IAMCR 2012 - Global Media Policy Working Group Call for Papers

The Working Group on Global Media Policy of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites submissions for the IAMCR 2012 conference to be held from July 15-19, 2012 at the Howard College Campus of the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) in Durban (South Africa).

The deadline for submissions of abstracts and panel proposals is February 14, 2012.

The Working Group on Global Media Policy is a dedicated space within the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) to discuss global aspects of communication governance and investigate the interplay between different policy actors and levels, from the local to the global, and the political processes that shape media policies. It serves as a forum of debate to advance research in specific policy domains and to map out Global Media Policy as a field of research. It does so by organizing and hosting, also in cooperation with other IAMCR structures, academic conversations and policy oriented initiatives, such as the 'Mapping Global Media Policy' (http://www.globalmediapolicy.net). In addressing the theme of the conference -'South-North Conversations'- the Working Group is planning in Durban a series of events, including one interactive paper presentation panel.

The term ‘Global South’ refers to countries, territories and communities that have been excluded from the mainstream of economic, social and communication development; but it also refers to intellectual territories and scholarly communities that have, over time, elaborated critical perspectives and challenged existing ones, including developing alternative visions of how the governance of global communication could (and should) be conceptualized, in terms of: actors (powerful, empowering, disempowered), normative frameworks, competing interests, power relations, future trends.

As a way to ground, in theory and in the history of ideas, what can be recognized as the communicative empowerment of media and communication in and from the ‘Global South’, the Working Group on Global Media Policy invites paper proposals that reflect:

  • competing historical narratives of globalizing media policies from the North and South and from within regional areas;
  • alternative and competing perspective on the nexus between local and global in media and communication policy, with a focus on both the general context and specific spaces of intervention;
  • critical perspectives and scenarios for the future of the governance of global communications g (challenges, threats and opportunities) from spatially-bound and theoretically grounded perspectives.

Due to its functioning as an active space for discussion, the Working Group has limited space for paper presentations. We encourage you to consider carefully if your proposal focuses on the key aspects outlined in this call. Otherwise you may want to consider submitting to other sections that deal with policy issues.

Submission of abstracts and structure of the panel

The Working Group on Global Media Policy welcomes proposals for papers bearing on the issues addressed in the present call by submitting an abstract.

Abstracts should be between 300 and 500 words in length.

Abstracts should state the title, the methods or approach used, and briefly introduce the theoretical framework and, when applicable, empirical research on which the paper is based.

All Abstracts, although to be identified for specific Sections or Working Groups, should be submitted only via the central Open Conference System (OCS). There are to be no e-mail submissions of abstracts addressed to any Section or Working Group Head.

The scholarly presentation of accepted submissions will take place in an interactive  paper presentation session (3-4 presenters each with 10-12 minutes maximum, requiring full paper submitted on time); well known senior scholars will intervene as respondents and will offer feedbacks to the presentations as well as their own perspectives on the theme of the panel, thus contributing a forward looking vision of current transformations in Global Media Policy and related narratives.

IAMCR accepts presentations and papers in English, French and Spanish. The Working Group on Global Media Policy, particularly on this occasion, welcomes proposals in all these languages, as well as papers and presentations to be made in the 3 languages. Possibly English summaries will be required, when papers are accepted, to facilitate respondents' feedback.

Deadlines

The deadline for submission of abstracts is February 14, 2012. Please note that this deadline will not be extended.

The OCS system opened on December 1, 2011, and will close on February 14, 2012.

Decisions on acceptance of abstracts will be communicated to individual applicants by their Section or Working Group Head no later than March 12, 2012.

On the same day, March 12, 2012, conference registration will open for bookings by participants.

For those whose abstracts are accepted, full conference papers are to be submitted via the IAMCR OCS by June 10, 2011.

Further guidelines for Abstracts

It is expected that for the most part, only one (1) abstract will be submitted per person for consideration by the Conference. However, under no circumstances should there be more than three abstracts bearing the name of the same applicant either individually or as part of any group of authors. Please note also that the same abstract or another version with minor variations in title or content must not be submitted to other Sections or Working Groups of the Association for consideration, after an initial submission. Such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be automatically rejected by the Open Conference System, by the relevant Head or by the Conference Programme Referee. Such applicants risk being removed entirely from the conference programme.

Upon submission of an abstract, you will be asked to confirm that your submission is original and that it has not been previously published in the form presented. You will also be given an opportunity to declare if your submission is currently before another conference for consideration.

Contacts

Claudia Padovani
claudia.padovani [at] unipd.it

and

Arne Hintz
arne.hintz [at] gmail.com