NCA: Chief Diversity Officer (USA)

“JobChief Diversity Officer, National Communication Association, Washington, DC, USA. Deadline: open until filled; posted 9 August 2023.

The Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) leads and implements a transformational agenda that infuses – throughout the National Communication Association (NCA) and in all of its work – a focus on and commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) to promote NCA’s mission to advance communication scholarship, teaching, and practice to foster a better world.

While IDEA is the priority and responsibility of the entire Association, the CDO will play a leading role in interpreting, communicating, and promulgating NCA’s IDEA Framework, which guides and supports the ongoing development, implementation, and evaluation of IDEA-related goals. The CDO will steer the development, execution, and assessment of these goals related to three broad areas – (1) the Association itself, (2) the field of communication, and (3) the benefits of communication for society – and ensure that these goals are woven into the fabric the organization. The CDO’s scope of work will also be informed by the IDEA strategic plan and goals and the NCA’s strategic priorities. This position will report directly to the Executive Director, serve as a member of the Senior Team, and work closely with NCA’s Executive Committee and governance groups.

U Oslo: Postdoctoral Fellow in Multilingualism (Norway)

PostdocsPostdoctoral Research Fellowship in Multilingualism, Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Deadline: 15 September 2023.

This Postdoctoral Research Fellowship is funded by the Norwegian Research Council and is associated with the project Indigenous Language Resilience: From learners to speakers (SPEAKERS). Applicants are expected to propose a research project closely connected to the main project. Through a comparative analysis of Sápmi and three additional cases, the SPEAKERS project investigates why and how some learners transition from learners to speakers of Indigenous or minoritized languages. In many Indigenous contexts schools are key arenas for language revitalisation; the goal of SPEAKERS is to gain a deeper understanding of what happens after students leave school. The project aims to identify and investigate key life moments or mudes that facilitate or trigger the transition from learner to speaker, compare the impact and interaction of key social environmental factors on speaker resilience, and investigate inherent tensions in language reclamation processes and how learners and speakers attempt to solve such tensions.

The postdoctoral fellow will lead one of the comparative cases, and work with other project team members on cross-case comparative analysis. The location of this case is open, and the postdoctoral fellow is encouraged to propose an individual project that builds on their previous work, while also contributing to the larger comparative project. They will consider cases relating to any minoritized language, but the project proposal must make clear how this case could inform the SPEAKERS project as a whole. The applicant must have expertise in one or more of the following disciplines: sociolinguistics, linguistics, linguistic or social anthropology, applied linguistics, education, multilingualism, and/ or Indigenous studies. Experience with fieldwork is highly desirable.

CFP: CCSA Intercultural Interest Group (USA)

Conferences

Call for papers: Intercultural Communication Interest Group, Central States Communication Association, Grand Rapids, MI, USA. Deadline: 7 October 2023.

The Intercultural Communication Interest Group OF CSCA invites submission of competitive individual papers, panel proposals, and creative/interactive sessions. The purpose of ICIG is to promote the scholarship and practice of communication between, among, and within cultural groups. THEY welcome all forms of scholarship and research methodology in addressing this year’s theme: Incoherence: Failure, Futures, and Forgotten Messages.

Within intercultural communication, incoherence is inevitable and often embodied by “the stranger” since strangers can be near in proximity yet far in terms of in-group status. Organizers are excited for submissions that explore how these tensions between farness and nearness, identity dispersion and synthesis, “us” and “them” can be felt, negotiated, and examined across many cultural contexts, for instance, at borderlands, in transnational spaces, in neighborhoods as well as within digital spaces and other forms of mediated communication. The theme of incoherence offers us meaningful space to consider future directions of IC scholarship, mentorship, and curriculum programming. Inviting us to ask (among other possible inquiries):

How is incoherence embodied by being, or interacting with, the stranger, the sojourner, the other? How is incoherence implicated in studies of diaspora, immigration, statelessness, or refugee groups?

How does incoherence open avenues to understand environmental justice and environmental racism?

How does a focus on disjointedness allow us to examine perceptions of hope, place, and safe community within an increasingly diverse and polarized U.S. society?

How does the theme of incoherence apply in addressing what it means to identify as an intercultural scholar today? How can exploring incoherence contribute to (re)building curricula that meet the needs of the next generation of intercultural scholars?

How can incoherence illuminate critical/intersectional paths that complicate static, certain, or transpicuous notions of culture? How does incoherence inform the ways in which people negotiate multiracial identities in an increasingly transnational world?

CFP Communicating Scotland Through Food

“PublicationCFP Communicating Scotland Through Food: From Devolution to Possible Futures. Deadline for abstract and bio: 15 October 2023.

Editors: Ashli Q. Stokes, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA; and Ana Tominc, Queen Margaret University, Scotland

In this call, the editors are looking for abstracts for chapters that address the question of Scottish representation through and around food from devolution (1999) to contemporary and current visions of the future. As Scotland increasingly differentiates itself politically and economically, we ask what foods define Scotland as a UK “sub-nation,” and how this communicative work helps distinguish it from England, the rest of the UK, and Europe. This volume specifically focus on the role of media, language, and communication broadly in shaping Scotland’s vision about itself and others, addressing a notable gap in discussions around Scotland’s relationship to food. The discussion is designed to contribute to the growing understanding of the role food plays in Scotland’s past, present, and future. The book offers a perspective that may help shape future discussions around the important connection between food and the question of “national” identity in health, political, economic, and other communication.

Submission Deadlines:
Abstract and Bio: October 15, 2023
Notification of Abstract Acceptance: November 1, 2023
Papers Due to Book Editors: April 2024
Final Version Due to Editors: June 2024

Those unfamiliar with the topic of food as related to intercultural matters might want to read the prior post on Urban Foodways and Communication.

Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies Fellowships 2023-4 (Finland)

FellowshipsCore fellowships, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, Helsinki, Finland. Deadline: 14 September 2023.

The Core Fellowship Program is the basis of all Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies (HCAS) activities and the majority of fellows are appointed through it. In 2023, the application period begins on 22 August and closes on 14 September. Open to researchers from the humanities, social sciences, behavioral sciences, theology and law, as well as to researchers in other fields who focus on topics related to the human sciences. These prefixed-term appointments for 6 months to 3 years, for all career levels beyond the doctorate (post-docs, mid-career researchers, and full professors). The usual number of appointments is 8–14 per year, with no fixed career stage or discipline quotas. These are salaried positions with associated benefits (paid family and sick leave, pension benefits and occupational health care), as well as relocation assistance for international fellows. In addition, there is a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Arts.

Mariaelena Bartesaghi Profile

Profiles

Dr. Mariaelena Bartesaghi is Associate Professor of Communication at the  University of South Florida, where she studies language and social interaction, as well as dialogue.

She was born and raised in Milan, Italy, and is an expat to the United States since her 20s, so intercultural dialogue is an everyday accomplishment for her. She is an associate professor of communication at the University of South Florida. She is a discourse analyst, who studies institutional discourse in social settings, such as psychotherapy, psychiatry, medicine, academia and crisis. She was the Editor in Chief of Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare from 2016 to 2021 and has published in Discourse Studies, Applied Linguistics in Professional Practice, The Review of Communication and Language Under Discussion. She has recently co-edited the anthology Disability in Dialogue for John Benjamin’s Dialogue Series (with Jessica Hughes) and is working on a book on crisis discourse. She is delighted to have introduced many graduate students to discourse studies, and the empirical study of dialogue. Many of her once doctoral advisees now study dialogue in their own work.

Work for CID:

Mariaelena Bartesaghi is the co-author of a guest post on Disability as Intercultural Dialogue.

U Canada West: International Student Advisors (Canada)

“Job
2 International Student Advisors, University Canada West, Vancouver, BC, Canada. Deadline: open until filled; posted 31 July 2023.

UCW is seeking candidates for two International Student Advisor positions. The International Student Advisor supports new and returning international student through advising services and programs to assist our international student population. The International Student Advisor will identify and analyze the needs for international students and design relevant programs, tools, and services that allow for successful international student retention and integration.

The International Student Advisor will host one-on-one and group information sessions aimed at enhancing the student experience and success for a diverse group of international students.

The International Student Advisor will serve as the first point in contact for international students and provide advice and support in a professional manner. The International Student Advisor will work together with other departments in providing support for international students to facilitate their transition, development, sense of belong, and success at University Canada West and the community.

Position requirements include fluency with a foreign language; speaking one of these languages is an asset: Hindi, Punjabi, Farsi, Chinese, or Spanish.

National Center for Civil and Human Rights: Education Coordinator (USA)

“JobEducation Coordinator, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Deadline: 3 September 2023.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights (NCCHR) is in search of an Education Coordinator to join their Education team. The ideal candidate will have experience in education, developing and presenting content to K-12 audiences, substantive historical knowledge of the American Civil Rights Movement, and the ability to engage diverse audiences. This role also requires administrative, project planning, and project management skills for success.

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is an engaging cultural center that connects the American Civil Rights Movement to today’s ongoing struggle for human rights, whether at a local, national, or global level. 

Inter-American Dialogue: Communications Associate (USA and Hybrid)

“JobCommunications Associate, Inter-American Dialogue, Washington, DC (and hybrid). Deadline: Open until filled, posted 24 July 2023.

The Inter-American Dialogue is seeking a Communications Associate to support external communications and media relations at the organization. The ideal candidate will have strong time management and problem-solving skills and will be able to communicate effectively in both English and Spanish. They will lead the implementation of the Dialogue’s new strategic communications plan, create digital and print content for the organization, as well as build connections with media across the hemisphere.

Other opportunities at Inter-American Dialogue can be found here.

The Inter-American Dialogue’s work spans the US, Canada, and 35 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and examines the region’s expanding global influence.

Interreligious Dialogue: Heschel Center at Catholic U of Lublin (Poland)

Applied ICD

The Heschel Center has begun its activities at the Catholic University of Lublin.

The Abraham J. Heschel Center for Catholic-Jewish Relations – a new scientific, educational, and cultural unit to deepen Catholic-Jewish relations internationally – has began its activities at the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland. Scientific research, publishing activities, student exchanges, as well as international symposia, conferences, debates and cultural events are the main tasks of the institution. Its mission is to build Catholic-Jewish relations on the scientific, educational, and cultural levels on an international scale. The center combines research work, commemorating the past, educating and engaging young people, as well as shaping public awareness through modern media on a global scale.

The pillars on which the Center’s activities are based can be summed up in a motto: Common Bible – Common Past – Common Future. They also relate to shared biblical roots, to the community of the history of both societies, as well as to the need to shape a future based on dialogue and openness to multiculturalism – said the Rector of the Catholic University of Lublin, Rev. Prof. Miroslaw Kalinowski.