[ecrea] CfP From the leaflet to the flood of images – The development of visual mass communication

Call for Papers

>From the leaflet to the flood of images –

The development of visual mass communication



Organization:                      Communication History Division and 
Visual Communication Division,

German Communication Association

Date and Place:                 April 2-4, 2014 in Trier / Germany

Host:                                         Klaus Arnold

Advances in the technical production process of pictures in recent 
decades – especially digitalization – have led to mass media 
communication being increasingly dominated by images: Today, quality 
newspapers contain numerous photos, countless television channels 
broadcast 24/7 and everyone can quickly share his homemade pictures and 
movies with smaller or larger audiences on the social web. It is often 
stated that we live in a “visual age”.

The increasing importance of the “visual” has brought images to new 
attention in science. The proclaimed iconic or pictorial turn in the 
1990s is challenging the dominance of the linguistic and directs 
attention to the image. It raises new issues with regard to the logic of 
images, to their potential as well as their perception and – in a 
broader perspective – to the visual construction of society and “visual 
culture”.

Although the influence of pictures on the shaping of culture and society 
has reached a new dimension with digitalization, images and visual 
presentations have accompanied the emergence and development of mass 
communication throughout history and are an important factor in the 
long-term process of media change. The aim of the workshop is to 
understand the development of the visual aspects of mass communication 
as a long-term historical process. Illustrations played an important 
role in early leaflets and the first newspapers in the 16th century. But 
throughout the 19th century and especially in the early 20th century, 
with the rise of the mass press, pictorial presentations and photographs 
became increasingly important, and the same is true for new image-based 
mass media such as film and later television.

Social life was increasingly documented in images, both professional and 
amateur, and the visual presentation of information became an 
indispensable element, not only for journalism but also for persuasive 
forms of communication such as advertising or political communication. 
Also, relatively early, amateur pictures became part of (semi-) public 
communication spaces such as early cinema.

The developments can be viewed and analyzed from different perspectives:

1)     What are the consequences of increasing visuality in mass media 
for mass communication and society? What is its connection to media (and 
social) change? How can the role of images be described in the process 
of mediatization of society and everyday life?

2)     What were typical strategies of visualization in certain 
historical phases or media? What were and what are iconic images and how 
did they come to be? What was the function of the use of images and 
visual design?

3)     How was journalism, advertising, political communication 
challenged by the rise of images and visual design? Were there new forms 
emerging and what were their key elements?

4)     How were the images and illustrations received by the public? To 
what extent were they changing the audience and its expectations?

5)     How were images and new image based media discussed in 
contemporary discourses?

6)     To what extent were amateurs contributing to visualization in 
form of user generated content?

7)     Which specific methodological approaches can empirically capture 
the development of visual mass communication in its various dimensions?

These questions can be addressed from different perspectives by media 
history and visual communication research and discussed in the context 
of the DGPuK workshop. Papers dealing with the conference theme in a 
broader sense are also very welcome.

Extended abstracts (of no more than two pages) should be submitted 
electronically via email ((harnisch /at/ uni-trier.de)) by December 15, 2013. 
Submission will be evaluated in a blind review process according to the 
following five criteria: 1) contribution to the conference theme, 2) 
plausibility of the line of argumentation or of the (historic) 
theoretical foundation, 3) appropriateness of the method or approach, 4) 
clarity and conciseness of the presentation as well as 5) contribution 
to the field of research (relevance and originality). Each abstract 
should have a separate cover sheet providing the author’s name, 
institutional affiliation and address.

The conference will start with a Get-Together in the evening of April 2, 
2014 and end on April 4, 2014. Details concerning conference venue, 
hotels etc. will be made available in due course.

A pre-conference event (April 2, 2014) will be organized by the Young 
Scholars Network for Communication History (NAKOGE) and by ECREA's Young 
Scholars Network (YECREA). There will be a separate call for papers for 
this international workshop dedicated to “Mediatized Celebrity and 
Popular Media in Historical and Visual Communication Research.“

Promotion of young scientists is a particular concern of both the Visual 
Communication and the Communication History division. Thus, we want to 
especially invite young scientists to hand in submissions on the 
outlined topics. To support their commitment, a best paper award will be 
assigned for outstanding work.

Send submissions to: Dr. Michael Harnischmacher, (harnisch /at/ uni-trier.de)

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Klaus Arnold

University of Trier

FB II - Medienwissenschaft/Media Studies

54286 Trier

Germany

Tel: 0049 (0)651-201-4022

Fax: 0049 (0)651-201-4021

(arnold /at/ uni-trier.de)






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