*Crossing Borders: Researching Transnational Media History*
International Communication Association Preconference
Fukuoka, Japan, June 9, 2016
Sponsor: ICA Communication History Division
Co-Sponsor: ECREA Communication History Section
Organizers: Nelson Ribeiro and David Park
Media history has frequently been tied to the nation-state. This ICA
pre-conference is dedicated to considering the history of media that
operates /across/ national borders. Indeed, communication has long
been a central theme in historical schools of thought that stress the
networked and interdependent nature of both the ancient and modern
worlds. As such, we welcome papers on a wide array of historically
grounded themes that explore transnational communication.
Submissions to this pre-conference are invited to consider the full
breadth of transnational communication in history. States,
businesses, commercial networks, and other institutions have long
been preoccupied with managing the flow of communication across
borders. These patterns raise numerous questions regarding the
institutions connected to these flows, the messages they circulate,
and the audiences they reach. More specifically, the pre-conference
will be structured around three themes:
1. *Histories of transnational media organizations*. Different
technologies and media have been used to spread information and
ideas across the borders. States and the Catholic Church were
among the first institutions to understand the importance of
having access to information produced abroad and to spread their
own messages in different geographies. In modern times,
transnational communication played a central role in
disseminating political and religious ideals along with business
information, thus contributing to early processes of
globalization. Although several newspapers in the late 19^th
century were already operating internationally, in the 20^th
century the phenomenon of transnational communication became even
more prevalent as media organizations played a central role in
international propaganda and public diplomacy. The BBC, Voice of
America, Radio Beijing, Radio Moscow, and Radio Tokyo are just a
few examples that come to mind.
2. *Histories of transnational media content*. Along with
transnational media organizations, the content and form of media
have never truly been hemmed in by national borders either, as
genres, narratives, and franchises have circulated regionally and
globally, contributing to hybrid cultural identities. British
literature and U.S. music, film, and television serials are
obvious examples but many others could be cited, namely Indian
cinema, Japanese animation and videogames, and Brazilian
/telenovelas. /After World War II, the circulation of
transnational media content also became a major issue in the
context of the Cold War leading to the creation, in Europe and
Asia, of international organizations that promoted the exchange
of television content among its members.
3. *Histories of transnational audiences*. As is the case with the
internet today, in earlier times newspapers, broadcasting,
musical recordings, and video tapes were used to reach
transnational audiences and create diasporic communities, a
phenomenon of particular importance in the context of empire.
Developing our understanding of how audiences received media
content produced in different cultural contexts can expand our
knowledge of how transnational networks operate and how
communication technologies facilitate (or resist) these flows.
Abstracts of 300 words (maximum) should be submitted no later than
*30 November 2015*. Proposals for full panels are also welcome: these
should include a 250-word abstract for each individual presentation,
and a 200-word rationale for the panel. Send abstracts to:
(nelson.ribeiro /at/ ucp.pt) <mailto:(nelson.ribeiro /at/ ucp.pt)>. Authors will be
informed regarding acceptance/rejection for the preconference no
later than *10 January 2016*. Full papers will need to be submitted
no later than *30 May 2016* as these will be posted online and made
available to all those participating in the preconference.
