Research on mediated suffering within social sciences: expert views on identifying a disciplinary home and research agenda

An emerging field of research within social sciences concerns itself with the issue of suffering. Following its growing (mediated) societal prevalence and impact in recent years, suffering has already spurred a rich and diverse body of work. Alongside its emergence within academia, questions arose about its disciplinary home and scope. Drawing on elite interviews with twelve leading scholars, this article positions the on-going research on media and suffering at the heart of social sciences and humanities as well as at the crossroads of different disciplines. This overall open view was reflected in discussions on the current and future scope of the research. Regarding future directions, empirical audience research is high on the academic agenda as are studies that look into the role of new media with regard to suffering. Other widely shared comments referred to a further opening up of the research in terms of methodological and disciplinary approaches.