Media, Religion and Culture Working Group
International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR)
29th Annual Conference, July 13-17, 2011, Istanbul, Turkey
Cities, Creativity, Connectivity
<http://www.iamcr2011istanbul.com>http://www.iamcr2011istanbul.com
Media and the Connectivity in Cities Shaping New Relations with the
Religious
In addition to the general theme of the conference on cities,
creativity and connectivity, for those of us considering the religious
as a factor in that reality, the renegotiation of the place of
religion within society, in political life, etc. emerges as a central
matter calling for elaboration (Istanbul, and Turkey in general, are
often cited in this regard). It seems that the rigid secular
character of the state is adjusting to the overwhelming fact of the
religious in the lives of the vast majority of their citizens, in a
way that that might enter into, and be acknowledged in the public
forum.
Without prejudice to a wide range of themes currently being explored
in the religion - media relation, the MRC Working Group invites papers
exploring the media's roles in this renegotiation. How, and to what
extent are the media permitting the integration of the religious in
public deliberation and action, specifically as that emerges and
shapes urban processes of connectivity?
Some Considerations
It can be helpful to consider this pattern of renegotiation against
the background of developments in communication industries and
technologies, and their scholarly evaluation. In fact, this shift
relates to these changes. Communication scholars point out that
changes in these areas have cultural implications. Media involve the
form of activities implicated by participating communicators. In other
words, changes in media technology or the mode of encapsulating
information influence the type of media culture that is in existence
in any given time. When the means of storing and distributing
information changes, perceptions also change and these impact on
relationships, psychology, identity, traditions and institutions.
If this is so, then it would be important to explore and identify how
communication is part of that readjustment and bringing the
renegotiation of the religious-ness in both social and political life,
and especially in city spaces. Again, focus on the urban context would
benefit from a more general consideration, i.e., how the religious is
coming to be expressed in this context as a humanistic, aesthetic,
explicitly religious and even fanatical manner in city environments.
Explorations of this factor in different geographical contexts
(Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, Australasia) could help specify
various ways in which the media support religious-ness in dimensions
of modern life.
In this role of media in the evolution and/or re-entry of the
religious into the public forum (e.g., in popular cultural products or
expressions, and emotional and attitudinal responses to these
products), one of the critical issues concerns how the religious is
being or might be configured by the communicative factor of public
life, and especially by its mass media, in a way that honours its
specificity. Is there a broader and more inclusive account of the
religious made available by media dynamics that explains the new
relationships between the religious and other aspects of life today?
In addition to the focus identified here, and the facility for all
scientific concerns on media, religion and culture, the MRC working
group may operate joint sessions with other sections and working
groups when the topics and arguments of papers co-incide, and
presenters are agreeable to such collaborative initiatives.
Submission Information
Abstracts/proposals (300-500 words) must be sent to the co-ordinators
of the MRC working group through the conference website by February 8,
2011. Include title, abstract, author name, institutional affiliation,
and email address with your submission. You will be informed whether
your proposal has been accepted by March 25, 2011. Full papers are
due June 3, 2011, again through the official conference website.
For more information contact one of the working group's co-ordinators,
J. Ehrat (ehrat /at/ unigre.it) ;F. Coffey at (fdcoffey /at/ yahoo.com) D. Dipio
(dodipio /at/ arts.mak.ac.ug) ; W. Ihejirika (wihejirika /at/ yahoo.com)
