From July 28th to August 11th, 2024, as part of the CULTMED project, Lucija Gegić, research assistant in the Department of Culture and Communications, participated in the summer school at the University of Tartu in Estonia, attending the course titled ‘The Politics of Popular Culture‘, led by journalist and a PhD candidate at the University of Tartu Michael Cole. During two weeks of intensive lectures and workshops, topics related to the politics of popular culture, music, street art, sports, food, and more were covered. The course also strongly focused on methodological themes such as visual analysis, intertextuality, Critical Discourse Analysis, and Multi–modal Discourse Analysis. In addition to theory and lectures, the program included a significant amount of fieldwork, workshops, exhibition visits, and guest lectures from various figures on the Estonian (and Ukrainian) cultural scene. At the end of the course, all participants gave presentations on a chosen topic. As part of the curriculum, they also wrote op-ed articles, which will have the opportunity to be published on lossi36.com. This portal publishes analyses and news from Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Participants received certificates and 3 ECTS credits for attending the summer school. This year, Tartu is one of three European Capitals of Culture, making the stay in Estonia even more enriched with cultural activities and study visits incorporated into the classes. Alongside the summer school, there was a rich cultural and social program that facilitated networking, and the promotion of IRMO and Croatia.
Photo: Andrea Rotenberg and Lucija Gegić
