[ecrea] cfp - Research in Social Movements, Conflict and Change

Dear colleagues,

Nicole Doerr, Simone Teune and I are guest-editing volume 35 of the book
series Research in Social Movements, Conflict and Change. We are
particularly keen to receive contributions to our special section on the
visual analysis of social movements.

Best regards,

Alice Mattoni

---

Call for Papers

Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change, Volume 35

Special Section: Visual Analysis of Social Movements

Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change (RSMCC), a
peer-reviewed volume published by Emerald Group Publishing/JAI Press,
encourages submissions for Volume 35 of the series. This volume will have
both thematic and open-submission sections and will be guest edited by
Nicole Doerr (University of California, Irvine) Alice Mattoni (University
of Pittsburgh) and Simon Teune (Social Science Research Center Berlin).
For the open-submission/non-thematic section, submissions appropriate to
any of the three broad foci reflected in the RSMCC series title will be
considered. The thematic session is dedicated to the visual analysis of
social movements. We encourage submissions that address the subject on one
of three levels:

First, visual analysis refers to a category of expressions of social
movements. Social movement research is too focused on texts: interviews
and surveys, documents and manifestos, newspaper coverage, laws and
official reports. The rich visual language developed in social movements
is neglected in most studies, even though posters and banners, photos and
videos, gestures and outfits, symbols and images carry important messages.

Second, social movements are perceived to a large extent on the basis of
visual representations. Mass media are more likely to report about
movement events when they produce strong images. However, protest groups
have a very limited influence on the images linked to them. A
stereotypical visual representation of protest is the rule rather than the
exception. Protests are not perceived as what they are but what they look
like in press photos and TV news images.

Third, the visual analysis of social movements and protest comprises the
analytical question of visibility and exclusion in societies. Protestors
do not all have the same chances of being seen by audiences. While some
claims are obvious for large parts of the society, others are filtered out
by hegemonic routines. Protesters who articulate their goals without using
imagery that is familiar, expected and compatible with the mainstream
experience are likely to be marginalized. Attaining visibility through
counter-hegemonic images that recall, but at the same time subvert,
hegemonic discourses is a major challenge for social movement actors and,
in particular, for discriminated groups who have different experiences
than the majority.

Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change is a fully
peer-reviewed series of original research that has been published annually
for over 30 years. We continue to publish the work of many of the leading
scholars in social movements, social change, and peace and conflict
studies. Although RSMCC enjoys a wide library subscription base for the
book versions, all volumes are now published both in book form and are
also available online to subscribing libraries through Emerald Insight.
This ensures wider distribution and easier online access to your
scholarship while maintaining the esteemed book series at the same time.

To be considered for inclusion in Volume 35, papers should arrive by
February 1, 2012.

Send submissions as a Word document attached to an email to Nicole Doerr,
Alice Mattoni and Simon Teune, guest RSMCC editors for Volume 35, at
(ndoerr /at/ uci.edu) <mailto:(ndoerr /at/ uci.edu)>, (alm232 /at/ pitt.edu) 
<mailto:(alm232 /at/ pitt.edu)> and (teune /at/ wzb.eu) <mailto:(teune /at/ wzb.eu)>. Remove all
self-references (in text and in bibliography) save for on the title page,
which should include full contact information for all authors. Include the
paper’s title and the abstract on the first page of the text itself. For
initial submissions, any standard social science in-text citation and
bibliographic system is acceptable. RSMCC boasts quick turn-around times,
generally communicating peer reviewed-informed decisions within 8-10 weeks
of receipt of submissions.