Prof. Dr. Julia Bee (Gender Media Studies, Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
Moderation: Prof. Dr. Michaela Schäuble (Social Anthropology, Universität Bern)
Public lecture: 22 October 2026, 06.15–07:45pm, Unitobler, Lerchenweg 36, room F005
Colloquium: 23 October 2026, 10.15am–05:00pm, Unitobler, Lerchenweg 36, room F-123
ECTS: 1.5 (Pflicht- oder Wahlpflichtbereich ICS / Wahlpflichtbereich SLS, SINTA, open to (post)doctoral students, advanced MA students at the University of Bern and further interested parties.
Language: English
Registration: from now on via KSL und E-Mail to michael.toggweiler@unibe.ch
Public lecture
Extractivism: Perspectives from Media Studies, Intersectionality, and Climate Justice
Extractivism is understood as the large-scale extraction of ressources. From a cultural studies perspective, it is understood as having a massive impact not only on landscapes but also on populations. It goes hand in hand with the erosion of social bonds and is viewed as a powerful instrument of control and regulation, as well as a geopolitical force. This lecture provides an overview of concepts related to extractivism and distinguishes it from other concepts in the field, such as climate justice and environmental racism. It situates the concept from a perspective critical of colonialism and from a feminist perspective. In addition to fossil fuel extractivism, the focus is also on forms of extractivism related to the AI supply chain, such as rare earths, water, energy, and data centers.
Colloquium
For PhD students, advanced Master students of the University of Bern, as well as interested parties
Part 1 of the colloquium is dedicated to the discussion of the lecture and the texts suggested by the guest. In Part 2, a core group present their PhDor postdoctoral projects, speaking for about 20 minutes (English) on how the concept of "Extraction" (ecological, colonial, geopolitical, digital a.o.) connect to their research questions and which aspects of the texts are of particular relevance to their own work. The presenters raise questions for the discussion with their peers, which should contribute to the development of their thesis. Finally, in Part 3, the conversation will open up again so that the other PhD or advanced MA-students have an opportunity to address issues related to their projects.
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Since March 2024, Julia Bee has been Professor of Gender Media Studies with a special focus on diversity at Ruhr University Bochum. From 2022 to 2024, she was Professor of Media Aesthetics at University of Siegen, and from 2016 to 2022 she served as Junior Professor of Image Theory at Bauhaus University Weimar. During this period, Julia Bee also held positions as a visiting professor at Free University Berlin (2020) and University of Vienna (2016), as well as Mercator Fellow in the Collaborative Research Center Media of Cooperation (2020) and postdoctoral researcher in the graduate program The Real in Modern Culture (2016). Prior to that, Julia Bee worked as a research associate at the Institute for Media and Cultural Studies at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf from 2009 to 2016, including in the media studies subproject of the Volkswagen Foundation-funded research project Return of Torture? She completed her doctorate at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in 2015 under the supervision of Reinhold Görling and Andrea Seier. Intersectional approaches and gender media theory are central to Julia Bee´s research. From these perspectives, she also examines the climate catastrophe and the ways in which it intensifies social inequalities. Her current research focuses on documentary and ethnographic films, television series, vlogs, installations, literature, and mobile media practices such as cycling. Feminist, anti-racist, antisemitism-critical, and anti-ableist perspectives play an important role in her work. She is currently researching, among other topics, antifascist protests and formats of digital political education on online platforms. She is engaged in the development of research methods as well as experimental and creative research practices. Processes of mediation and collaboration between academia and society are of particular importance to her.
