Communication, Culture and Media Studies Research (UoA34)

Media, Culture, Heritage (MCH) at Newcastle is based in the School of Arts and Cultures. The subject group was established in 2016. It brought together the expertise of colleagues in the Media and Cultural Studies Department and International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies.

Media, Culture, Heritage (MCH) at Newcastle is based in the School of Arts and Cultures.

A unique multi-disciplinary environment for world-class research

The subject group was established in 2016. It brought together the expertise of colleagues in the:

Media and Cultural Studies Department
International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies

We formed a unique, multi-disciplinary environment for world-class Communication, Cultural, and Media Studies, Library, and Information Management research and teaching.

We provide a dynamic and vibrant working environment, returning 37 colleagues in REF2021. We include 88 PGR students and seven full-time, research-only colleagues.

Research themes

Our Communication, Cultural, and Media Studies, Library, and Information Management research activities are predominantly organised around four research themes:

media and culture
heritage
film
journalism and public relations

Our mission

We look at how the past and present are mediated through a range of:

technologies (such as print, film, digital)
practices, including:

everyday cultural practices
media consumption and production
journalism
public relations
museum management and curatorship

Understanding the challenges of the present

Research in MCH is key to understanding the political, economic, and cultural challenges of the present. Topics being researched in MCH include:

the rise of fake news
misrepresentation of the past on social and digital media
contested politics of memory in monuments and museum
issues of diversity across a range of practices and media technologies

Working to analyse and engage with these phenomena, MCH research strives to produce a more just, equitable, and fair world.

Unique and world-renowned facilities

Our work is highly interdisciplinary. The subject group benefits from unique and world-renowned facilities, such as Culture Lab. This is a dedicated space for film production. We enjoy close collaboration with regional cultural institutions such as Great North Museum.

Leading scholars

Our colleagues are leading scholars in their respective fields. They produce path-breaking work in a variety of media and contexts, creating:

discipline-leading monographs, such as Chambers’ 'Cultural Ideals of Home: The Social Dynamics of Domestic Space’ (Routledge 2020)
multi award-winning films, such as Jayaraman’s 'Run Kalyani’ (2019)

Newcastle University Centre of Research Excellence for Heritage

Our ground-breaking Communication, Cultural, and Media Studies, Library, and Information Management research has resulted in staff establishing and leading the Centre for Heritage. It's a Newcastle University Centre of Research Excellence.

Major funding awards for research

MCH received more than £2.76 million in external funding in the period 2014–2020. This came from a wide range of funders, including the European Commission, AHRC, ESRC, and EPSRC.

Major funded projects include: 

Partnerships with organisations

Our partners outside the University include:

UNESCO
Equal Arts
The Money Advice Service
Citizens Advice

We have worked with them to bring major societal, economic, and cultural benefits. These include:

cultural property protection in international armed conflict
improving the lives of older people in care homes
national debt advice training

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We're committed to the University’s declaration of research principles. Our commitment to diversity and inclusivity is clear. The School of Arts and Cultures’ successfully applied for an Athena SWAN bronze award.

The University is a member of the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme. It seeks to address issues around equality and diversity.

Members of staff in MCH lead the Newcastle Rainbow network. It's a space promoting the inclusion of people of diverse genders, sexualities, and relationships.

Members of MCH are involved in NU Women and chair NU Women Professors’ Network. They also offer mentoring and development for all staff. There are initiatives aimed at early career researchers and those on fixed-term contracts.

Research case studies

Improving the Quality of Life of Older People Living with Dementia Through the Arts

This research in this case study led to important changes in the ways people use the visual arts with older people living with dementia.

The findings impacted upon individual carers, care staff, artists and organisations. These organisations include:

Arts Council England
care homes
charities supporting older people living with dementia

The work led to positive changes in social attitudes. It also helped the creative capacities of older people living with dementia.

This will result in improvements in the lives of people living with dementia who engage in future arts projects.

Reducing Consumer Indebtedness: Transforming Access, Debt Advice and Education in Digital Credit

The research explored consumer borrowing decisions in the digital High Cost Short Term Credit (HCSTC) market.

This research has increased availability of affordable credit to low-income borrowers across the UK. They achieved this through the co-development of a new digital credit platform (Just Borrow) with UK credit unions.

They changed how to give debt advice in relation to HCSTC across a range of organisations and charities in England and Scotland. This includes:

Citizens Advice
Money Advice Scotland
Wiseradviser
the Institute of Money Advisers

The findings have also transformed consumer understanding to support safer borrowing habits. They achieved this through the development of an innovative digital app (Indebted Life).

The project team and a local software company developed the app. It offers users a chance to play as three fictional characters, which draws upon anonymised real-life experiences. They explore the implications of applying for digital credit in a safe way.

The app is being promoted by Money Advice Scotland, Wiseradviser, and the Institute of Money Advisers.

Advancing Gender Equality in Media Industries

Advancing Gender Equality in Media Industries is a web-based, research-driven and globally-focused resource. It comprises curated and created materials.

The primary impacts include understanding, learning and participation. (amongst students, civil society and media professionals). It has also influenced media professionals (journalists).

Our resources are often used in university and non-university education and training contexts. Young people and media professionals benefit through workshops and courses across several continents.

Peers consider our work a good practice resource in publications aimed at educators. This includes the UK Association of Journalism Education.

Strengthening Cultural Property Protection During Armed Conflict

This case study demonstrates significant change to policy, practice, and behaviour by politicians. It also focuses on Cultural Property Protection (CPP) in other sectors, including:

military
heritage
humanitarian

Stone’s research has led to a very high profile, which has enabled practical action, which has resulted in significant impact.

The research led to the establishment of a new Ministry of Defence CPP Unit in 2018. It also contributed to the passing of the UK’s 2017 Cultural Protection (Armed Conflicts) Act.

It led to the ratification of the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. This included its two Protocols of 1954 and 1999 (hereafter 1954 HC).

On an international scale, the research led to the Establishment of UNESCO’s only Chair in CPP and Peace. It helped to restructure and strengthen of the Blue Shield, an advisory body to UNESCO.

It has led to stronger implementation of CPP as a responsibility and opportunity within NATO. It also developed CPP as an aspect of peacekeeping training and practice.

The research helped the International Committee of the Red Cross see CPP as an important aspect of their work.

Find out more

To find out more, see the MCH research webpages.