Gender, Media and the Public Sphere

The Institute of Journalism Studies of The University of Coimbra (IEJ) and the Research Center for Media and Journalism (CIMJ) are pleased to announce the international conference «gender, media and public sphere» on the 22 and 23rd of October 2009 in Coimbra, Portugal. Welcome to the Conference which we hope will be enjoyable and thought provoking.

Gender equality is a human rights issue and a condition of social justice. Claims involving equality between women and men in all areas of life are best advanced in the public sphere, where they are subject to information and debate, allowing women and men to express their needs and establish an informed opinion, contributing to a more gender-balanced society.

Of the different institutions that constitute this public sphere, the media have possibly the most basic function. The media must therefore be approached as key elements in the social construction of political public opinion and as central institutions of the public sphere, fulfilling an ideal role in the democratization of collective life in general and in the promotion of equality in particular. The media play a vital role in the mediation of the different activities and discursive arenas that make up the public sphere, namely between civil society, political rulers and citizens. They can also play a very significant role in establishing a social and political awareness of gender inequalities that need to be adressed, as well as in the empowerment of individuals and organizations with that mission. Media, however, do not simply convey the issues and claims put forward by other actors of collective life. Rather, they speak in their own voice, clearly influencing the public agenda. On the other hand, the media’s dystopic logics – as often seen in their discursive and image constructions of women and gender inequalities, in their power to render visible and invisible certain people and issues, and in their ability to enact unequal interactions – have become areas of concern that need to be researched.

The Conference aims to be a significant gathering point for researchers, organizations, media professionals, government agencies, and students, to discuss these and other issues relating to the mediation of gender.

For all other details please visit the Conference website.