A Critical Sociological Lens
Political Economy Section held a panel discussion of the publication Rethinking Media and Communication: A Critical Sociological Lens, which focuses on critical questions about the role of media and communication in capitalist societies. How do power structures shape communication processes? How are inequalities reinforced across different levels of society--micro, mezzo, and macro?
Drawing on sociology, political economy, media studies and related fields, the book offers fresh insights into how communication supports capitalist domination, from media commodification to media concentration. It calls for a rethinking of how communication affects social relations and how social relations influence communication, exposing its deep connection to economic and political power. Panelists discussed the book and went into more depth with regard to individual chapters.
The book editors, Paško Bilić and Thomas Allmer, gave an overview of the book. Two book authors discussed their contributions. Q & As concluded the panel.
When: Wednesday 29 April 2026 @18:00 CEST / London (BST): 17:00 / UTC/GMT: 16:00 / New York (EDT): 12:00 / Los Angeles (PDT): 09:00
The event lasted 1 hour.
Pre-registration was required by 25 April. Contact: mandy.troeger@uni-tuebingen.de
Sponsored by: IAMCR's Political Economy Section
Speakers
Paško Bilić (editor)
is a Senior Research Associate at the Department for Culture & Communication, Institute for Development and International Relations in Zagreb, Croatia
Thomas Allmer (editor)
is a researcher and lecturer at Paderborn University's Department of Media Studies in Germany
Moderator
Mandy Tröger
is a Privatdozentin at University of Tübingen, Germany, and vice-chair of the IAMCR Political Economy Section.