Istanbul 2011 - Islam and Media Working Group Call for Papers

istanbulIslam and Media Working Group invites submissions for its sessions at the 2011 IAMCR Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, July 13-17 2011.  The papers should be within the framework of the general theme with emerging trends in journalism and media studies in the Muslim world.

Islam presents itself as a way for the digital age, for connectivity, creativity and dialogue.  It would be useful to quote Ali Mazrui's analysis who wrote recently that Prophet Muhammad moved from Mecca to Jerusalem in a single night in the Age of travel by camel; he moved from earth to heavens during the same night ascending from Jerusalem; and while in the heavens, the present age communicated with the ages of the past, for Muhammad was able to talk to Jesus, Moses and all the way back to Adam during the same night. The Prophet was back in Mecca before morning, breaking at least three barriers of cosmic experience: 1- killing distance between Mecca and Jerusalem, 2- killing the distance between the earth and the heavens, and 3- killing the distance between the past and the present. It is in this sense that Islam prepared people for the age of the end of distance and the age of globalized digital simultaneity.

With this globalized digital age, Muslims and Non-Muslims' ways to express cultures, interact with others, create new ways of communication will be shaped by the outcome of a struggle between two opposing ideas. The first is the so-called "Clash of Civilizations" in which Muslims are invariably and mistakenly seen as the main opponents of the West. The second idea is the "Dialogue of Civilizations", through which cultural diversity and mutual respect will enrich human civilization.

The conference provides a wonderful opportunity to tell the tale of the cities from Medina, Jerusalem, Basra, Samarkand, Casablanca, Istanbul, Cairo, Cordoba, Delhi, Lahore and many others, and their roles in creative inter and trans-cultural engagements and connecting the advancing civilization that now extends from New York to Auckland and Montreal to Cape Town.

Proposals are invited along the following themes of Islam and Media Working Group sessions.

  1. Islam, communication and dialogue among cultures
  2. Islam. Digital age and creativity
  3. Islam, modernity and citizenship
  4. Islam, creativity and connectivity: A critical analysis
  5. Image of Islam and Muslims in international media
  6. Image of Non-Muslims in Islamic media
  7. Social media, social networks and creativity among Muslim youth
  8. Imbalance between rural and urban communication resources and cultural identity
  9. The arts and cultures of the Islamic world: Specific case studies
  10. The Muslim pioneers in advancing communication, culture, science, and civilization
  11. The Medina treaty and its impact on creativity, continuity and connectivity
  12. The emerging urban spheres in Muslim world: Opportunities and challenges
  13. Europe and Islam:  Role of media
  14. Digitization, democracy and Islam
  15. Social networks and the democratization
  16. Cosmopolitanism in Muslim world
  17. East, West, and Islam:  Role of communication and information technologies
  18. Islam, Communication, Rights and duties of citizens in the emerging global order
  19. Creative contribution of Muslims minorities in different cities of the world in areas of culture, and communication.
  20. Muslim art and culture and transnational communication in the past and in the present.
  21. Muslim minorities in Non-Muslim states, freedom of expression and human rights

In addition to the open call for papers, we would like to invite papers and proposals for joint panels with other sections and working groups.

Deadlines and Submission Details

The deadline for submission of abstracts is February 8, 2011. Each abstract must include title, name(s), affiliation, institutional address and email address of author(s). Submission of abstracts and full papers is to be done online through the IAMCR's Open Conference System (OCS) using the link to be found on the official Istanbul conference website.

The OCS system will be available to receive abstract submissions from Wednesday December 1, 2010. The results of peer reviews of submitted abstracts will be announced by March 25, 2011. Full papers must be submitted online via the IAMCR-OCS by June 3, 2011.

Dr. Basyouni Hamada
Chair, Islam & Media Working Group
Professor of Mass Communication & Public Opinion
Vice Dean, Graduate Studies and Research
Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University, Egypt
Secretary General, Global Communication Research Association
Chairman, Communication Research Center (CRC)
basyouni_hamada[AT]yahoo.com

Bushra H Rahman
Co-Chair, Islam and Media Working Group
University of the Punjab Pakistan
bushrahr[AT]yahoo.com

Fernando Resende
Vice Co-Chair, Islam & Media Working Group
Universidade Fedral Fluminense. Brazil
Fernandresende1501 [at] gmail.com