The new German-Australian cooperative network connects two institutions that decidedly work on the history of media: the
Research Centre Media History at the University of Hamburg and the
Centre for Media History at Macquarie University in Sydney. The starting point of this cooperation is the research approach of “
entangled media histories”, drawing upon and contributing to
histoire croisée, connected history, and
Verflechtungsgeschichte in the field of media and communication studies. Thus, the project, which is funded by the DAAD [German Academic Exchange Service] from 2015 to 2019, aims to research transnational relations of and by media. The project “Transnational Media Histories” focuses on the frequent exchanges of researchers and PhD students in the field of communication and media history between Hamburg and Sydney.
The stay of Dr. Hans-Ulrich Wagner, head of the Research Centre Media History, as a visiting fellow at Macquarie University in November/December 2015, led to this project. In a keynote speech with the title “Chances and Challenges of Doing Transnational and Global Entangled Media History”, he outlined the project topic.
In May/June 2016, Prof. Dr. Bridget Griffen-Foley, director of the Centre for Media History at Macquarie University, was a guest researcher at the Institut für Medien und Kommunikation der Universität Hamburg [Insitute for Media and Communciation at the University of Hamburg] and the Research Centre Media History. Furthermore, Mike Nugent, a PhD Student from Sydney, was a guest researcher at the Research Centre Media History.
A common basis will be established through seminar papers, keynotes, conferences and visits. The medium-term goal is the stabilisation of academic exchange, as well as the realisation of a joint transnational project.
