Archive for June 2009

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[ecrea] CFP: Theories of international and intercultural communication - International Conference and PhD Workshop - Mannheim

Wed Jun 03 21:22:50 GMT 2009



Theories of International and Intercultural Communication
International Conference and PhD Workshop
October, 29-31, 2009, University of Mannheim, Germany


Conference theme

In focusing on international and intercultural communication, the conference addresses one of the most innovative research areas in the field of media and communication studies. It deals with theoretical questions concerning mediated communication crossing national borders or cultural boundaries. However, a closer look reveals that the theoretical basis of this research area is still unclear, heterogeneous, and fragmented. The conference aims at critically discussing different theoretical approaches and traditions and at fostering theoretical integration. Four pivotal theoretical challenges in the field of international and intercultural communication will be addressed in four thematic panels; a fifth panel will be thematically open in order to be able to react to submissions.

Panel 1: Disciplinary intersections. Even the use of both â??internationalâ?? and â??interculturalâ?? in the title of the conference refers to different systemic contexts that shape mediated crossâ??border communication. â??Internationalâ?? brings to mind the politicalâ??legal conditions, â??interculturalâ?? more clearly connotes the socioâ??cultural formations of the communicating entities and content and process of communication. Apart from these connections to political science/law as well as sociology/cultural studies, crossâ??border communication cannot be understood without a third disciplinary reference point: (media) economics. The globalization of procurement, advertising and markets in the media business on the one hand and communicative problems of global media companies on the other hand constitute important topics that deserve and demand further theorization.

Panel 2: Spatial patterns. For a long time, research on international and intercultural communication has been characterized by a centerâ??periphery model that emphasizes relations of dependence and domination between various world regions (â??media imperialismâ??). This has been complemented, however, by models of multipolarity as well as national and regional selfreliance that challenge narrow views of Western influences in the world. Nonâ??Western perspectives on international and intercultural communication come centerâ??stage, which need to be acknowledged as distinct and unique in the first place. This panel, therefore, aims at developing the potential of different deâ??centered conceptions of the world for theorizing international and intercultural communication.

Panel 3: Temporal structures. In a temporal perspective, many current diagnoses of international and intercultural communication use concepts like acceleration, synchronicity, as well as culmination or turning points. Global realâ??time media, particularly the Internet, but also live coverage in transnational news channels, have accelerated crossâ??border communication to a point where a shared global presence is created in certain instances. But attention structures of crossâ??border communication are still quite volatile so that a shared presence is not achieved permanently on a global scale but depends on particular focal points, i.e. global media events such as Olympic Games, summits, wars, or disasters. The third panel is thus devoted to theorizing such points of culmination as
well as the global realâ??time media that create and support them.

Panel 4: Building theory from comparison. A particular challenge of research into international and intercultural communication consists in the parallel existence of at least two, if not three distinct logics of analysis. The logic of international and intercultural comparison is based on the assumption that the entities compared are independent from each other and that the features to be explained can be attributed to structural similarities and differences of these entities. In contrast, approaches focusing on crossâ??border communication precisely emphasize relations of exchange and influence between the entities, i.e. phenomena that cannot be properly understood by comparison alone. In addition, some recent approaches use the prefix â??transâ?? instead of â??interâ?? (as in transnational and transcultural) and thus focus our attention on communicative structures that transcend and subvert existing delineations. A purely comparative logic of inquiry is insufficient here as well. The fourth panel thus seeks answers to the question of how comparative designs contribute to theoryâ??building in the field of international and intercultural communication, and how such designs can be combined and integrated with â??interâ?? and â??transâ??â??oriented approaches.

Panel 5: Open panel. In addition to the thematic panels, submissions can be made that address any aspect of international and intercultural communication from a theoryâ??oriented perspective.

Conference program

The panels will be supplemented by plenary speeches as well as a panel discussion. The following keynote speakers and/or respondents will participate:

? Prof. Dr. Oliver Boydâ??Barrett, Professor of Journalism,
Bowling Green State University, USA

? Prof. Dr. Eytan Gilboa, Professor of Communication and Government,
Barâ??Ilan University, Ramatâ??Gan, Israel

? Prof. Dr. Monroe E. Price, Director of the Center for Global Communication Studies,
Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, USA
(not yet confirmed)

? Prof. Dr. Daya K. Thussu, Professor of International Communication,
University of Westminster, London, UK

? Prof. Dr. Leo Van Audenhove, Professor of Communication,
Free University, Brussels, Belgium

Integrated PhD workshop

The conference will be supplemented by a workshop at which PhD students can present their dissertation research in international and intercultural communication without any thematic restrictions imposed. Renowned international scholars will be commenting on each presentation, thus offering a unique opportunity to obtain constructive feedback from experts who would otherwise not be easily available. For PhD students presenting at the workshop some travel funds are available upon request. If you wish to receive such funds, please indicate this on your submission.

Submission and selection of papers

Submissions for the conference as well as for the PhD workshop can be made in English or German, as the conference will be bilingual. Please send your proposal for a 20â??minute presentation to Maria Roeder ((roeder /at/ unimannheim.de)) or Manuel Adolphsen (adolphsen@uniâ??mannheim.de) no later than June 14, 2009 (using a pdf or a doc file). The abstract should not be longer than 8000 characters (including blank spaces) und should be assigned to one of the panels. Please add a title page to the abstract containing the name(s) and address(es) of the presenter(s) and the title of the presentation, and make sure you remove all references to the submitter(s) in the rest of the abstract. Please also note on the title page whether you can give your presentation in English, German or both. All submissions to the conference as well as the PhD workshop will be subjected to anonymous peerâ??review based on the criteria of originality, relevance to the conference and panel, sophistication of theoretical foundation, and clarity of language. Proposals based on empirical work will additionally be rated according to the appropriateness of the methods used. All submitters will be informed by July 24, 2009 about the outcome of the selection process.

Organization and contact:

The conference is organized by the â??Network Intercultural and International Communicationâ?? in cooperation with: ? the Global Communication and Social Change division of the International Communication Association (ICA) ? the International and Intercultural Communication section of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) ? the Young Scholars Network of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA) ? the Graduate Program â??Formations of the Globalâ?? at the School of Humanities, University of Mannheim, Germany

For more information on the conference, the venue as well as travel and hotel details, please see <http://niik2009.uni>http://niik2009.uniâ??mannheim.de. Mannheim is only a 30â??minute train ride from Frankfurt International Airport. Conference chair: Prof. Dr. Hartmut Wessler Conference organization: Maria Röder, M.A., and Manuel Adolphsen, MSc.


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Nico Carpentier (Phd)
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Vrije Universiteit Brussel - Free University of Brussels
Centre for Studies on Media and Culture (CeMeSO)
Pleinlaan 2 - B-1050 Brussels - Belgium
T: ++ 32 (0)2-629.18.56
F: ++ 32 (0)2-629.36.84
Office: 5B.401a
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European Communication Research and Education Association
Web: http://www.ecrea.eu
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E-mail: (Nico.Carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
Web: http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~ncarpent/
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