institutionen. Bei der Betrachtung potenzieller Dialogpartner in Europa, Mittelmeer, Afrika und Asien liegt der Schwerpunkt auf beispielhaften Projekten und Aktivitäten mit deutscher, europäischer oder interreligiöser Beteiligung. Methodisch liefert neben der Akteurs-, Institutionen-, Literatur- und Dokumentenanalyse eine nicht-repräsentative, anonymisierte schriftliche Umfrage bei über hundert Experten, Praktikern, Multiplikatoren unterschiedlicher Ebenen aus (Außen-)Politik, Religion und Wissenschaft ergänzend als Hintergrundinformation ein Meinungs- und Stimmungsbild zu Religion und (deutscher) Außenpolitik." (Zusammenfassung, Seite 6)
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"What is intercultural communication? How does perspective shape a person’s definition of the key tenets of the term and the field? These are the core questions explored by this accessible global introduction to intercultural communication. Each chapter explores the topic from a different geograph
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ic, religious, theoretical, and/or methodological perspective, with an emphasis on non-Western approaches, including Buddhist, South American, Muslim, and Chinese perspectives." (Back cover)
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"These are the latest findings from the Ipsos Perils of Perception survey. The results highlight how wrong people across 40 countries are about some key issues and features of the population in their country. Perceptions are not reality… Nearly all countries overestimate their Muslim population, a
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nd many are extraordinarily wrong [...] Nearly every country thinks their Muslim population will grow much more than is projected [...] Every country thinks people are much less happy than they say they are [...] People are often very wrong on how acceptable their fellow citizens find homosexuality [...] Countries are also often very wrong on how acceptable people find sex before marriage [...] (Slides 2-12)
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"Based on data collected from 97 countries through the UIS 2014 Survey on Feature Film Statistics, the following observations on diversity can be made: In 2012, the number of feature films greatly increased throughout the world, and the following year a new production record was hit: 7,610 movies. H
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owever, the sustained growth of global production during the 2005-2013 period has not undermined the weight of the main production countries: India, the United States, China, Japan and a set of Western European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Spain. This finding, in the attempt to analyse the diversity of sources, reveals a high degree of concentration of production in the economic superpowers and in some of the most heavily-populated countries of the world. A special case in point is India, the country with the second-largest population, and the number-one filmmaking country, which is experiencing a major growth in production. India produced 1,041 movies in 2005 to 1,724 movies in 2013. The number of feature films produced in 2013, mostly with digital technology and at multiple sites, represented over one-fifth of worldwide production[...]" (Conclusion, page 35)
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