[ecrea] Newspapers, war and society - Call for Papers

Newspapers, war and society



Call for Papers for a conference to be held 29 April-1 May 2014 at 
Gregynog Hall, Wales, UK.



This conference will explore the relationship between newspapers and 
society during times of war. It is organised by the Leverhulme Trust 
funded British Press in World War Two project and the Centre for Media 
History, Aberystwyth University. The conference will have an 
international perspective, and focus on the importance of newspapers as 
objects of historical enquiry in their social contexts.



Newspapers have a fundamental role in societies at war. They relay the 
experience of war, provide a means for the state to communicate to the 
population directly, and serve to entertain readers. However, little 
attention has been paid to the dynamics of their production, circulation 
and reception during wartime and how the wider context of war affects 
those processes. In what ways does the circuit of communication between 
the press and its readers change during wartime? How is newspaper 
content altered as a result of wartime restrictions? How is news 
sourced? How do newspapers balance their commercial interests and the 
purpose of informing readers, using restricted resources? How do 
newspapers interact with the wider culture of wartime societies?



The conference also invites papers that address methodological issues 
relating to the use of newspapers in historical inquiry. Historical 
studies of wartime home fronts have tended to forgo the complexity of 
newspapers and use them illustratively, rather than systemically 
examining their content. We therefore welcome papers that critically 
engage with the newspaper as an historical object. Approaches might 
include quantitative and qualitative studies of content, or analysis of 
how newspapers were read and understood by their audiences.



We welcome proposals from a range of geographical and methodological 
backgrounds. Whilst the conference will be weighted towards the period 
1914-1945, we also invite contributions which approach the theme from 
wider chronological perspectives. Abstracts of around 200 words for 
papers of between 20 to 25 minutes duration should be sent by close of 
business on 1 July 2013 to (cmhstaff /at/ aber.ac.uk).



This conference is jointly organised by the Centre For Media History, 
Aberystwyth University, and the journal Media History, with the 
financial support of the Leverhulme Trust. It is held at the historic 
University of Wales conference centre Gregynog Hall, near Newtown, 
Powys, Wales. Additional enquiries can be directed to one or more of the 
following: Dr Sian Nicholas, Professor Tom O’Malley or Dr Marc Wiggam



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