Joke Hermes has been a professor on Inclusion and the Creative Industries at the Creative Business research center since 2004. Her research meets the growing need for insights into how the creative industry can contribute to putting social issues on the agenda and solving social problems. Diversity and the changing divide between creators and users of creative products and services, often play a role.
With her research, Hermes contributes to research development and research dissemination. She is an audience researcher who develops "participant design" research for use within the creative industry. The research findings are published in professional and academic journals and, if possible, applied directly to courses in the creative domain (e.g., Communication) or the socio-educational domain (e.g., Social Work).
From the research group, lector Joke Hermes works with students, teacher researchers, organizations and institutions on various projects. The research focuses, among other things, on how stakeholders (end users such as residents, or the clients or customers of the field parties) can be involved. This includes various forms of evaluation research and 'participant design' research: a method in which the end users of the design are involved in the design process.
In addition to her nomination as a professor, Joke Hermes is affiliated with the Department of Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam. She is also founding editor of the academic journal European Journal of Cultural Studies. Hermes conducts practice-based research on intercultural media literacy and inclusive communication.
Joke has also been appointed Visiting Professor in Media and Communication at Lund University in Sweden for two years (until December 2023).
Joke Hermes studied political science at the University of Amsterdam and received her doctorate from this university on reading women's magazines with the dissertation 'Easily put down. Women's magazines, readers, repertoires and everyday life'.
Joke maintains contacts outside Inholland with companies and institutions that deal with communication, media and young people - but also, for example, with youth work and aid. Currently there is cooperation with the Mira Media foundation in Utrecht and with Zumo in Amsterdam. In the past, research has also been done for various ministries and the municipality of Amsterdam.
"We let the professionals participate in the research. That way the end result can even better meet their needs in the area of intercultural media literacy."
