ECREA 2018: Lugano international capital of communication

21 themed sessions, 12 focus groups and around 1400 academics and communication experts from all over Europe: these are the figures describing size and reach of the seventh international conference of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA), the most important European association in the field of communication, which will take place at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Lugano from October 31 to November 3.

"Centres and Peripheries: Communication, Research, Translation" is the title of the four-day event, during which participants will have the opportunity to discuss a wide range of topics, including the use of the media and their relationship with democracy, communication in crisis situations, the representation of science, and the issues related to migration – with a critical assessment of the sometimes difficult relations between urban and suburban or peripheral areas.

The academic organizers of the conference, professors Gabriele Balbi, Lorenzo Cantoni and Katharina Lobinger at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI), point out that, "Centres and peripheries is a polysemantic title that we have chosen to highlight the centrality of communication in contemporary society and the fact that, in recent decades, research on the subject has exploded and is moving in multiple directions. With this title we also wanted to celebrate Lugano and Switzerland, a region and a country at the centre of Europe and, at the same time, bordering several other peripheries and borders. We also wanted to remember how our Faculty of Communication Sciences has grown and become a reference point internationally, an element which is proven by many faculty and researchers who are part of ECREA and preseningt their work during this conference".

The conference will transform Lugano into the international capital of communication, an event which was made possible thanks also to the close collaboration between the USI Faculty of Communication Sciences, in charge of the academic program, and the City of Lugano, always keen on hosting events of this size that underline its role as a convention hub.

ECREA 2018 is a convention for specialists, but it is also open to the public, upon registration and payment of the participation fee. For more information: www.ecrea2018lugano.eu For media accreditation, please contact: [email protected]