“Gender and intra-national identities: A framework for intersectional journalism studies”

Karin Assmann and Stine Eckert, “Gender and intra-national identities: A framework for intersectional journalism studies,” paper to be presented at the annual conference of the German Communication Association's sections "Media, Publics and Gender" and "Journalism Studies" September 11 -13, Free University of Berlin, Germany.

Abstract: Approaching intersectionality as an analytic tool, as conceptualized by Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge (2016), we offer a framework that adapts the four domains of power -- interpersonal, cultural, structural, and disciplinary -- and systematically applies them to diversity in journalism. Following their definition, we see intersectionality as tied to questions of equity and power, as “a way of understanding and analyzing complexity in the world, in people, and in human experiences. Applied to journalism studies, our framework “Power Dimensions in Journalism” fills a gap in the long neglected but recently revived debate on diversity across a variety of identities in journalism and journalism studies (Eckert & Assmann, 2023, Kühne, 2023, Lünenborg & Medeiros, 2021, Neue Deutsche Medienmacher*innen, 2022, Rick & Lauerer, 2024). It offers a path for a more systematic study of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) across journalistic workflows by situating extant scholarship and identifying lacunas in journalism studies focused on DEI.