Welcome to the Counter-Research Symposium, a one-day event organised by CRIMSON (Counter-Research in Media Studies Organised Network).

CRIMSON is a newly established cross-institutional research network that centres research on marginalised, precarious, contentious, and often silenced communities. The network supports media scholars and activists undertaking politically and emotionally complex work, often in challenging environments such as closed authoritarian regimes, and whose research directly confronts state and institutional power.

This symposium introduces the CRIMSON network and brings together CRIMSON members and colleagues working on related themes to reflect on the meaning and stakes of counter-research in global media and communication studies—particularly in the context of rising right-wing populism and intensifying attacks on critical theories and DEI initiatives.

The event also provides space for collective reflection on the methodological, ethical, and emotional challenges of research that unsettles and confronts structures of the state, the establishment, and the academy. Through roundtable discussions, panel sessions, and a keynote address by Professor Natalie Fenton, participants will explore the epistemological, methodological, and practical dimensions of counter-research.

Above all, we hope the symposium offers a generous and supportive space where ideas can be tested, uncertainties shared, and solidarities built. Thank you for being part of the event.

Registration for the symposium is now open. Attendance is free, but places are limited. Please register in advance. Reserve a Spot

For more information about the CRIMSON network, visit the network’s website.

Programme

Registration

9:00 – 9:30
Tea and coffee

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Welcome and CRIMSON Network Session

9:30 – 10:20

• Welcome address
• Introduction to the CRIMSON network
• Roundtable discussion with CRIMSON members

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Panel 1

10:30 – 12:00
Ethical, Methodological, and Practical Challenges of Conducting Counter-Research

Speakers

• Meghan Lazier Stemp, Royal College of Art
• Asif Ali Akhtar, London School of Economics
• Kennis Lai Mohrbach, Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf
• Jakob Kleofas Adolph, Aarhus University

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Keynote Address

1:15 – 2:30
Professor Natalie Fenton

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Panel 2

2:45 – 4:15
The Politics of Representation and the Intersections of Gender, Race, Sexuality, Class, Caste, and Coloniality in Counter-Research

Speakers

• Sushree Routray, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee

• Camille Parrau, University of Paris

• Linda Eniola Adeyemo, Birkbeck, University of London

• Chiara Minestrelli, London College of Communication

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Closing Remarks

4:15 – 4: 30

Organising Committee

• Munira Cheema, King’s College London
• Anna Khlusova, King’s College London
• Yuval Katz, Loughborough University
• Matthias De Bondt, KU Leuven
• Woori Han, University of Exeter
• Jiali Fan, University of Cambridge
• Hong Yu Liu, University of Sussex