Spring School 2026 – Medien : Extraktivismus
Media Climate Justice: At the intersection of media and cultural studies and activism
17.-19. April 2026, Quartiershalle in der Ko Fabrik, Bochum
The MEDIA EXTRACTIVISM Spring School explores, at the intersection of media and cultural studies and activism, how “raw materials” are extracted, used, constructed, imagined, and negotiated in discourse. In doing so, it examines the complex interweaving of materiality, media representation, imagination, and the social attribution of meaning. The goal is to connect academic perspectives with climate policy action, thereby providing new impetus for a critical analysis of media-driven extraction that critically expands the public understanding of sustainability and, in light of the urgency to act, finds ways to address the climate catastrophe.
The Spring School MEDIA EXTRACTIVISM explores, at the intersection of media and cultural studies and activism, how “raw materials” are extracted, used, constructed, imagined, and discursively negotiated. In doing so, it reflects on the complex interweaving of materiality, media representation, imagination, and the societal attribution of meaning.
- What images, narratives, and frames shape public perceptions of raw materials, energy sources, or sustainable alternatives?
- How do journalistic, social, and artistic formats portray the fragility and urgency of resources, as well as their creative power of healing and care?
- Which extractive regimes do algorithmic and cloud-based systems generate or perpetuate?
- How do we narrate the water, land use, and energy conflicts associated with AI and cloud computing?
- Where can we mobilize and practice resistance against extractive violence in our everyday lives?
The Spring School invites scholars, activists, and journalists to explore theoretical and empirical approaches to resources as phenomena of media culture. Within the framework of the Spring School, we aim not only to analyze discourses and representations but also to conceive new performative and participatory communication formats. The goal is to connect scholarly perspectives with climate policy action, thereby providing new impetus for a critical analysis of media-driven extraction that critically expands the public understanding of sustainability and, in light of the urgency to act, finds ways to address the climate catastrophe.
We look forward to lectures and workshops with Migration Audio Archive, Jakob Claus, Gerko Egert, Azadeh Ganjeh, Matthias Grotkopp, Mariette Kesting, Frederike Lange, Petra Löffler, Julia Nitschke, Maike Reinerth, Rémi Willemin, and others.
Studierende, Lehrende und ihre Seminargruppen sind – etwa im Rahmen von Exkursionen – herzlich willkommen, an unserer Media Climate Justice Spring School no. 3 in Bochum teilzunehmen. Infos und Anmeldung unter: mail@mediaclimatejustice.org
