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

Sat Oct 05 08:44:58 GMT 2013




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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