ZeMKI Research Day 2026: Discussion on current projects from eleven labs

On the afternoon of 8 July 2026, members of ZeMKI gathered at Linzer Straße 4 for the ZeMKI Research Day 2026. This internal event format provides a forum for presenting ongoing projects from the eleven ZeMKI Labs, discussing methodological issues and bringing together perspectives across the boundaries of the individual Labs.

The event kicked off with a keynote address by Prof. Dr Emilija Gagrčin entitled ‘The overfilled signifier: For “defending democracy” as a research object’. This was followed by around 20 poster presentations in which researchers showcased their current projects. Brief pitches introduced the respective research questions. In-depth Q&A sessions and discussions explored theoretical approaches, methodological strategies and initial findings.

The range of topics spanned from communicative AI, public AI and digital infrastructure geared towards the common good, through AI governance, societal resistance to AI and climate communication, to news reception, migration, religion, mental health and political communication. Projects in film and cultural studies addressed, amongst other things, care as a structural principle of film, punk as a subculture and autofictional forms in Iranian cinema. Further contributions examined political actors and visions of the future in the context of societal crises.

Round-table discussions addressed overarching questions and highlighted points of connection between the Labs. The research day offered ZeMKI members the opportunity to reflect on the current status of their work, gather feedback from different disciplinary perspectives and deepen internal academic exchange.