About

The purpose of the Section Visual Cultures is to foster our shared interests in visual cultures. It is part of ECREA, the European Communication Research and Education Association.

The main work of the section is structured around four aims:

1. to provide a recurring forum for research on visual culture and material practices
   
2. to encourage and develop theoretical and empirical work in the field,
   
3. to publish and communicate work to academic and non-academic audiences, and
   
4. to forge connections with other ECREA Sections and Temporary Working Groups.

We would like to extend the current work of the Section beyond it, as we understand (and have observed) colleagues across ECREA are increasingly engaging with visual material and visual practices. In short, we aim to highlight the relevance of our work to Media and Communication scholars interested in media representation and practices. 

Pragmatically, we organise hands-on research events that provide opportunities to think together about various methodological alternatives to engage with the study of the visual. We think of these events as spaces of intersection with both scholars of nearby research-focuses/disciplines, such as Visual Sociology and Visual Literacy Association, as well as a way to affirm Visual Cultures as a field within Media and Communication Studies. Importantly, we plan to seek formats of collaboration that will allow the Section members to disseminate and engage with visual research methods across ECREA and beyond, with an aim for joint publications and research projects.

Conceptually, we build onto the relative recent discussion around the embedment and relations of visual material in/to multiple media forms and media practices. We also acknowledge that the exploration of the visual in society needs to include how vision and looking are central aspects of creating meaning, and what machine vision will bring to the table.