European Culture And The Media

We are witnessing a dynamic reshaping of the European 'mediascape'. This has been underway for more than a decade since the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the growing impact of globalisation, and the birth of new technologies and new media, or the convergence between old and new media. A new and more intense 'mediatisation' of society and everyday life is emerging. This is happening alongside the rapid reconstruction of the cultural and economic landscape of Europe itself. In this transformation the communicative and ideological dimensions, the digitalisation of technology, and changes in culture - 'the imaginary', the discursive universe of politics and communication, are all crucial areas for research. The cultural industries, (film, television, books, magazines, entertainment and music), but also the world of news, actuality, 'infotainment' and the internet, are key areas for the study of what we may begin to understand as a changing European culture in all its complexity and with all its differences and conflicts. The media and the cultural industries are among the fastest growing sectors in the global economy.

The areas of media and cultural policy offer a unique prism through which to understand wider processes of European integration. Questions of European identity, citizenship and community or polity-building clearly resolve themselves as questions of the (non-)emergence of a European ‘communicative space’. At the same time, as a more specific area of policy study, the role which has or may be played by the European institutions themselves in the fostering of such a ‘communicative space’ raises questions as to both the effectiveness and the legitimacy of their interventions. This volume in the European Studies series brings fresh, interdisciplinary insight into this relatively understudied area, making the case for a renewed look at the trajectory of cultural and media policies in the EU. Distinctively, the collection offers a historical and socio-political analysis of major media policies in the European Union, allowing for the contextualisation of recent developments; turns its attention to areas largely neglected by scholarly publishing, such as the press, the culture of the newsroom, and the role of media in an enlarged Europe; and addresses media and cultural policies as an interrelated part of EU construction, through questions of identity and political representation. Media and Cultural Policy in the European Union will be of interest to scholars and students of Cultural and Media Studies, European Studies, and European Integration, as well as appealing to broader Social Science audiences concerned with the politics and policy of cultural diversity.

Presents research on Europe, from social, political and cultural perspectives, equally focusing on each dimension of democracy in Europe. This book discusses the role of the media, communication policy and the question of how the media report on Europe runs as a thread through various contributions.

This book contributes to the theoretical and policy debate on the existence of a European public sphere. It presents a critical discussion of the links between media, history and politics in Europe today, examining the re-organization of ideological and political dimensions and debates the existence of a European editorial culture.

Appearing more than twenty years after the revolutions in Central and Eastern Europe, this book could not have come at a more appropriate time; a time to take stock not only of the changes but also the continuities in media systems of the region since 1989. To what extent are media institutions still controlled by political forces? To what extent are media markets operating in Central and Eastern Europe? Do media systems in Central and Eastern Europe resemble media systems in other parts of Europe? The answers to these questions are not the same for each country in the region. Their experience is not homogeneous. An international line up of distinguished experts and emerging scholars methodically examine the different economic, political, cultural, and transnational factors affecting developments in media systems across Central and Eastern Europe. Whereas earlier works in the media system tradition have, in the main, adopted the political framework of comparative politics, the authors argue that media systems are also cultural and economic institutions and there are other critical variables that might explain certain outcomes better. Topics discussed range from political economy to gender inequality to the study of ethno-cultural diversity. This unmatched volume gives you the unique opportunity to study the growing field of comparative media analysis across Eastern and Western Europe. A valuable resource that goes beyond the field of media and cultural analysis which media scholars as well as to area specialists should not go without!

In the 20th and 21st centuries, American media have been continually received, adapted, and transformed by European cultures. Initially based on the competition among the early film industries and continuing with today's global dominance of American web-based companies, these productive exchanges entail complex economic, aesthetic, and cultural negotiations. The dynamic and scope of these negotiations has been ambiguous, ranging from instances of cultural imperialism to the subversion of social and cultural hierarchies. More often than not, they have furthered the exchange of creative ideas and the cross-fertilization of media and art productions. This publication highlights core arenas of transnational cultural encounters including photography, film, fashion, advertising, television, and the new media. It asks not merely how American media productions were received in different European cultural contexts but how they shaped the idea of distinct yet interconnected European identities.

This volume represents a clear attempt to learn something from the events in Eastern European countries. It does not start with simplistic or old assumptions based on convenient Western communication models, but instead takes a new approach. If chaos theory could fundamentally change how physicists looked at order in the universe, then it may be of value for communication scholars to attempt to understand the diversity of chaos or order in the human universe, rather than attempt to force existing models on it for their own explanatory purposes. This book is not merely based on the study of select groups of university students or on laboratory settings created in the minds of social scientists. It seeks to understand some of the "real world," including the historical backgrounds and the theoretical assumptions brought to studies of intercultural conflicts. Using personal and professional insights developed during firsthand contacts with existing situations, chapter authors illustrate some of the realities by using the complexity of changes in Eastern European states during the final decade of the 20th century. From education to business, from the role of women to the role of mass media, from the impact of political systems to the impact of history, communication between those who are culturally diverse, though they may have been arbitrarily forced to live under the same "political roof," is the theme of these scholarly studies. The editor's reason for developing this volume of original essays is his belief that diversity rather than assumed similarity or even sameness -- based on the use of inadequate terminology -- is necessary for learning from contemporary human experiences. He further believes that diversity and the significant roles of cultural values as well as of history need to become key concepts in the model with which to begin when it comes to the study of various aspects of intercultural communication. It is therefore vital that scholars who represent various points of view and backgrounds contribute to that process. After all, understanding what is happening in the world is centrally anchored in or related to effective and successful "intercultural" communication between scholars who have different academic and personal backgrounds.

Compares models of media and politics in Central and Eastern Europe.