Transformative Research

An abstract painting.

The Moses Shumow Transformative Research Award, supported by the Social Justice + Media Symposium and The J Word: A Podcast by Journalism Practice, recognizes research from early-career academics across the globe who represent the aims and interests of dedicated scholar-activists across the field.

You can listen to discussions with previous years' recognized scholars at https://bit.ly/3U267TA and https://bit.ly/3B1JXu7

How to Apply

Nominations should include:  

1. a single academic research or scholarly publication or work-in-progress (up to 8,000 words) published (or under acceptance) since 2022, and 

2. a one-page letter indicating the scholar’s interpretation of how the work advances community transformation and social justice.

 


Nominations from the works’ authors or others will be accepted until February 15, 2023. Email applications to Dr. Robert Gutsche, Jr. at [email protected]. The award will be selected by members of the Social Justice + Media Symposium Award Committee and will be announced at the hybrid symposium at Nevada State College, in Henderson, Nevada, USA, March 31, 2023. Recipients will notified by March 1, 2023, will be invited to give a brief talk on their research at the conference (either virtually or in-person), and will be invited to discuss their work on “The J Word: A Podcast by Journalism Practice” (https://thejword.buzzsprout.com), though recipients’ works need not be related directly to journalism.


​Early career researcher (including doctoral student) applications from and/or related to the Global South and from applicants that are from or relate to diverse backgrounds across the globe are encouraged to apply. Applications in languages other than English are encouraged and invited, though translation of material to English will be necessary for review processes.


For consideration, applicants’ work-in-progress or published (or accepted) peer-reviewed articles could align with one or more of the following or related themes:

  - Narrations of transnationalism, identity, policy, and mobility in media messaging

- Influences of language and identity in communicating social justice aims and approaches

- Discussions on and with immigrant communities about social justice, advocacy, and inclusivity

- Forms of participatory research to engage citizens into building scholarly awareness of social issues

- Diaspora and its representations in storytelling on identity, inequality, and agency

- Intersectional feminism and the narration of geographies 

- Using digital technologies and infrastructures to challenge power structures

- Journalism and its (potential) role(s) in representations of power, agency, and restorative justice

- Critical race and Cultural Studies approaches to teaching engaged practice

- Pedagogies that apply critical digital media literacy approaches in diverse environments

  For more information about The Moses Shumow Transformational Research Award, contact award chairs, Dr. Robert E. Gutsche, Jr. at [email protected], or Dr. Sallie Hughes at [email protected].

Past Recipients

2022

Recipient:

Tumi Mampane  University of the Free State, South Africa

For their work titled, "This Field I call Home: Black Feminist (Auto) Ethnography in Alexandra Township, South Africa"

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In Recognition of Exemplary Merit:

Felipe Navarro Nicoletti National University of Córdoba, Argentina For their work titled, "Community, Popular and Alternative Radio Stations in Bariloche: Sociopolitical Role, Identity Configuration and Citizenship"

Mildred F. Perreault  East Tennessee State University, USA For their work titled, “Journalists on COVID-19 Journalism: Communication Ecology of Pandemic Reporting”

Pablo Martínez-Zárate La Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico, Mexico For their work titled, “Radical Interventions: Archaeology, Forensics and Montage”

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2023

Recipient:

Abdul Aziz, PhD candidate, Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.

For his work titled, “Rohingya diaspora online: Mapping the spaces of visibility resistance and transnational identity on social media,” New Media & Society, 2022

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In Recognition of Exemplary Merit:

Rana Arafat

Lecturer in Digital Journalism, City, University of London, UK For their work titled, “Reporting on Syrian conflict from exile: Examining advocacy strategies in diaspora journalists' online news,” forthcoming (2023), in E. Galal, et al. (Eds), Diasporic Political Communication: Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives.

Ayleen Cabas-Mijares Assistant Professor in Journalism and Media Studies, Marquette University, USA For their work titled, “In feminism we trust! On how feminist standpoint epistemologies shape journalism practices in two Argentine digital newsrooms,” Journalism, 2022

Paromita Pain Assistant Professor of Global Media Studies, University of Nevada, USA For their work titled, “‘It took me quite a long time to develop a voice:’ Examining feminist digital activism in the Indian #MeToo movement,” New Media & Society, 2021

Social Justice + Media Symposium Partners

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