Media, Communication & Culture

• Reporte 2015

Medios Masivos y Cultura Popular- Resumen de Actividades y Reporte del Board Durante LASA 2015 en Puerto Rico, la Sección de Medios Masivos y Cultura Popular presentó dos mesas. Una organizada por la membresía (La cultura popular en los medios masivos) sobre la relación entre cultura, medios masivos y mercado; y otra organizada por el Board (Los Paradigmas Teóricos frente a la Cultura: Prácticas, Lecturas, Reconstituciones) sobre los nuevos desafíos teóricos y los nuevos vocabularios necesarios para pensar los cambios en nuestro campo de estudio. Ambas contaron con una nutrida asistencia y fueron seguidas de interesantes discusiones en las que intervinieron tanto los presentadores como el público. Lamentablemente, por cuestiones organizativas fue necesario suspender la recepción. Durante el Bussiness Meeting, se renovó el cargo de chair a Silvia Kurlat Ares y de co-chair a Matthew Bush. El resto de los miembros de Board acordó permanecer en sus cargos por otro año. El Board decidió que para LASA en New York se mantendrá el mismo formato de mesas dado que la sección mantiene la posibilidad de hacer dos mesas (correlativas al número de miembros) para el 2016. Un llamado a los miembros saldrá en los próximos días. En relación a este punto, se decidió volver a trabajar los listados del google group para actualizar la información y agilizar las comunicaciones.Se decidió no incurrir en gastos y seguir acumulando capital por otro año (el tercero) para dejar que la sección afiance tanto membresía como identidad. A partir del 2016 se planeará qué hacer con los fondos acumulados desde la fundación de la sección.

• 2014 Report

In line with decisions taken at the Washington D.C. Congress (for which see last year's report), the agenda for the "Mass Media and Popular Culture" Section in 2013-2014 was to organize a section panel for LASA 2014 in Chicago, IL, to organize a Pre-Conference that took place on Wednesday 21st, to update the section's website and to update the listserv.  These last two items were completed early in the year, as the section built up its presence on the website provided by LASA and organized an email list software. We used the list to circulate information among members (for instance about events and research grants), encourage communication and the sharing of research. Our Section Panel in Chicago provide us the opportunity to discuss issues of theory and objects of study within popular culture and to continue the rich dialogue started the day before during the pre-conference where we adressed topics as diverse as traditional mass media in community setting, new e-communities and communications, the relations between poltics and popular culture, and the role of the state as a regulator. The business meeting confirmed the continuing term of the section's chair, Silvia Kurlat Ares (Independent Researcher) and a new co- chair, Matthew Bush (Lehigh University) as well as the renewal of Board Members Pedro Pablo Porben, (Bowling Green State University), Giancarlo Stagnaro (Tulane University), and Pablo Alabarces, (Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires). The Board welcomes new member Juanita Darling (San Francisco State University). It was resolved that for the coming year, the section's priorities would be 1) rewriting the section's definition and charter, especially in the light of the discussions that have taken place during the Chicago Conference, 2) to organize a section panel that would address a major issue within the field, and 3) to continue the active enrollement of section members in order to increase visibility and presence within LASA.

• Mass Media and Popular Culture Initial Report, 2013

The main activity of the Mass Media and Popular Culture Section this year was to organize the Section and to establish a Council and a membership. In Washington we held our first Business Meeting and elections. The lineup of our current can be found on the Section Board Page.

At our first meeting it was agreed that for next year the section´s goals will be to generate a Google Group and a Facebook page.

Over the summer the Section will send a CFP in order to organize its activities for LASA 2014. We are planning on organizing at least one round table on current theoretical issues on popular culture and we are exploring the possibility of organizing a one day Pre-conference. The Council members welcome any question, comment, or suggestion.