Book review: China and post-socialist development by Andrzej Bolesta

China’s transformation into one of the world’s biggest economies stands as an exceptional example of economic development. China and Post-Socialist Development looks in depth at the mechanisms and factors contributing to China’s success. Indrani Lahiri applauds Andrzej Bolesta‘s work as a novel contribution to the field and finds compelling arguments on how economic nationalism has played a dominant role in China’s market economic environment

Book review: cyber policy in China by Greg Austin

China’s rise is one of the defining issues of our time, but its democratic and human rights credentials continue to worry observers. In his new book on cyber policy in China, Greg Austin looks at the way that cyber policy works in China, and links into issues of democracy, rights and freedoms in what is soon to become the world’s largest economy, in what Indrani Lahiri describes as a ‘must read’

Case Study: Creating Public Relations Campaigns for Social Change Using the SDGs

An assessment and teaching plan which enabled students to create their own social change campaign based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Unlikely Bedfellows? The Media and Government Relations in West Bengal (1977-2011)

This thesis examines the relationship between the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Front Government and the media in the provincial state of West Bengal, India, during the thirty four years (1977-2011) period when the party was in government. The main aim of the thesis is to investigate the relation between the CPI (M) led Left Front Government and the media in West Bengal (1977-2011), the role of the media in stabilising or destabilising the Left Front Government, the impact of neoliberalism on the Left Front Government and their relation with the media, the role of the media in communicating developmental policies of the LFG to the public and finally the role which the mainstream and the party controlled media played in the public sphere. These questions are addressed through document research of CPI (M)’s congress and conference reports, manifestos, press releases, pamphlets, leaflets, booklets; and interviews with the CPI (M) leadership and the Editors and Bureau Chiefs of the key newspapers and television channels in West Bengal. The findings are contextualised within a broader discussion of the political and historical transitions India and West Bengal have gone through in this period (chapter 4). This is the first study looking at the relationship between the media and the CPI (M) led Left Front Government over a period of thirty four years (1977-2011). The thesis finds that neoliberalism in India had considerable effects on the CPI (M), the media and their relationship. The research finds a continuous effort from the mainstream and the party-controlled media to dominate the public sphere leading debates in order to seek some form of political consensus in order to govern. The media in West Bengal were politically divided between the left and the opposition. The research finds that this generated a market for political advertisements and political news contributing to a politically polarised media market in West Bengal that assisted in generating revenue for the media. The findings also suggest that the media contributed to rather than played a determining role in destabilising the Left Front Government. Finally the research finds that the CPI (M) had an arduous relation with the media since 1977 when the party decided to participate in the parliamentary democracy. The LFG and the mainstream media entered into an antagonistic relationship post 1991 contributing to a politically polarised media market in West Bengal

Book review

China’s rise is one of the defining issues of our time, but its democratic and human rights credentials continue to worry observers. In his new book on cyber policy in China, Greg Austin looks at the way that cyber policy works in China, and links into issues of democracy, rights and freedoms in what is soon to become the world’s largest economy, in what Indrani Lahiri describes as a ‘must read’. Book Review: Cyber Policy in China by Greg Austin. Polity Press. 201

Community resilience in times of the pandemic

We are adapting to a new situation. There is a huge potential to learn life lessons if we can cultivate the practice of critical reflection (social, emotional, mental, physical, spiritual). Being critically reflective is an attitude that can be developed through continuous practice. In a time of global instability and uncertainty, ‘disorientations and reorientations’ are the new normal that affects the way we think. Thoughts do have an impact on our actions and behaviours. Without a concrete direction and clarity, we are exposed to the uncertain thoughts that can be emotionally uncomfortable and blur our vision of the future. Being critically reflective enhances the chance of recovery, by connecting us to our fundamental values, and teaching us to manage internal and external conflicts, even if we cannot resolve them. Critical reflection is an important component that has the power to affect our mental wellbeing. In difficult times, keeping a record, either in digital journals or a diary, depending on individual preferences, can influence our individual strategies for survival and empower individuals with ways to remain resilient during change

Centre for Urban Research on Austerity (CURA) Interdisciplinary Research Partnerships Fund

The pilot project aims to address tensions identified with the ‘migrant children schooling crisis’ as it is portrayed in the media and the challenges this brings to local authorities and schools who have to place and educate ‘migrant children’. This is an intersectional study between the media framing of neoliberalism, framing of tensions within the education sector and the reality of how local authorities and schools deal with those tensions. The project investigates this by undertaking a frame analysis of newspapers (2015-2018) , interviewing local authority advisors, Executive Head of MATS, Chair of Governors, school Teachers and Head Teachers and is based in Leicestershire. The project aligns with CURA’s strategic focus on developing interdisciplinary, cross-faculty research partnerships involving education, media and politics. The project has the potential to expand the reach by engaging with psychology looking at building resilience within schools, depending on the findings from this pilot study. The study is aimed at reducing inequalities in society (UNSDG 10) by devising strategies and tools to survive in the age of austerity. The project further benefits from the interdisciplinary collaboration with health and mental health research here at DM

Constructive alignment and multimodal approaches – Innovative Media pedagogies in Public Relations

This paper also appeals to education research. open access articleThis paper aims to investigate and understand the contribution of innovative pedagogies in media education through empirical findings from the classroom that emerges out of a reflective practice. Media education in the twenty-first century is about innovation, creative engagement and social thinking. One can interpret media education from two perspectives- one, where media is used in teaching, two, media used for learning. This paper argues that when constructively aligned outcome based teaching and learning is combined with the multimodal approaches in media education, it enhances assignment output of the students and has the potential to transcend geographical boundaries. For students of 21st century, technology has proved to be their natural learning habitat. As teachers we need to be supportive and adaptive of these changes by engaging innovatively with the technologies. Even in the 21st century we find a cultural divide among the teaching populace in embracing multimodality. Hence, it is essential to be mindful of the 'digital native' and 'digital immigrant debate'. The research has a constructivist grounding and takes a phenomenological approach. The paper uses data from undergraduate classroom and critically analyses the engagement of the cohort. This paper focuses on the Public Relations modules at undergraduate level for year 2 and 3

Digital Futures Symposium

Call for papers We invite contributions to a Special Issue on Big Data, AI and Digital Futures: Challenges, changes and continuities, to be published by the AI & Society Journal of Culture, Knowledge and Communication (Springer) http://link.springer.com/journal/146. This special issue arises from the Big Data, AI and Robotics (BDAIR 18) Research Symposium at the De Montfort University (DMU). The main objective of this special issue is to encourage cross-disciplinary, interdisciplinary research and international research collaboration. ============================= SPECIAL ISSUE THEMES ============================= Aims: The aim of this special issue is to address the societal complex issues emerging from the recent advances in AI. As we look for answers to address new challenges, we look at the impact of AI and big data on our futures in the context of society. Content How might algorithms and big data shape our digital futures? In what ways can the semantic web impact our everyday life? Are there ways of envisioning a structure for managing data in a meaningful way, which may offer a transformational experience? We are witnessing a shift in political, social, cultural and technical relations which are increasingly driven by big data and algorithms. Our external environment is being codified leading to an increased level of surveillance both at personal and professional levels. This in itself is a challenge to privacy and data protection. We are already experiencing self-monitoring and tracking with the devices we wear that prompt us to engage in certain behaviours. Are we far from a day when technology will induce behavioural changes, not only at cognitive level but also at conative levels? What for claims that Big Data will make theory redundant? What ontological and epistemological issues arise in relation to these technologies? Our thoughts, emotions and actions are increasingly getting interpellated by algorithms and data. How does that then impact on the ‘Logos-Pathos-Ethos’ of our lives? Sophia bot froze on the question of corruption in Ukraine. On the other hand, we witnessed “the great British Brexit robbery” (Guardian, 2017) that proved whoever owns the data actually wins the campaign, election and the world. Cambridge Analytics Brexit has been one of the popular searches on the internet. At the same time, big data pose challenges as they generate noise and that means data often can be indecipherable, bewildering and recherché. Disruptions are common when we deal with data in any subject area. Therefore, it is cardinal to address the technological complexity, not only through academic research, scholarship and pedagogic practice but also industry engagement. On the other hand, big data and algorithms embed innovation and we encounter technologies in a transformational way, where conversations and dialogic interventions are rapid. Perhaps due to the contrasting ways in which we engage with big data and algorithms, the need for well-defined theoretical frameworks and methodological tools are increasingly in demand Siapera, 2018). Readership National and International We will invite experts both nationally and internationally to contribute to this special issue Goal Our goal is to offer an interdisciplinary coverage of the area explored, by bringing together perspectives from different domains such as computer science, design studies, business, cultural anthropology, arts and humanities and social sciences. In particular, we welcome contributions that explore the following themes: Themes Topics include, but are not limited to, the following: Media datafication and neoliberalism Data and business Social media and big data Big data, PR and Advertising Big data and politics Ethics, privacy and technology Data and sustainability Personalisation, Machine learning and AI Social bots and the management of sociality Quantified self and data cultures Data and education Researching media and culture using data methods Data visualisation, art and design Social responsibility and innovation Data and health Mobile and locative media Data and surveillance Using Big Data to test social theories Social data collection and novelt

Thank you Superheroes digital gratitude

Volume IAmidst all the lockdown dark clouds, these colourful pictures gave us a reason to celebrate. At children stories in times of Corona, we organised weekly events. Then we published those as digital volumes. We have send these images to the local care homes to uplift moods and share positive vibes