Call for submissions: Conference on Convergence, Diversity, and Development, Minzhu University of China, Beijing, China. Deadline: 1 April 2024.
Working in collaboration with the National Communication Association (NCA), the Communication University of China (CUC), and the Association for Chinese Communication Studies (ACCS), the Minzu University of China (MUC) announces an international conference addressing “Convergence, Diversity, and Development.” The conference will convene at Minzu University, in Beijing, China, on June 14-16, 2024. In Mandarin, minzu translates as ethnicities. This means that Minzu University—a campus dedicated to studying, implementing, and advancing the cause of Diversity, Excellence, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA)—is the ideal partner for hosting this event. As indicated in the conference title, organizers propose 3 lines of inquiry:
“Convergence” suggests the overlapping and intersecting of different communication infrastructures, platforms, and genres.
“Development” points to the geopolitics of modernization, including the ways U.S., Chinese, and international forces seek to spread political power by engaging in development projects in the Global South.
“Diversity”—and its expansion into the acronym DEIA—can suggest the intentional process of expanding the range of voices included in civil society, or it can be a catch phrase that leads to appropriation and cooptation.
Organizers seek research presentations rooted in the Communication discipline broadly configured among and across the lines of inquiry described above. Presentations will be limited to 10 minutes so that conference sessions can prioritize collaborative brainstorming, constructive feedback, and idea testing. Each panel session will include an equal number of Chinese and international presenters. Presentations and discussion will take place in English. Above all, they seek to facilitate dialogue and the fair and rigorous exchange of ideas representing international perspectives and diverse understandings.
Center for Intercultural Dialogue 