IAMCR 2015: Law Section - CfP- Deadline 9 February

The Law Section of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites submissions of abstracts for papers and panel proposals for the IAMCR 2015 conference to be held in Montreal, Canada, from 12th to 16th July 2015. The deadline for proposal submissions is 9 February 2015.

Conference theme: “Hegemony or Resistance? The Ambiguous Power of Communication”

See the conference key dates and deadlines: http://iamcr.org/congress/montreal2015-keydates

See all Calls for Papers for IAMCR 2015: http://iamcr.org/congress/montreal2015-cfp

Visit the conference website: http://congresiamcr.uqam.ca

The Law Section invites papers that examine ways in which law and policy are used both by hegemonic entities and by those who resist them, and which probe for alternative ways of thinking about law- and policy-making from this perspective. Starting here presents challenges not always addressed in legal and policy research. Most significantly, the concept of power must be directly addressed within any legal analysis involving the question of hegemony.

Power in its informational forms is of growing importance today. Its use characterizes the informational state; algorithmic processes characterize many of its manifestations. But instrumental power still matters (there are more academics on the move right now due to repression than at any time since World War II). Communication and uses of ICTs are now critical to power in its structural forms (the design of institutions and rules). And of course communication is the very "stuff" of power in its symbolic or consensual forms, what some refer to as "soft power." Law and policy can be involved in them all.

Papers starting with the law as a focus on the conference theme will find themselves confronting questions such as: Who wins and who loses? Is the goal of a particular law or policy actually control, or is it something else? How can control as an (allegedly) unintended effect of a law or regulation directed elsewhere be addressed legally? How does the movement of governance away from the state -- into private sector decision-making, spreading community norms, and automated processes -- affect the ability of both hegemonic entities and those who resist them to use law and policy for their purposes? What role does communication play in strengthening the development of hegemonic power in non-state entities?

Is there a global hegemon in the contemporary world and, if not, what roles do law and policy play in establishing and defending limits? Is such a thing as a "benevolent hegemon" possible today and, if so, how would such benevolence be expressed in laws and regulations affecting information, communication, and culture? Given that so many laws and regulations can be used for either hegemonic repression or successful resistance to hegemonic control, how should these possibilities be taken into account during law-making processes, and when laws and regulations are interpreted, implemented, and their effects evaluated?

The Law Section welcomes proposals for papers that address these questions and any others, whether related to the conference theme or not, in any area of communication law and policy, from any theoretical perspective and using any methodological approach. Examples of other appropriate topics for the Section include but are not limited to privacy, security, intellectual property rights, anonymity, human rights, freedom of speech, network neutrality, access to infrastructure, access to information, access to knowledge, right of association, and on.

Proposals for panels to be co-sponsored by one or more other IAMCR sections or working groups are also welcome.

The deadline for submissions of abstracts for papers and panel proposals through the online conference system (OCS) at http://iamcr-ocs.org is February 9, 2015 (see further details below). Early submission is strongly encouraged. There are to be no email submissions of abstracts addressed to any Section or Working Group Head. Please follow carefully OCS instructions regarding the need for multiple submissions for panels (1 for each paper, 1 for the panel) and the labelling of panel-related abstracts when submitted.

For Law Section papers, please submit an abstract of up to 400 words for your proposal. Blind evaluation will address: (1) theoretical contribution, (2) methods, (3) quality of writing, (4) literature review, (5) relevance of the submission to the work of the Law section, and (6) originality and/or significance of the work.

Law Section panel proposals should include a max 400 word text that describes the panel (a framing text, the names of the panel participants, and the titles of their papers). The framing text (maximum 350 words) should contain the overall idea and goal of the panel, and how it responds to the Law section call. An abstract for each paper must also be submitted.

If you would like to discuss any possible papers or panels for the Law Section, please contact the section chair and vice-chair (see below).

Submission information

Submit your proposals for the Law Section by submitting an abstract of up to 1000 words through the online conference system to which a link is provided below. Abstracts should contain title, main question or research problem, theoretical framework, method(s) used, and – if applicable – (expected) empirical outcomes. Submitted abstracts will be evaluated by a double blind review on the basis of: (1) theoretical contribution, (2) methods, (3) quality of writing, (4) literature review, (5) relevance of the submission to the work of the CP&T section, and (6) originality and/or significance of the work.

Proposals for panels of 90 minutes are also welcome. A complete Law Section panel proposal must have 4 to 5 papers and include:

The panel description text, including, the panel title, a framing text, the names of the panelists and the titles of their papers. The framing text (maximum 350 words) should contain the overall idea and goal of the panel, and how it responds to the CP&T section call. A panel chair and a discussant should also be proposed.
An abstract for each paper, including title and author(s)

The panel description text and the individual abstracts must be submitted individually. Thus a panel with 5 papers involves making 6 separate submissions via the Open Conference System (OCS). Abstracts can be submitted directly by the panel authors or the panel coordinator can submit them on the authors’ behalf. All abstract submissions in a panel must indicate “PANEL:” as the first word of their title and the complete title of the panel must appear in the first line of each abstract. The panel proposal will be reviewed and based on this review we will accept, accept with revisions, or decline the panel.

Submission of abstracts, panel proposals and (if accepted) full papers must be submitted through the online Open Conference System (OCS) at http://iamcr-ocs.org from 1 December 2014 until 9 February 2015. Early submission is strongly encouraged. There are to be no email submissions of abstracts addressed to any Section or Working Group Head.

The Law section will accept abstracts in English, French or Spanish, but English is preferred to facilitate the international peer review process. This section will arrange sessions in languages other than English only if the number of qualified proposals warrants it. Please indicate if you would be willing to make your presentation in English if we are unable to accommodate your first choice.

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 two (2) 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 Reviewer. 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. Presenters are expected to bring fully developed work to the conference. Prior to the conference, it is expected that a completed paper will be submitted to Section, Session Chairs, and Discussants.

If a proposal is accepted, the presenter must also register for conference participation in order to be included in the final conference programme of the Section.

For further information, contact:

Law Section:

Chair:

Sandra Braman
bramansandra[at]gmail.com

Co-Vice-Chairs:

Slavka Antonova
slavka.antonova[at]email.und.edu

Mohammad Ullah-Sahid
ullah_sahid[at]yahoo.co.uk