Introduction

Particip@tions is an on-line Journal devoted to the strengthening and development of the fields of audience and reception studies. 

It has been developed because we recognise that these fields are not at present well-supported within the broad academic communities. There are few undergraduate courses and even fewer postgraduate courses which emphasise this work. Only a small number of research students work in this area, compared to other kinds of work on all the many forms of cultural and media expression. Yet we believe that the findings of audience and reception work are of crucial importance to all our fields – not least because claims about the audience are so frequently embedded within other kinds of work, and within public discourses about media and culture.

This Journal aims to contribute to the strengthening and expansion of our field, by:

• publishing research from many approaches, without the limitations on length and presentation of evidence which can cramp and weaken such work;
• encouraging open debate between different approaches and methodologies;
• encouraging collaborations across academic disciplines, areas and countries;
• providing a place where people may with ease find materials and bibliographies for use in teaching, and research training;
• providing a focal point for the development of the broad field, including holding conferences and other kinds of forum.

This page was last modified 15 May 2006