Mecila: Medialities of Conviviality and Information Infrastructure
Key information
Duration:
01.01.2020 - 31.12.2026
Status: Ongoing
Sponsors:
Project group:
Academics:
- Prof. Dr. Barbara Göbel
Principal Investigator and subproject leader - Dr. Peter Birle
Principal Investigator - Dr. Christoph Müller
Principal Investigator and Coordinator of the Information Infrastructure - Dr. Carlos Nupia
Postdoctoral Investigator - Dr. Clara Ruvituso (external link, opens in a new window)
Associated Investigator (IAI, Berlin) - Prof. Dr. Astrid Ulloa (external link, opens in a new window)
Associated Investigator (Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá)
IAI employees:
- María Fernanda Pan Bentancur (external link, opens in a new window)
Administrative Assistant - Nora Rabe (external link, opens in a new window)
Librarian of the Information Infrastructure
Coordination:
Co-applicants:
- Freie Universität Berlin (General Coordination)
- Universität zu Köln
Cooperation Partners / Institutions:
- Freie Universität Berlin (General Coordination)
- Universität zu Köln
- Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil
- Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento, São Paulo, Brazil
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales (CONICET / Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina)
- El Colegio de México, Mexico City
Description
Starting point
The Mecila - Maria Sibylla Merian International Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences Conviviality-Inequality in Latin America (Mecila) examines past and present forms of social, political, and cultural conviviality in Latin America and the Caribbean. It employs conviviality as an analytical concept to describe ways of living together in specific contexts characterized by diversity and inequality. In order to achieve this, it links studies about interclass, interethnic, intercultural, interreligious and gender relations in Latin America and the Caribbean with studies about conviviality beyond the region. In doing so, the Centre aims to establish an innovative exchange with benefits for both European and Latin American research.
The Centre’s headquarters have been stablished in São Paulo (Brazil) by a consortium composed of three German institutions: Freie Universität Berlin (coordination); Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut, Berlin; and Universität zu Köln, Cologne, as well as four Latin American institutions: Universidade de São Paulo and Centro Brasileiro de Análise e Planejamento, São Paulo, Brazil, Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales (CONICET / Universidad Nacional de La Plata), La Plata, Argentina, and El Colegio de México, Mexico City, Mexico. The Centre draws on the existing long-term cooperation between these institutions.
It is financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) from 2020 until 2026.
The Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut (IAI, Ibero-American Institute) coordinates together with the Instituto de Investigaciones en Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales (CONICET / Universidad Nacional de La Plata) the Research Area: “Medialities of Conviviality and Information Infrastructure”.
For more information see Mecila (external link, opens in a new window)
Objectives
The Centre’s research programme addresses convivial contexts in Latin America and the Caribbean through analysis of their history and their interrelations at local, regional, national, and global levels. These convivial contexts may have various spatial boundaries, corresponding to a neighbourhood, a municipality, a country, or to global or transnational spaces of a translocal or even a virtual nature. Three interdependent dimensions of convivial contexts are being studied: structures, negotiations and representations.
The Research Area " (external link, opens in a new window)Medialities of Conviviality (external link, opens in a new window)" analyses through the lens of inequality-difference processes of co-production, circulation and appropiation of knowledge, imaginaries and representations. This includes movements of persons, ideas, values and objects. The digital transformation is shaping the medialities of conviviality in new and unprecedented ways, reducing inequalities but also producing new inequalities. The role of new media will also be of interest for this Research Area.
Work plan
Conceived as a transnational research network, Mecila articulates the pertinent research and outreach activities conducted by a group of 19 Principal Investigators and three Postdoctoral Investigators, who area based at the consortium institutions, in cooperation with 12 Associated Investigators from various institutions. Each year, several Mecila Senior Fellows, Mecila Junior Fellows and Thematic Research Fellows are recruited via calls for application to join the Centre and develop their own research projects, or to participate in specific activities. The Doctoral Fellowships are awarded to doctoral students who are enrolled in doctoral programmes at the institutions of the consortium. They usually consist of a 5-month research stay at the Sao Paulo Hub.
The Mecila Chair is awarded to scientists from the Latin American institutions of the consortium. It enables a 2.5 month research stay at one of the other Latin American institutions. Outstanding visiting scientists are invited to the Hub for short stays as São Paulo Research Visits to hold public conferences and develop specific collaborative activities. The Germany Research Visits, mainly for Latin American Principal Investigators, deepen the exchange with the German institutions of the consortium.
Expected results
Mecila expects to create a space for the transnational production and circulation of knowledge, fostering symmetrical collaboration between institutions and researchers from different disciplines, countries and professional backgrounds, in order to contribute significantly to a better understanding of coexistence in unequal societies. Thus, the Center intends to be a learning space in which knowledge allows the recognition of creative solutions to the most relevant challenges of our time, both in the European and Latin American contexts.
Products
Conferences
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Conferences, Lectures and Workshops
Mecila offers regular workshops and a weekly colloquium at its São Paulo hub (or virtual). In order to foster an exchange with non-academic knowledge producers and to discuss its research results with a broader public, Mecila promotes joint workshops with civil society and social movement representatives, and organizes public conferences, lectures, and workshops with local audiences
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Scientific Colloquium
The Scientific Colloquium "Medialities of Conviviality" is an interdisciplinary space of exchange between Investigators of Mecila.
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Mecila Annual Meeting and Young Researchers Forum
The Mecila Annual Meeting and Young Researchers Forum is the central platform of Mecila to present and discuss the main interdisciplinary research results of the Mecila community together with invited researchers. It plays an important role for the articulation of the three Mecila Research Areas.
The Young Researchers Forum has the specific objective to foster the international exchange and networking of early career researchers, addressing specific challenges and making visible their research contributions.
In 2023 and 2024, the Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut is the main organizer of the Annual Meeting and Young Researchers Forum.
The Mecila Annual Meeting and Young Researchers Forum 2023 “Medialities of Conviviality – Inequality in Latin America” was conceptually shaped by Mecila's annual theme “Medialities”.
Programme Annual Meeting and Young Researchers Forum 2023 (external link, opens in a new window)
The Mecila Annual Meeting and Young Researchers Forum 2024 "Informalities, Conviviality and Inequality in Latin America" is conceptually shaped by Mecila's annual theme "Informalities".
Programme Annual Meeting and Young Researchers Forum 2024 (external link, opens in a new window)
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Other Conferences and Lectures
Scientists of the consortium organise thematic panels at international conferences (e.g. LASA, Hispanistentag) to discuss and communicate common research results.
In addition, conferences and lectures within IAI are linked to Mecila's research programme.
Programm Vortragsreihe "Diversity-Medialities" (2020-2024)
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Institutional Workshop
The IAI is organising two Institutional Workshops (2021 and 2025) to discuss the internationalisation and linkage of information structures in the context of the digital transformation.
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Thematic Workshop
In 2022 the IAI organized the Thematic Workshop "Latin American Knowledges in Circulation: Mediating Differences in Convivial Contexts" (14-16. September 2022, Ibero-Amerikanisches Institut, Berlin) and in 2023 the second Thematic Workshop "Knowledge, Medialities and Information Infrastructure" (21-23 June 2023, La Plata, Argentina)
Programm Thematic Workshop 2023
Programm Thematic Workshop 2022
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International Workshops
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Internal Workshops
Publications
Publications and Outreach
The Centre’s primary research results are regularly published in Mecila Working Papers Series (external link, opens in a new window) (available via free open access), as well as through press releases, Mecila Blog Global Convivial Forum (external link, opens in a new window), a Diálogos Mecila Podcast Series (external link, opens in a new window), a Mecila Glossary Video Series (external link, opens in a new window), interviews, and op-eds. Consolidated research results are published in books, edited volumes, and in articles and dossiers in outstanding journals (external link, opens in a new window). Policy recommendations are published in policy papers.
Materials (digitized)
Digitalisation
The IAI coordinates the digitalisation of materials in connection with the further development of the information structure of Mecila.