Centre for Digital Cultures

Organisational unit: Institute

Organisation profile

The Centre for Digital Cultures (CDC) unites a large range of research and development activities dedicated to the digital shift. It engages in knowledge creation and transfer, experimental and interventionist media practices, and research in disciplines such as media, social and cultural studies. The CDC aims to both understand the epochal digital shift through excellent research, and to become one of the major European forces that shape digital cultures to come.

The CDC has seen a remarkable uptake of successful funding bids. The major projects are funded by the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRE) and the State of Lower Saxony, by the German Research Council (DFG) and the VW Foundation respectively. Additional smaller projects are supported by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Transmediale, and the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF). The CDC has by now more than 80 researchers and cultural producers from all over the world. They work on questions such as:

  • Transmedia: How can we understand and develop new formats for entertainment as well as culture and education, merging different forms of production, participation, distribution and aesthetics?
  • User and Audience Research: What kind of methods enable us to understand new usage and consumption patterns, addressing digital cultures’ both global and local audiences? 
  • Gamification: Computer games have a growing relevance in contemporary life, not only due to the games themselves, but also through their metaphors and methods. What new opportunities arise?
  • Common Media: Which new forms of citizenship and cultural/political engagement are developing in the digital age, and how can we understand, enact and strengthen them?
  • Net based Public Broadcast: How can publicly funded provision of information, education, culture and entertainment adapt to the internet? How can new versions of basic provision be realized?
  • Hybrid Publishing: Which avenues for the communication and dissemination of knowledge beyond classrooms and research articles can be constructed, adapting the cultural and economic logic of the digital age?
  • Computer Simulation: From climate change to mass panics: Knowledge production based on computer simulation is shaping our worldview. How can we analyse and understand its effects?

Research and development at the CDC traverse boundaries between the academic sector, culture and the arts, industry, governmental bodies and civil society. It is a conducive, productive and experimental research environment, in which researchers and entrepreneurs, activists and artists, producers and hackers, thinkers and doers broker dynamic connections. Visions, blueprints and experimental findings get exposed to real-world conditions. The development of innovative teaching formats is a further crucial part of the mix: Leuphana Digital School is bringing knowledge and education online, and a new English-speaking Bachelor in Digital Media started in autumn 2013, developed in cooperation with Leuphana’s Institute for the Culture and Aesthetics of Digital Media, Hamburg Media School and Hongkong City University. The result is a new, open and engaged form of research and development for Europe’s digital cultures.

Topics

  • Transmedia
  • User and Audience Research 
  • Gamification
  • Common Media
  • Net based Public Broadcast
  • Hybrid Publishing
  • Computer Simulation
  • Artistic Research
  • New Teaching Formats
  1. Article in conference proceedings › Research › Not peer-reviewed
  2. Published

    Potentiale und Herausforderungen einer empirischen Subjektivierungsforschung

    Traue, B., Pfahl, L. & Globisch, C., 2017, Geschlossene Gesellschaften: Verhandlungen des 38. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie. Lessenich, S. (ed.). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, 5 p. (Verhandlungen der Kongresse der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie; vol. 38).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearch

  3. Published

    Selbstthematisierungen (in) der Kommunikationsgesellschaft

    Traue, B. C., 2017, Geschlossene Gesellschaften : Verhandlungen des 38. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie. Lessenich, S. (ed.). Deutsche Gesellschaft für Soziologie, Vol. 38. 6 p. (Verhandlungen der Kongresse der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie; vol. 38).

    Research output: Contributions to collected editions/worksArticle in conference proceedingsResearch

  4. Special Journal issue › Research
  5. Published

    50 Jahre Understanding Media

    Mangold, J. (ed.) & Sprenger, F. (ed.), 2014, Siegen: Universität-Gesamthhochschule Siegen. 124 p. (Navigationen : Zeitschrift für Medien- und Kulturwissenschaften; vol. 14, no. 2)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  6. Published

    Bis auf Weiteres. Pinnwand und Serie

    Engell, L. (ed.), Maeder, D. (ed.), Schröter, J. (ed.) & Wentz, D. (ed.), 2017, Marbug: Schüren Verlag. 92 p. (Augenblick. Konstanzer Hefte zur Medienwissenschaft; vol. 68)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  7. Published

    Der Medienwandel der Serie

    Wentz, D. (ed.) & Maeder, D. (ed.), 2013, Siegen: Universitätsverlag Siegen. 146 p. (Navigationen. Zeitschrift für Medien- und Kulturwissenschaften; vol. 13, no. 1/2013)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  8. Published

    FEMINA POLITICAL - Zeitschrift für feministische Politikwissenschaft, Heft 2-2014

    Freudenschuß, M. (ed.) & Günther, J. (ed.), 11.2014, 2 ed. Verlag Babara Budrich. 196 p. (FEMINA POLITICAL - Zeitschrift für feministische Politikwissenschaft; vol. 23, no. 2)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  9. Published

    Feminismus und Film

    Horstmann, F. (ed.), Wentz, D. (ed.) & Waack, L. (ed.), 12.04.2019, Bremen: Institut für Kunstwissenschaft – Filmwissenschaft – Kunstpädagogik, Universität Bremen. (Nach dem Film; no. 17)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  10. Published

    "It´s All in the Game": Computerspiele zwischen Spiel und Erzählung

    Beil, B. (ed.), Simons, S. (ed.), Sorg, J. (ed.) & Venus, J. (ed.), 2009, Marburg: Schüren Verlag. 169 p. (Navigationen – Zeitschrift für Medien- und Kulturwissenschaften; vol. 9, no. 1)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  11. Published

    Organization: The Critical Journal of Organization, Theory and Society

    Beverungen, A. (ed.), Beyes, T. (ed.) & Conrad, L. (ed.), 09.2019, London: SAGE Publications Inc. 127 p. (Organization; vol. 26, no. 5)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  12. Published

    Politics of Reproduction

    spheres Editorial Collective, Trott, B. (ed.), Beverungen, A. (ed.), Apprich, C. (ed.), Luchs, I. (ed.), Hille, L. (ed.) & Heinrichs, R. (ed.), 03.2020, Lüneburg: Cent­re for Di­gi­tal Cul­tu­res Lüneburg. (spheres - Journal for Digital Cultures; vol. 2000, no. 6)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  13. Published

    Réfléxivité et Système. Le débat sur l'ordre et L'auto-organisation dans les années 1970

    Hörl, E. H. (ed.) & Esposito, E. (ed.), 2015, Paris: Fondation Maison des sciences de l'homme. (Trivium - Deutsch-französische Zeitschrift für Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften; vol. 20/2015)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  14. Published

    'Saving' the city: Collective low-budget organizing and urban practice

    Bialski, P. (ed.), Derwanz, H. (ed.), Otto, B. (ed.) & Vollmer, H. (ed.), 02.2015, San Francisco, Califonia: MayflyBooks. 318 p. (Ephemera - theory & politics in organization; vol. 15, no. 1)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  15. Published

    Schwerpunkt ›Die Serie‹

    Wentz, D. (ed.), Beil, B. (ed.), Engell, L. (ed.), Schröter, J. (ed.) & Schwaab, H. (ed.), 2012, Diaphanes Verlag. 184 p. (ZfM, Zeitschrift für Medienwissenschaft ; vol. 2/2012, no. 7)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesSpecial Journal issueResearch

  16. Monographs › Transfer › Peer-reviewed
  17. Published

    Kinder machen: Neue Reproduktionstechnologien und die Ordnung der Familie ; Samenspender, Leihmütter, Künstliche Befruchtung

    Bernard, A., 27.03.2014, 1. Aufl. ed. Frankfurt am Main: Fischer Taschenbuch-Verlag. 544 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsTransferpeer-review

  18. Monographs › Research › Peer-reviewed
  19. Published
  20. Published

    Bilderfolgen. Diagrammatologie der Fernsehserie

    Wentz, D., 2017, Paderborn: Wilhelm Fink Verlag. 348 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearchpeer-review

  21. Published

    Digitale Datenbanken: Eine Medientheorie im Zeitalter von Big Data

    Burkhardt, M., 08.06.2015, Bielefeld: transcript Verlag. 388 p. (Digitale Gesellschaft)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearchpeer-review

  22. Published

    Markets

    Beverungen, A., Mirowski, P., Nik-Khah, E. & Schröter, J., 2019, Minneapolis und Lüneburg: meson press. 116 p. (In Search of Media)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearchpeer-review

  23. Published

    Medien des Immediaten: Elektrizität, Telegraphie, McLuhan

    Sprenger, F., 2012, Berlin: Kulturverlag Kadmos . 514 p. (Kaleidogramme; vol. 87)

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearchpeer-review

  24. Published

    Networked Disruption: Rethinking Oppositions in Art, Hacktivism and the Business of Social Networking

    Bazzichelli, T., 2013, Aarhus: Aarhus University Press. 261 p.

    Research output: Books and anthologiesMonographsResearchpeer-review