Category: Conferences

CFP IAMCR (Leicester, UK)

Call for Proposals
2016 conference of the International Association for Media and Communications
27 -31 July 2016
Leicester, UK
The deadline to submit abstracts is midnight GMT on 15 February 2016.

Conference theme:
Memory, Commemoration and Communication: Looking Back, Looking Forward

This year’s conference theme seeks to explore the relationship between memory, commemoration and communication. This theme anticipates the 60th anniversary, in 2017, of IAMCR, which has played a strong role in the development of media and communication studies.

Although scholars have long been interested in memory and culture, advancements in technologies are providing new and innovative opportunities to think about how memory is created, preserved, passed on, and archived. Within academia, we have witnessed increased interest in cultural memory studies from media representations of the past to oral history projects – and growing interest in digitizing data leading to the history of everything. Various public bodies are also engaged in this work. In the UK, for example, the BBC launched a Public Space Project in 2011, which saw the corporation link up with various other cultural institutions including libraries, galleries, museums, archives, schools, colleges and universities to make cultural material publicly and freely available to all. The following year, BBC’s Radio 4 launched the Listening Project, which seeks to broadcast intimate conversations on topics such as living with Alzheimers and falling in love, in order to help to build a unique picture of our lives today which will be preserved for future generations. Across the globe, there are numerous examples of oral history projects, associations, and commemorative organisations and websites on topics such as the Holocaust, the Armenian and Rwandan genocides, World Wars One and Two, immigration, oral literature, and popular memory.

As a result, the growing interest in (mediations of) cultural memory provides a timely opportunity not only to look back at which memories are preserved and which forgotten, but also to look forward to how cultural memories might be archived, remembered, (re)produced, storied, erased, modified and re-told across time and space. The theme also opens up space to commemorate IAMCR’s history and contribution to the field of media and communication research.

This year’s conference welcomes paper and panel proposals that engage with the concepts of memory and commemoration, and with the ways the past is (re)mediated, historicised, documented, archived, remembered, forgotten and (re)told. It also welcomes submissions which commemorate IAMCR as an organisation as well as the contributions its members have made over the years. Looking forward, papers might also address where the field is heading. Submissions might also focus on areas such as: memory and colonialism; commemoration of historic events; the reproduction of culture through story-telling; the media’s role in (re)producing cultural narratives and commemorations. We welcome submissions from early career researchers and veteran scholars alike.

Questions asked might include: Why and how do people/cultures/organisations/families share or hide memories? What strategies are used to share memories, either collectively or individually? What role does privilege/inequality play in the creation, sharing, or preserving of memory? How do individuals, groups, or cultures learn memories? How are events remembered, retold, preserved or erased differently in different locations, historic periods, spaces and cultures? How is storytelling conceived of as a form of cultural memory? When looking to the future, what is the relationship between forms of memory and ideas about technologies moving towards the “post-human”? We welcome contributions ranging from the empirical to the theoretical and methodological in focus.

Submission of Abstracts
Each Section and Working Group of IAMCR will issue its own Call for Papers, based on the general thematic outline above. Abstracts should be submitted from 1 December 2015 – 15 February 2016. Both individual and panel submissions are welcome. Early submission is strongly encouraged.

Deadlines
The deadline for submission of abstracts is 15 February 2016. Please note that this deadline will not be extended.

Decisions on acceptance of abstracts will be communicated to applicants by their Section or Working Group Head no later than 8 April 2016.
For those whose abstracts are accepted, full conference papers are to be submitted by 30 June 2016.

Guidelines for Abstracts
Unless otherwise stated by a Section or Working Group, abstracts should be between 300 and 500 words in length.

All abstract submissions must be made via IAMCR’s Open Conference System. There are to be no email submissions of abstracts addressed to any Section or Working Group Head.

It is expected that for the most part, only one (1) abstract will be submitted per person. However, under no circumstances should there be more than two (2) abstracts bearing the name of the same author 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 more than one Section or Working Group. Such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be rejected by the OCS system, by the relevant Head or by the Conference Programme Reviewer. Authors submitting them risk being removed entirely from the conference programme.

Technical guidelines, if any, are defined by the individual Sections and Working Groups. If you have questions, consult the Section or Working Group’s specific CfP or contact the head of the Section and Working Group that interests you.

Criteria for Evaluation
Submitted abstracts will generally be evaluated 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 Section or Working Group
6.      originality and/or significance

CFP International Conference on Communication in Healthcare (Germany)

Call for abstracts
European Association for Communication in Health Care (EACH) and International Conference on Communication in Healthcare (ICCH)
September 7-10, 2016
Heidelberg, Germany

Call for Abstracts:
–        oral presentations
–        posters
–        workshops
–        symposia
–        work in progress for students and early career participants
–        “something creative – the fringe”

Opens: November 1, 2015
Deadline: January 18, 2016
Notification of Acceptance: April 1, 2016

We proudly announce the 14th International Conference on Communication in Healthcare 2015, which will highlight current innovations in research, teaching, and policy and practice in communication in healthcare from throughout the world.

We would like to invite you to submit abstracts for our wide variety of submission categories: oral presentations, posters, workshops, symposia, work in progress for students and early career participants and “something creative – the fringe”.

A hallmark of ICCH conferences is to foster interaction and exchange among participants and they have a unique, welcoming atmosphere for the whole healthcare communication community. The conferences aim to create a learning community that fosters scholarship and inter-professional collaboration to advance knowledge and innovation. We welcome submissions related to communication in health care, including all health-related disciplines and all healthcare professions (e.g. nurses, physicians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dentists, midwives). We encourage abstracts from pre-graduate students, trainees and researchers, teachers, learners and practitioners at all levels and encourage their full participation in the meeting.

Prospective authors can submit abstracts and proposals through our electronic submission process. Please click here for detailed guidelines and selection criteria for each of the categories listed above.

Conference topics at this years’ ICCH include:
–         Basic and applied research in communication in healthcare
–         Research methodology
–         Teaching clinical communication skills
–         Assessing clinical communication skills
–         Implementation science and knowledge translation in health communication
–         Patient perspectives
–         Patient participation and empowerment
–         Patient decision aids
–         Ethical issues in communication
–         Diversity and cross-cultural communication
–         Communication and quality and safety
–         Gathering information/clinical reasoning
–         Communication and emotion
–         Empathy
–         Communication in chronic conditions
–         Information provision
–         Shared decision making
–         Health literacy
–         Health behaviour change
–         Risk communication and medical decision-making
–         Team and Inter-professional/interdisciplinary communication
–         Communication technology, e-learning, serious gaming and social media
–         Psychophysiology

International Colloquium on Communication 2016 (Germany)

International Colloquium on Communication 2016
University of Applied Sciences Fulda (Germany)
Sunday, 24. July 2016, 18:00 h to Friday, 29 July 2016, 12:00 h

Theme:  Communication and Tragedy

The International Colloquium on Communication (ICC) is an interdisciplinary conference that invites scholars from the U.S. and Europe to present and discuss new results of research on communication. The ICC was founded in 1968 and takes place every other year. A specific feature of the ICC is its small size, with only about 25 participants. Each scholar presents a paper that is followed by a discussion among the entire group. The length of the colloquium allows additional time for interaction and dialogue. The conference will be held in English.
The general aim of the ICC is to discuss current results of research on communication and to emphasize a critical view on institutional and political contexts.

The specific focus of ICC 2016 will be communication and tragedy. Papers may examine how we politically, socially and culturally define the meaning of tragedy through communication. Papers may explore the communicative practices involved in the social construction of tragedy, including how different cultures/societies grapple with the trauma associated with tragedy.

For example, papers may explore the following issues:
1.      news media definitions of tragedy;
2.      definitions of tragedy in the arts (literature, theatre film, television, dance etc.);
3.      how organizations or institutions confront tragedy in their communication;
4.      therapeutic approaches to tragedy, including research associated with health communication;
5.       cross-cultural explorations of tragedy involving analyses of how different cultures communicate about tragedy;
6.      consistencies and changes in how specific cultures communicate about tragedy over time;
7.      how cultures memorialize tragedy, for example, in museums and memorials.

Those interested in presenting a paper at the ICC should submit an abstract of 150-200 words to the Program Chairs listed below by 31 January 2016. U.S. based scholars are asked to submit to Dr. Kevin M. Carragee, while European scholars are asked to submit to Professor Werner Pfab.

Contact:
Professor Dr. Kevin M. Carragee, Program Chair (USA)
Department of Communication and Journalism
Suffolk University, Boston, MA, USA

Professor Werner Pfab, Conference and Program Chair (Europe)
Department Sozial und Kulturwissenschaften – Department of Social and Cultural Studies
Hochschule Fulda – University of Applied Sciences, Fulda, Germany

CFP History of Recent Social Science (London)

CALL FOR PAPERS
THIRD ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON THE HISTORY OF RECENT SOCIAL SCIENCE (HISRESS)
London School of Economics and Political Science
3-4 June 2016

This two-day conference will bring together researchers working on the history of post-World War II social science. It will provide a forum for the latest research on the cross-disciplinary history of the post-war social sciences, including but not limited to anthropology, economics, psychology, political science, and sociology as well as related fields like area studies, communication studies, history, international relations, law and linguistics. We are especially eager to receive submissions that treat themes, topics, and events that span the history of individual disciplines.

The conference aims to build upon the recent emergence of work and conversation on cross-disciplinary themes in the postwar history of the social sciences. A number of monographs, edited collections, special journal issues, and gatherings at the École normale supérieure de Cachan, Duke University, the London School of Economics, New York University, the University of Toronto and elsewhere testify to a growing interest in the developments spanning the social sciences in the early, late, and post-Cold War periods. Most history of social science scholarship, however, remains focused on the 19th and early 20th centuries, and attuned to the histories of individual disciplines. Though each of the major social science fields now has a community of disciplinary historians, research explicitly concerned with cross-disciplinary topics remains comparatively rare. The purpose of the conference is to further encourage the limited but fruitful cross-disciplinary conversations of recent years.

Submissions are welcome in areas such as:
– The uptake of social science concepts and figures in wider intellectual and popular discourses
– Comparative institutional histories of departments and programs
– Border disputes and boundary work between disciplines as well as academic cultures
– Themes and concepts developed in the history and sociology of natural and physical science, reconceptualized for the social science context
– Professional and applied training programs and schools, and the quasi-disciplinary fields (like business administration) that typically housed them
– The role of social science in post-colonial state-building governance
– Social science adaptations to the changing media landscape
– The role and prominence of disciplinary memory in a comparative context

The two-day conference, hosted by the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Science at the London School of Economics, will be organized as a series of one-hour, single-paper sessions attended by all participants. Ample time will be set aside for intellectual exchange between presenters and attendees, as all participants are expected to read pre-circulated papers in advance.

Proposals should contain no more than 1000 words, indicating the originality of the paper. The deadline for receipt of abstracts is 5 February 2016. Final notification will be given in late February after proposals have been reviewed. Completed papers will be expected by 15 May 2016.

The organizing committee consists of:
Craig Calhoun (London School of Economics), Jamie Cohen-Cole (George Washington University),
Philippe Fontaine (École normale supérieure de Cachan), and Jeff Pooley (Muhlenberg College).

All proposals and requests for information should be sent to Philippe Fontaine.

CFP World Conference on Media and Mass Communication (Bangkok)

2nd Annual World Conference on Media and Mass Communication (MEDCOM)
Bangkok, Thailand
April 21-22, 2106

The 2nd Annual World Conference on Media and Mass Communication (MEDCOM) will be held April 21-22 in Bangkok, Thailand.  The conference is hosted by The International Institute of Knowledge Management (TIIKM) of Sri Lanka, partnering with the School of Communication at the University of
Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, USA.  The 2016 theme is “Technology: Its Impact on Media and the Way we Communicate.”  MEDCOM 2016 is the premier forum for the presentation of research and new advances in the fields of theoretical, experimental, and applied Media, Journalism, and Mass Communication. The conference will bring together leading researchers, educators, administrators, and scientists in the domain of interest from around the world.

Papers from a variety of disciplines and covering a variety of tracks are welcome. Please visit the website
for additional details.  Abstract submission deadline is January 15, 2016, and the early bird registration deadline is February 15, 2016. Keynote presentations will be delivered by conference chair Thomas
Endres, Professor of Communication Studies, and Dale Edwards, Associate Professor of Journalism & Mass Communications; both from the University of Northern Colorado’s School of Communication.  The conference is held in conjunction with the International Conference on Education (ICEDU), and registration for one conference allows attendance to sessions and keynotes from both.

CFP ICA 2016 Preconference: Communicating with New Power Blocs (Japan)

Call for proposals
ICA 2016 Pre-conference, Tokyo, Japan
Communicating with New Power Blocs: Culture and Ethics in BRICS Media
Aoyama Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan
8 June 2016, Wednesday, 9am-5pm

Deadline for submissions: February 5, 2016

Organizers:
Sudeshna Roy (Stephen F. Austin state University, USA)
Daya Thussu (University of Westminster)
Herman Wasserman (University of Cape Town)

Co-sponsoring ICA Divisions:
Ethnicity and Race in Communication; Global Communication and Social Change
Additional ICA Division Affiliations: Communication Law and Policy; Journalism Studies

The influence and relevance of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries are being increasing felt in the global media arena, as has been evident in recent international news coverage of events in the member countries, such as Chinese moves to devalue their currency and the state visits abroad of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to court the Indian diaspora. Russia is in the news too with its military intervention in Syria and the continuing conflict in Ukraine; Brazil’s corruption scandal around petroleum giant Petrobas is making waves well beyond South America, and South Africa is grappling with political conflict and economic inequality, resulting in clashes such as the xenophobic attacks on foreigners. While the concept of BRICS is problematic in that they are very different countries both in terms of the size of their economies, and political and media systems, nevertheless they have in common a rapid and globalized growth in their media systems.

To what extent BRICS media have the power to shape media agendas and change dominant narratives about the global South? How are cultures and identities being represented in BRICS media? What changes are being experienced in the ethics of media institutions and their processes? What changes are taking place in notions of journalism in these countries? What place do ethnic media have in these countries? In an age of ultimate internet connectivity, in what ways are salience, potency and power of BRICS media being felt in social and cultural realm of BRICS countries and beyond? In light of the linkages between BRICS media and their power to shape, change, and influence cultures, politics, ethics and values not only in the respective BRICS countries but in regions around the world, this preconference aims to bring together scholars to explore the potential for BRICS media to offer new perspectives on media in Asia – also among major non-BRICS countries such as Japan and South Korea – as well as in a global context.

The invited panels will address the intersections of power, politics and ethics in media production, in keeping with the ICA 2016 theme of ‘Communicating with Power’. Panels will additionally address the increasing commercialization of media in the BRICS countries and how that impacts on journalism ethics and examine the role of censorship, visible in key BRICS nations – Russia and China – but also in democratic nations such as India.

The preconference will begin with an overview discussion of the ways in which BRICS media have grown in the past decade and what kinds of cultural, ethical, and power issues are arising from this growth. The following two invited panels will present and discuss scholarship that specifically engages with: ideology, culture, politics and identity representation in BRICS media; and ethics and journalism concerns at the media institutional and social levels. The final session will consist of concurrent roundtables on the media of each of the BRICS countries that will focus on an awareness of the different models of journalism, the tensions between them and the implications of each form as well as discuss the potential of other types of networks that are emerging in BRICS countries, networks that are outside the government control. Invited keynote speakers will feature scholars of BRICS media and, specifically, scholars from Japan and other Asian countries who have the opportunity to attend this year’s ICA taking place in Fukuoka, Japan.

Submissions for participation in the pre-conference should include a brief biographical sketch (50 word) and a 200-word statement describing specific strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats being demonstrated/ faced by BRICS media; and specific ways in which BRICS media can leverage their non-Euro-Atlantic origins and redress power imbalances in existing international institutions and structures. Organizers will identify areas of shared interest in submissions to organize breakout groups for the concurrent roundtable discussions. Scholars at all stages of their careers are encouraged to apply. All proposals must be emailed to Sudeshna Roy. The deadline for submissions is February 5, 2016. Submissions will be judged on relevance, originality, and fit with the preconference theme. Notifications of acceptance will be emailed by end of February 2016.

Cost of registration and attendance:
$65 per person for ICA full members who are not students
$40 per person for students
A limited number of fee waivers are available. To request a waiver,
please include a statement of your specific need in your proposal.

CFP ICA 2016 Preconference: The Politics and Economics of Chinese New Media Industries

Call for Papers: ICA 2016 Preconference:
The politics and economics of Chinese new media industries

[Selected full papers will be included in a special issue for International Communication Gazette, to be published in early-2018.]

Date and Venue
June 9th 2016, ICA conference hotel (Fukuoka, Japan)

Division Affiliations
Communication Law and Policy Division
Communication and Technology Division
Media Industry Studies Interest Group

Organizing committee:
Weiyu Zhang, Associate Professor, National University of Singapore
Zhan Li, Associate Professor, Xiamen University, China
Jing Wu, Professor, Peking University, China
Bingchun Meng, Associate Professor, London School of Economics, UK
Min Jiang, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina, Charlotte, US

Keynote Speaker
Prof. Stephen Reese, School of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin

Spotlight Presentation
Selected best submission will be featured as a spotlight presentation.

Conference Fee (lunch and two tea breaks included)
–         Free for presenters
–         25 USD for general audience

Sponsors
Xiamen University, China
Peking University, China

Aim and Scope
Just like many other indicators of China’s development, digital media industries in China are constantly generating impressive figures. For example, Alibaba’s initial public offering in 2014 was ranked world’s
biggest at $25 Billion; Wechat, the fastest rising social media app developed by Tencent, achieved a user base of 440 million within four years of its release. By February 2015, Chinese Internet users have
reached 641 million, more than double the number of users in the U.S. Numbers aside, however, there have not been much academic research on the regulatory context, the political and economic dynamics, as well as the broader implications at both domestic and global levels of such fast-pace development. For instance, there are increasing efforts from the Chinese government and elites to articulate alternative frameworks over the global governance of the Internet and new media industries.

This preconference intends to serve as a platform to facilitate dialogues around the political, the economic, the institutional and the policy aspects of media industries in China, in view of the rapid
development of digital media. But this is not just about having ‘China experts’ analyzing Chinese companies or Chinese policies. We are keen to move beyond the ‘China exceptionalism” by taking an explicitly global and comparative perspective. For one thing, the ownership structure and the business practices of Chinese digital media companies are intricately related to global capitalism in general. For another, Chinese information technology companies, such as Baidu, Alibaba, ZTE and Huawei, are aggressively expanding their businesses overseas, especially in Africa and South East Asia, with varied degrees of success. Last but not the least, through platforms like the National Office for Internet and Information, and channels like the Sino-US Internet Forum, the Chinese authorities are actively participating in the construction of international and global policy frames concerning the future development of digital media industries.

With the global reach of Chinese IT companies and the international ambition of Chinese government, it is imperative to understand how the new developments in Chinese digital media industries, are reconfiguring the politics and the economics of information and communication technologies (ICTs).  Moreover, it is important to understand how traditional media such as mainstream newspapers respond to such changes and incorporate digitalization into their own industry plans. This preconference aims to invite scholars from all over the world to tackle the issue, primarily using China as a context in which innovative research questions and methods can be applied.

We are particularly interested in papers that address the following themes:
–         The globalization and internationalization of Chinese media industries, including both Internet and other traditional media
–         The roles of international regulatory bodies and international non-governmental organizations in shaping the landscape of new media in China
–         The roles of Chinese authorities in shaping global policies regarding information and communication technologies (ICTs)
–         The economics of Chinese new ICT companies, including foreign and local venture capitalists, shareholders, business models, sources of profits, consumer strategy, etc.
–         The evolving political parallelism in Chinese media industry
–         Comparisons of Chinese new media industry with other countries’ media industry

Abstract Submissions
Please submit a 500-words abstract in word or pdf format to ica15china@gmail.com.  All submissions will be subject to a double-blind review by at least 2 reviewers. To facilitate the review process, please write a separate cover sheet with the paper title and affiliation/s and omit the affiliations in the actual abstract.

Deadlines
–         Submission of abstracts: Jan 15th 2016
–         Notification of acceptance: March 1st 2016
–         Final paper submission: June 1st 2016

CFP ALA 2016: Languages for Life: Educational, Professional & Social Contexts (Vienna)

Call for papers
Association for Language Awareness
13th International Language Awareness Conference (ALA 2016)
Languages for Life: Educational, Professional and Social Contexts

WU Wien (Vienna University of Economics and Business)
July 19-22, 2016
Submission deadline: 15 November 2015

Conference Themes
• LALT: Language Awareness in Language Learning and Language Teaching
• LAWB: Language Awareness in the Workplace and Business
• LAMA: Language Awareness and Awareness of (New/Social) Media
• LICA: Language Awareness, Culture/Intercultural Awareness, Communication Awareness
• CLA: Critical Language Awareness
• LAAV: Awareness and Attitudes concerning languages and their different varieties

For further inquiries you can contact us by email.

Confirmed plenary speakers
Veronika Koller (Lancaster University)
Almut Köster (Vienna University of Economics and Business)
Aneta Pavlenko (Temple University)
Dennis Preston (Oklahoma State University) (Eric Hawkins Lecture)

Submission guidelines
Abstracts must be submitted online and may not exceed 300 words (excluding references). Authors may submit a maximum of two abstracts if at least one of these is co-authored. The abstracts will be reviewed anonymously and notification of acceptance will be sent at the beginning of 2016. General registration will open in December 2015.

The language of the conference is predominantly English, but contributions in other languages will also be considered. In such case, PowerPoint or other visual materials should be in English or bilingual. Please choose the language which best suits your needs as well as those of your audience. (The abstracts, however, are supposed to be in English. But indicate the title also in the language planned for your presentation.)

Academic programme
The conference will consist of
–      full paper presentations (20 minutes, 10 minutes Q&A)
–      special symposia and panel discussions in cooperation with AILA/Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée (Research Networks “Research Cultures in Applied Linguistics” and “Folk Linguistics”; VERBAL/Austrian Association of Applied Linguistics)
–      a poster slam/poster presentations (A0, portrait format)
–      a workshop for PhD students / young scholars

Scholarships
PhD students and early career researchers are encouraged to send in abstracts as they may qualify for an ALA conference scholarship. More information will be made available on the website.

Conference venue
ALA 2016 will be held at the WU, one of the major business universities of Europe. The new campus of the WU, completed in 2013, sets new standards with regard to the construction of universities. It lies at the heart of Vienna and is easily accessible by public transport. The campus’ modern architecture and numerous convenient facilities make this an attractive area to explore, while the ‘Prater’-Park adjacent to the campus affords the opportunity to relax and unwind. Further information about the venue, travel arrangements and accommodation is available on the conference website.

ALA membership
If you are not yet a member of the Association for Language Awareness (ALA), we strongly recommend that you join now. ALA members will be charged a lower conference fee and will receive the official journal Language Awareness (four issues per year).

CFP Crossing Borders: Researching Transnational Media History (ICA 2016 in Japan)

Crossing Borders: Researching Transnational Media History
International Communication Association Preconference
Fukuoka, Japan, June 9, 2016
Sponsor: ICA Communication History Division
Co-Sponsor: ECREA Communication History Section
Organizers: Nelson Ribeiro and David Park

Media history has frequently been tied to the nation-state. This ICA pre-conference is dedicated to considering the history of media that operates across national borders. Indeed, communication has long been a central theme in historical schools of thought that stress the networked and interdependent nature of both the ancient and modern worlds. As such, we welcome papers on a wide array of historically grounded themes that explore transnational communication.

Submissions to this pre-conference are invited to consider the full breadth of transnational communication in history. States, businesses, commercial networks, and other institutions have long been preoccupied with managing the flow of communication across borders. These patterns raise numerous questions regarding the institutions connected to these flows, the messages they circulate, and the audiences they reach. More specifically, the pre-conference will be structured around three themes:
• Histories of transnational media organizations. Different technologies and media have been used to spread information and ideas across the borders. States and the Catholic Church were among the first institutions to understand the importance of having access to information produced abroad and to spread their own messages in different geographies. In modern times, transnational communication played a central role in disseminating political and religious ideals along with business information, thus contributing to early processes of globalization. Although several newspapers in the late 19th century were already operating internationally, in the 20th century the phenomenon of transnational communication became even more prevalent as media organizations played a central role in international propaganda and public diplomacy. The BBC, Voice of America, Radio Beijing, Radio Moscow, and Radio Tokyo are just a few examples that come to mind.
• Histories of transnational media content. Along with transnational media organizations, the content and form of media have never truly been hemmed in by national borders either, as genres, narratives, and franchises have circulated regionally and globally, contributing to hybrid cultural identities. British literature and U.S. music, film, and television serials are obvious examples but many others could be cited, namely Indian cinema, Japanese animation and videogames, and Brazilian telenovelas. After World War II, the circulation of transnational media content also became a major issue in the context of the Cold War leading to the creation, in Europe and Asia, of international organizations that promoted the exchange of television content among its members.
• Histories of transnational audiences. As is the case with the internet today, in earlier times newspapers, broadcasting, musical recordings, and video tapes were used to reach transnational audiences and create diasporic communities, a phenomenon of particular importance in the context of empire. Developing our understanding of how audiences received media content produced in different cultural contexts can expand our knowledge of how transnational networks operate and how communication technologies facilitate (or resist) these flows.

Abstracts of 300 words (maximum) should be submitted no later than 30 November 2015. Proposals for full panels are also welcome: these should include a 250-word abstract for each individual presentation, and a 200-word rationale for the panel. Send abstracts to: nelson.ribeiro@ucp.pt. Authors will be informed regarding acceptance/rejection for the preconference no later than 10 January 2016. Full papers will need to be submitted no later than 30 May 2016 as these will be posted online and made available to all those participating in the preconference.

Voices of Culture: Intercultural Dialogue Brainstorming Session

Voices of Culture: Call for Applications
Intercultural Dialogue Brainstorming Session

For its fourth brainstorming session on intercultural dialogue to take place in March 2016, Voices of Culture is calling for applications.

Voices of Culture is a process established to create exchanges between civil society stakeholders in the cultural field and the European Commission. Within the “structured dialogue between the European Commission and the Cultural Sector” cultural professionals can make their voices heard at the European level. In total 5 topics will be covered and so far two brain-storming sessions – one on “Audience Development via Digital Means” and another “Participatory Governance of Cultural Heritage” took place. The next session for the third theme “Developing the Entrepreneurial and Innovation Potential of the Cultural and Creative Sectors” is set to take place in February 2016 and the fourth is set for March. NEMO participated in the first two brainstorming sessions.

35 European civil society stakeholders will be invited to discuss the topic “Promoting intercultural dialogue and bringing communities together through culture in shared public spaces“. The theme is derived from the political commitment of the European Commission following the Work Plan for Culture (2015-2018), which identified intercultural dialogue as a core subject. The specific interest lies in the question how culture in shared public spaces can be used to promote intercultural dialogue and bring communities together. The call for applications is open now!

The group of selected participants will brainstorm on this issue from 17-18 March 2016 resulting in a summarised Brainstorming Report. In April 2016, the main ideas can be discussed with the European Commission at a Dialogue Meeting at Flagey in Brussels.

The call is open to representatives of the cultural and creative sectors (professional organisations, cultural institutions, non-governmental organisations, European networks, foundations, private organisations, etc.) with sound expertise on the topic “promoting intercultural dialogue and bringing communities together through culture in shared public spaces”, who would like to contribute to discussions with the European Commission. Organisations applying must be from one of the 28 EU Member States.

The deadline for applications is 4 December 2015.

For further information on the theme see the Voices of Culture website.