Inaugural Professorial Lecture – Professor Paola Voci

This is not an IPL: “Lightness” and the survival of open societies
About Professor Paola Voci's research
Paola is an Italian-born scholar trained in Chinese, film and media studies. She is interested in how creative practices that develop at the margin of dominant cultures can contribute to create a more open society. Her research focuses on independent documentary, animation, and other digital video practices in contemporary China.

In her monograph, China on Video, Paola was the first to study a previously neglected body of smaller-screen movies, circulating on computer screens and mobile phones. She developed the notion of “light culture” to understand how these movies’ unsanctioned creativity circumvents and challenges national and global mass media.

Her current research examines how digital storytelling can promote a stronger link between academic discourse and civil society. Paola co-edited Localising Asia in Aotearoa and Screening China’s Soft Power, and has published widely, in English, Chinese, Italian, and French. She is the director of the new programme of Global Studies at Otago.

This lecture will be followed with light refreshments, tea, coffee and juice.