Ethics of Society and Ethics of Communication Working Group - Call for Proposals 2021

The Ethics of Society and Ethics of Communication (ETH) Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites the submission of proposals for single papers and multi-paper sessions (the online conference equivalent of a panel in a face to face conference) for IAMCR 2021, which will be held online from 11 to 15 July, 2021. The conference will also have a regional hub in Nairobi, Kenya. Both the online conference and the regional hub will be hosted by the Department of Journalism & Corporate Communication of United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa) in Nairobi. The deadline for submission is 9 February 2021, at 23.59 UTC.

See the IAMCR 2021 general call for proposals

Themes

IAMCR conferences address a wide diversity of themes defined by our 33 thematic sections and working groups. We also propose a single central theme to be explored throughout the conference with the aim of generating and exploring multiple perspectives. This theme is addressed in plenary and special sessions, and in some sessions of the sections and working groups. Not all submissions have to address this central theme.

The central theme for IAMCR 2021, Rethinking borders and boundaries: Beyond the global/local dichotomy in communication studies, is concerned with how changes in communication theory and practice are challenging our understanding of global and local, creating new identities and discourses, and enabling a hybrid glocalisation, with both positive and negative consequences.

Five sub-themes of this central theme have been identified: The rebirth of populist discourses; Activism and the new global social justice movements; Trends in global media ecosystems; Identity: Gender, class, ethnicity, religion, sexuality; and Communication for development in health, climate change and education. See the complete theme description and rationale here.

Conference model: Online with an African "hub" and global satellite activities

In alignment with the possibilities offered by the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the conference’s main theme, Rethinking Borders and Boundaries, IAMCR 2021’s conference will offer multiple modalities for participation. It will be primarily an online conference but will also have an African “hub” at USIU-Africa, and satellite activities at various points around the globe.The various components of the conference include:

1. Online Conference Papers – Abstracts submitted in response to the section and working groups CfPs will be reviewed by the sections and working groups and accepted authors will be invited to submit short conference papers (1,000 to 4,000 words). These papers will be grouped into sessions and published on the conference website prior to the conference on a platform that will enable discussion the conference.

2. Section and Working Group Online Sessions – IAMCR sections and working groups will curate a number of video sessions highlighting key issues within their thematic areas of specialisation.

3. Flow34 – A stream featuring videos that integrate academic and aesthetic narratives. Proposals for this component will be reviewed by the Flow34 team. Topics can originate from the entire field of Communication and Media Studies. The selected videos will be scheduled and presented on the conference platform.

4. Plenary Sessions – Several plenary sessions streamed from the conference hub at USIU-Africa will feature contributions from around the globe.

5. Special and Partner Sessions – These video sessions will be produced by IAMCR and its partners.

6. Nairobi Hub – In addition to being at the centre of the global online activities, the conference hub, at USIU-Africa, will host a regional face-to-face event (in accordance with the possibilities afforded by the pandemic). The regional event will interact with the global at several moments of the conference.

7. Other Regional/National Hubs – We are currently considering the involvement of other regional and national hubs and will be accepting requests from IAMCR members interested in sponsoring them.

This call for proposals is for the Online Conference Papers.

IAMCR members will have full access to all online components.

The Ethics of Society and Ethics of Communication Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites submissions of abstracts for single papers and multi-paper sessions (the online conference equivalent of a panel in a face to face conference) for the IAMCR 2021 conference to be held 11-15 July 2021, Nairobi, Kenya and wherever you are on the main theme Rethinking borders and boundaries: Beyond the global/local dichotomy in communication studies and five sub-themes. The 2021 Conference theme and sub-themes appeal to the core mission statement of the Ethics of Society and Ethics of Communication Working Group, that is, the ethical and deontological problems and challenges of the communicators and the communication media around the world and its idiosyncrasy.

We encourage researchers from all the fields in Media and Communication research with an interest in responsibility and the use of highly qualified professional standards and values by communication practitioners to submit their contributions, with a particular call to those working in Ethics for Communication for development in health, climate change and education, one of the five sub-themes of the Conference and already a focus of interest for the ETH WG. The capacity of the news media and fictional content to correctly interpret, report and showcase social trends and civic action in a global environment are increasingly questioned; also how new media and entertainment producers are unable to present a point of view that reflects the reality in all of its complexity beyond boundaries. Ethical concerns related to the preservation of local media and content in various parts of the world have been addressed in Barcelona´s 2019 post-Conference - we invite authors to continue working in the field and present their updated research in Nairobi 2021. We also make a special call and appeal to young researchers interested in Ethics of Society and Communication: your work and ongoing research is welcome either in paper or panel formats.

Participants may present abstracts on topics such as:

Philosophical bases of global/local dichotomy
Ethics in the political ecosystem: challenges and opportunities
Diversity, resources and technology in communication & Journalism
Global platforms: ethical concerns
New boundaries: the elements of Journalism
The social divide: algorithm and robotics
Misinformation as a social problem: global/local trends
Global versus local Corporate Social Responsibility
Ethical conduct for communication research in Communication Studies
Code of ethics in Communication for development
Code of ethics: comparative studies
Social media networks & identity
Deontological problems in the field of communication around the world
Personal communication and Technology: inequalities and socio-demographics
Privacy versus persuasion: trends
Violence against journalists: local/global predators
Professionalism and the defence of core principles around the world: global/local unions, associations and committees.
Metrics and audience-driven contents, its impact in the international flux of communication
Fake news, truth and transparency

This list of topics is not mandatory; any proposal within the main theme or subthemes of interest to the ETH WG will be taken into consideration.

Guidelines for abstracts

Abstracts submitted to the Ethics of Society and Ethics of Communication Working Group should have between 300 and 500 words plus references (APA Style is recommended) and must be submitted online via IAMCR's online submission platform. Abstracts submitted by email will not be accepted.

It is expected that authors will submit only one (1) abstract. However, under no circumstances should there be more than two (2) abstracts bearing the name of the same author, either individually or as first author. No more than one (1) abstract can be submitted by an author to the Ethics of Society and Ethics of Communication Working Group. Please note also that the same abstract or another version with minor variations in title or content must not be submitted to more than one section or working group. Any such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be rejected.

Proposals are accepted for both single papers and multi-paper sessions (the online conference equivalent of a panel in a face to face conference). Please note that there are special procedures for submitting multi-paper sessions. You can find the detailed procedures when submitting your abstract online in the abstract submission system.

If your abstract is accepted, you will need to submit your full conference paper (1,000 to 4,000 words) by 7 June 2021, in order to be included in the programme.

Languages

The Ethics of Society and Ethics of Communication Working Group accepts abstracts and multi-paper session proposals as well as full papers in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese.

The deadline to submit abstracts is 9 February 2021 at 23h59 UTC.

See important dates and deadlines to keep in mind

For further information about the conference contact nairobi2021 [at] iamcr.org

For further information about the Ethics of Society and Ethics of Communication Working Group, its themes, submissions and multi-paper sessions, or any other request or doubt please contact: Elvira García de Torres (egarcia [at] uchceu.es), Teresa Nicolás Gavilán (mnicolas [at] up.edu.mx), Isabel Serrano Maillo (miserrano [at] ccinf.ucm.es) or Fernando Oliveira Paulino (paulino [at] unb.br).