Aarhus Universitets segl

ECREA decides to host its 9th communication conference in 2022 in Aarhus

The European Communications Research and Education Association (ECREA) has decided to host its 9th European Communication Conference in 2022 in Aarhus (Denmark). The application was prepared by colleagues from the Department of Media and Journalism Studies in collaboration with Visit Aarhus and a range of local partners. The conference theme is “Rethink Impact” and will bring together well over 1,000 scholars in media and communication research. It is for the first time that this important conference will be held in a Nordic country.

“We were impressed by the professionalism of the application and the relevance of the proposed theme “Rethink Impact” for media and  communication research in Europe. The emphasis on sustainability of the event itself, involving the university campus, the city, its citizens and cultural institutions shows that the organisers want the theme to resonate with the university and city itself. We look forward to working and collaborating with the local organizers on ECC 2022 in Aarhus,” said Irena Reifová, ECREA General Secretary.

In times of a global pandemic, the importance of media and communication in all domains of society calls for new approaches in research and its communication across domains and disciplines. The conference shall contribute to this development and foster new international collaborations as well as showcasing the work of  researchers and research centres at the Faculty of Arts and the School of Communication and Culture.

“We are proud and honored to have ECREA 2020. Hosting the conference is important to the University and Faculty of Arts as they strengthen our international networks, boost the worldwide visibility of Aarhus and our positions of strength, attract new talents, bring new knowledge and innovation of the highest quality, and create strong networks and collaboration between us and the nearby companies and organisations. The big effort and close collaboration between our local organisers, VisitAarhus and other players around the city is essential to this success,” says  Johnny Laursen, Dean of the Faculty of  Arts.

Building on Rethink Legacy in Aarhus

The theme of “Rethink Impact” builds on a legacy of previous initiatives and experiences around rethink when Aarhus was the European Capital of Culture in 2017, bringing together stakeholders from academia, business, civil society and policy to develop pathways to a sustainable future society. The theme for ECREA 2022 offers media and communication scholars from a broad range of disciplines a possibility to critically assess and actively shape impact of research and education in society while fostering European values of inclusiveness, equality, diversity and fairness.

The Local Organising Committee (LOC) will be led by Christoph Raetzsch (Chair), Anne Marit Waade (Vice Chair) and Henrik Bødker (Vice Chair) from the Department of Media and Journalism Studies: “As a committee are very excited and happy about ECREA 2022 coming to Aarhus together with our colleagues at the university and partners in the city we want to engage the European community of media and communication scholars in new ways of innovative research, collaborations and dialogues with society. Welcome to Aarhus in 2022.”  

The LOC will collaborate closely with the Executive Board of ECREA, affiliated Departments at Aarhus University and a range of local partners including the Danish School of Media and Journalism (DMJX), DOKK1, Filmby Aarhus, Smart Aarhus, Danish Film Institute, TV2, Metronome, M2 Film, Central Denmark Region, Aarhus Municipality and Visit Aarhus.


About ECREA

The European Communications Research and Education Association (ECREA) is the largest European association of media and communication scholars with well over 2,500 members. ECREA is organised into 24 thematic Sections, each developing a distinctive field of communication studies, 4 Temporary Working Groups which focus on emerging or underrepresented fields within media and communication studies, and 3 permanent Networks representing specific socio-demographic categories of scholars.


Contact the Local Organising Committee:

Christoph Raetzsch

craetzsch@cc.au.dk