for a forthcoming HERA [Humanities in the European Research Area] proposal to look at how media have facilitated the rise of ecological awareness within Europe.
EU comparative research project to map how notions of ecology and sustainable development are used in the mass media.Frederick Ferre affirms that ‘we need to learn in new modes of ethical holism, what organic interconnectedness means for human persons’ (in Attfield and Belsey 1994 :237). Over the last decade or more, I have been preoccupied with how notions of ecology, in the broadest definitional sense, permeate popular film and consequently can be read as valorising and promoting such a utopian agenda. As part of an EU project, I would like to trace the mediation [through newspapers, TV, film and new media especially the internet] of the rapid rise to dominance of an ecological agenda, which includes recognition of global warming and other sustainable environmental issues, by carrying out comparative content and representational studies of this now global phenomena.
As I signal elsewhere, the Hollywood dream factory frequently produces ecological fantasies, which feed into the public consciousness of world audiences. While ‘feel good’ narratives focusing on conservative fears of environmental catastrophes and humanity's need to reassess their role in nature can be criticised as vacuous, endorsing grand symbolic gestures, nevertheless at the same time they remain significant if only for keeping the environment at the centre of human consciousness.
An Inconvenient Truth (2006) most recently provides a benchmark for this growing transformation with Al Gore explaining in his documentary, once we saw the planet's holistic beauty, the Green movement was born. To push the point home, he speaks of his astronomer friend Carl Sagan describing the narrowness of the membrane of protection around our planet being so small and insubstantial. We need to protect it, or it will kill us all, is the stark message. Note, an initial request to carry out a small pilot project on the ‘effectiveness’ of an upcoming advertising campaign on global warming in Ireland, is receiving favourable signals and I believe that such analysis could be extended to include other EU countries.
As the language of eco-sustainability is seeping into public consciousness and becoming the new orthodoxy within western culture it needs to be constantly monitored. Hopefully this transformation does not prove to be simply a current fashion and achieves longevity as it has been nurtured by dedicated stakeholders and NGO's like Greenpeace and other green political parties. A new language and mindset has been created and this paradigm shift has been assisted by the power of the cinema and other mass media which demands analysis.
Dr Pat Brereton joined DCU School of Communications from University of Luton, England, in 2001. In his seven years with the school, Dr Brereton has initiated and overseen three research projects, taken on supervision of eight research students, with two PhD completions so far and has authored six major journal papers and three book, with several other papers at various stages of completion for journal review.
Hollywood Utopia - Ecology in Contemporary Hollywood Cinema (Intellect Books, 2005) was based on Dr Brereton's PhD research, and has been favourably reviewed in publications from the fields of film studies, ecology and philosophy. He is currently preparing two invited book chapters on ecology and film. An Encyclopedia of Irish Cinema, co-authored with colleague, Dr Roderick Flynn has been published in 2007. Dr Brereton has previously written a Guide to Media Education published (Continuum, 2001) which feeds into his continuing research agenda into forms of media literacy.
Dr Brereton has also been active in the Centre for Society Information and Media (SIM) where he was its director, before taking up the post of Associate Dean for Research for the faculty in 2007. He is currently chair of the University Research Advisory Panel (RAP) and a contributor to a multi-university consortium and Government funded project: The Irish Social Science Platform.
More information on SIM may be found at : http://www.sim.dcu.ie/
Dr Brereton's international standing in several research communities is reflected in invitations he has received to present papers at conferences such as the SCMS International Film and Media Conferences (London, 2005, Vancouver, 2006 and Philadelphia 2008) alongside other international conferences on ecology, religion and new media. He is a member of the editorial board of the new media journal, Convergence, and guest editor of a special issue of that journal on DVD special features in 2007.
Publications include:
Hollywood Utopia: Ecology in Contemporary American Cinema.
Intellect Press 2005. (for more on this book,
click here.)
‘New Media-New Pleasure’? Research paper led by Aphra Kerr in
International Journal of Cultural Studies 2006
‘Nature Tourism and Irish Film’ in
Irish Studies Review 2006
Convergence Special issue on DVD add-ons 2007
‘Ecology and Film’ [forthcoming overview piece commissioned by H. Athes,
Romanian editor for Echidistante journal edited by European Institute Press]
For more information on the publications : click here
Both SMCS film conferences in Vancouver (2006) and London (2005) were financed by competitive DCU Travel grants.
Research plenary talk on Peter Weir to a Higher Education centre (2005) which was also financed by the host institution.
An International Society for Religion, Literature and Culture conference in Sterling (2006) was financed from a successful submission to the DCU Teaching and Learning Fund.
Luton University Research visit (2006) was financed by University of Luton.
HERA Research matchmaking event held in Paris in April 2008, was competitively funded by the EU event organizers.
May 2008 currently joint editing a special issue on Ireland for a Cultural Studies journal.
May 1998 I edited the journal Convergence, which specialises in media and new technology and since coming back to Ireland I have been co-opted onto the editorial board.
I guest edited a Special Issue of Convergence on DVD special features. (vol. 13 no.2 May 2007)
After a successful Lottery bid in the UK we hosted an international conference under the title of ‘Creativity and Culture’ as part of an ‘Arts for All’ project (1999).
I helped set up and organise the first two Irish Media Research Network [IMRN] conferences at DCU (2005) and DIT (2006).
Currently editing a Cultural Studies journal special issue on Ireland.
Sept. 1996 at University of Central Lancaster - ‘Grand Canyon (1991) and its appropriation of romantic spectacle’.
Feb. 1997 at University of Nottingham ‘Spatial representation in film’.
June 1997 at University of Luton, I organised a workshop on film adaptations of the short story, focusing on a case study of Joyce's ‘The Dead’.
July 1998 at Bath Spa University, paper on the ecological discourses in Jurassic Park for the conference ‘Culture and Environmentalism’.
April 1999 I presented a paper on 50's American B movies and the relationship between ecology and critical politics in San Diego, USA for the ‘American Communications Association’ annual conference.
September 2000 at University of East London, I presented a paper on the films of Peter Weir at a conference on ‘Writing the Environment’.
November 2001 at University of Pecs. Hungary, I presented a paper on ecology and film at a symposium titled: ‘Problems of Pictorial Representation’.
Feb. 2002 at the Joint Faculty Conference at St. Patrick's College I presented a paper on ‘Post 9/11 War Movies’.
March 2002 I contributed to the ‘Media Literacy’ Symposium held in Reading, UK. This was an EU initiative looking for responses from Ireland, UK and Holland to create a report, which should inform EU policy.
April 2002 ‘Keeping It Real’ Film conference at UCD, I presented a paper on ‘Into the West and Disco Pigs’.
Jan. 2003 ‘Spectacle of the Real’ conference at Brunel University London, I presented a paper on Steven Spielberg's use of special effects.
Feb. 2005 SCMS International Film and Media Conference in London. I presented a paper on DVD add-ons and their pedagogical use.
Feb. 2006 SCMS International Film and Media Conference in Vancouver. I presented a paper on Jim Sheridan and the ‘Everyday Sacred’.
12th May 2006 ‘Joint Faculty Conference‘ at DCU, I presented a paper on ‘Irish Farming on Film’.
15th September 2006 ‘Internationalising Media Conference’ at Westminster University, I presented a paper on DVD add-ons as pedagogical texts.
6th October 2006 ‘International Society for Religion, Literature and Culture Conference’ at Sterling University. I presented a paper on the documentary films of John T Davis and Alan Gilsenan.
30th March 2007 Irish Association of American Studies Conference. I presented a paper on Sheridan's America and a study of his films.
13th April 2007 ‘Screening Irish-America’ conference. Presenting a paper on Irish film and DVD add-ons.
17th October 2007 ‘Finding and Irish Voice: Reflections upon Celtic Consumer Society and Social Change’ at DCU. Presenting a paper on Irish film.
2nd November 2007 ‘Documentary in the 21st Century’ in IADT. Presenting a paper on DVDs and new media Documentary.
16th 18th November 2007 ‘Future Histories of the Moving Images’ conference in Sunderland University UK. Presenting a paper on New Database logics in work of Steven Spielberg.
6-9th March 2008 ‘Poverty on film in Africa’ for SCMS film conference in Philadelphia.
Pat Brereton may be contacted at :
Pat.Brereton@dcu.ie
Tel : + 353 1 700 5440
Fax : + 353 1 700 5447