Media and the Development Challenge: New frontiers in international media development research

Media and the Development Challenge: New frontiers in international media development research - A one day workshop
An IAMCR 2016 pre-conference

Read a report on this conference by Susan Abbott, an independent consultant and one of the event's organisers.

Conference description: In preparation for the 2016 IAMCR conference in Leicester, CIMA and CAMRI, University of Westminster, invite interested scholars to take part in a one-day workshop to explore the empirical foundations of the media development field, examine current trends in media systems, and identify how scholars can work together with media development practitioners. Our aim is to identify gaps in knowledge and produce new lines of research and data. Panels will include: 1) Assessing the Media Development Canon: New Perspectives on Classic Approaches to Building Media Systems, 2) Geographies of Media: The Global Crisis of Local Media, and 3) Navigating the Digital: The Internet’s Impact on Information Flows in Developing Countries.

The workshop will include representatives from academic and professional research institutions as well as representatives from international media development NGOs. We are not requesting papers for this panel but rather we are asking interested speakers to submit a statement of no more than 500 words that indicates your research interests and reason for participating in one of the sessions. This is intended to be an inaugural meeting of international media development researchers, and we hope to use this occasion to gauge interest in an annual gathering of researchers working in this space. Statements of interest are due on Tuesday, June 15, 2016 at 12 pm EST.

The workshop is open to 30-40 members of the public and IAMCR participants. Advance registration is required. There is no charge to attend the pre-conference, but all attendees must send in a statement of interest.

Download the call for participation

Visit the event website for the latest updates

Location: University of Westminster, London, UK

Date and time: Monday, July 25, 2016 09:00 – 17:00

Contacts: Paul Rothman, CIMA MediaDevScholarsNet [at] gmail.com | Tel: +1  (202) 378-9531

Organisers: Susan Abbott and Paul Rothman, Center for International Media Assistance / Winston Mano, University of Westminster

This workshop seeks to:

1. Offer a collegial and informed environment for scholars, researchers, and others from diverse disciplines and backgrounds to share their research on and about media development;
2. Provide space for dialogue, critical reflection, and sharing of various theories (largely drawing from communication, political science, and development studies) that have informed and played a part in media development and democracy, civil society and governance assistance.
3. Provide an opportunity for scholars who are not already familiar with international media development to learn about the field and understand how their research can help move the sector forward. In doing so, this workshop will gather key scholars, writers and advocates for media development who can help inspire and provide a foundation for future research—to help participants understand and develop their research objectives, including MA and PhD topics.
4. Establish whether there is interest in holding an annual meeting of international media development researchers’ conference, and to gather information from participants on the best time, place, and format for future gatherings beyond the 2016 workshop.

Proposed Workshop Schedule

9:00 am – Welcome, Introductions – Coffee provided

9:30 – 11:00 am – Assessing the Media Development Canon: New Perspective on Classic Approaches to Building Media Systems

11:00 to 11:30 am – Break11:30 to 1 pm – Geographies of Media: The Global Crisis of Local Media

1 pm to 2 pm – Lunch (will feature a Keynote Speaker on the topic of Media, Civil Society and the Challenges Posed by Illiberal Democracy)

2:30 to 4:00 pm – Navigating the Digital: The Internet’s Impact on Information Flows in Developing Countries

4:00 to 4:30 pm – Break

4:30 to 5:00 pm – Wrap Up, Reflections, Next Steps – CIMA and the University of Westminster will lead a discussion about the establishment of an International Media Development Academic/ Researchers Network and how we can continue an exchange of ideas, research and data in an ongoing basis. This may also conclude consideration of an annual convening of media development researchers from both academic and practitioner perspectives.

5:00 pm – Cocktails and Networking