[ecrea] 7th international joint summer school - New Media, Global Communication and Local Knowledge

Call for Participants

7th Annual International Joint Summer School (2015)

*New Media, Global Communication and Local Knowledge*

Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China

July 20 - August 3, 2015

*Organized by:*

The National Centre for Radio and Television Studies, Communication
University of China

The Communication and Media Research Institute, University of Westminster

School of Journalism and Communication, Chinese University of Hong Kong

School of Communication, Simon Fraser University

*Hosted by:*

School of Media and Communication, Inner Mongolia Normal University

*Introduction*

The 7^th Annual International Joint Summer School (IJSS) will be hosted
by Inner Mongolia Normal University from July 20^th to August 3^rd 2015
in the historic city of Hohhot, China. Previously held in Beijing,
Vancouver and Bangkok, this annual event has become an enriching and
empowering platform for young scholars from around the world to advance
debates on critical issues in media and communication.

*Theme: New Media, Global Communication and Local Knowledge*

What is /new /in media and communication is always a matter of
comparative social and geographic position. However, in today’s
networked society, accelerating innovations in and applications of
information and communication technologies (ICTs) around the world has
put ‘/new/’ at the center of all public and academic discussions of
everyday life. /New media/ has become an encompassing concept with the
pretense of defining a new era. This discourse is premised on a notion
of irreversible technological and even institutional convergence, and
driven by mechanisms of innovation and obsolescence. Something /new /is
happening but that does not mean that it is occurring the same way
everywhere or for the same ends.

By critiquing the connotations of ‘/new media/’ with the term ‘/new
platform/’, we can form better interpretations of the blurring
communicative differences between the past and the present. This, in
turn, destabilizes the linear narrative of teleological convergence,
which has long shaped the studies of media history and development. It
is fair to say that calling for a non-linear perspective of media
studies is not only possible but also necessary.

Despite widely circulated theoretical claims of both political-economic
integration and cultural homogenization, experiences of globalization
have proven to be far more diverse in their trajectories. Appadurai’s
(1990) concept of “asymmetrical interdependence” underlines the dynamics
of this historical process in terms of the separate and inconsistent
logics underlying the scope and interactions of: finance, technology,
ethno/migration, media and ideology. Rather than thinking of the world
as an increasingly globalized entity, we are made to recognize
inconsistencies, tensions, frictions or even conflicts, and tasked to
account for them.

A powerful example of this is the international expansion of social
media platforms such as Facebook and WeChat. Despite the rapid and
hegemonic growth of each of these platforms, neither are merely
following the techno-deterministic route laid out in the neoliberal
imagination of the linear narrative, but are developing through dynamic
power relations embedded in particular social-historical contexts. While
Facebook is dominant in most Western countries, WeChat’s growth is
almost exclusively based in Chinese communities. The “global” expansion
of WeChat is therefore limited to countries that are comparatively more
connected to China through flows of people and goods. Simply put, it is
hard to draw a unified picture of global media, instigating the need for
more research based on comparative analysis and providing the imperative
for local knowledge to inform media and communication studies.

 From the global to the local, a new challenge is emerging. This demands
not only “global cognitive justice” (Boaventura de Sousa Santos, 2006)
by “Looking East and Going South” (Zhao Yuezhi, 2010), respect for local
cultural tradition and the recognition of local knowledge and
interpretative communities, but also a methodological shift to more
solid empirical studies of the dynamic communicative practices occurring
in particular social and historical spaces.

With the afore-mentioned concerns in mind, this year’s IJSS is bringing
together speakers representing a variety of disciplinary backgrounds to
address the importance of local knowledge for informing the processes of
globalization and recognizing the diversity emerging out of ‘new’ media.
This 15-day summer school will be structured as a series of academic
activities, ranging from lectures, group work, to conference experience
and a field trip in Hohhot. We are now inviting students and scholars
who have interest or research experience in this broad area to enroll in
our exciting program. Please see below to find the details for
application and an interim schedule.

*An Interim Schedule (**July 20 - August 3, 2015**)***

*Dates*

	

*Activities*

July 20

	

Registration

July 21-24

	

Lectures

July 25-26

	

Weekend break

July 27-28

	

Conference

July 29-30

	

Group work

July 31-August 3

	

Field trip

*Confirmed speakers:*

Zhao Yuezhi, Simon Fraser University, Communication University of China

Hu Zhengrong, Communication University of China

Anthony Fung, Chinese University of Hong Kong

Xin Xin, University of Westminster

Colin Sparks, Baptist University of Hong Kong

Jesse Hearns-Branaman, National Institute of Development Administration,
Thailand

*Application:*

Prospective participants are required to have a working capacity in
English and a relevant academic background. The application form and
other supporting documents (such as a CV, a personal statement, a
detailed research proposal or selected publications) should be submitted
to (_ijss2009 /at/ qq.com) <mailto:(ijss2009 /at/ qq.com)>_no later than May^15^th
2015. It is strongly encouraged that you apply early as acceptance will
be made on a first come first served basis.

The IJSS is free of charge but all participants are responsible for
their individual travel costs and other relevant expenses.

*Important Dates**:*

Application Submission Deadline: 15 May 2015

Acceptance Notification Deadline: 1 June 2015

Confirmation of Attendance Deadline: June16 to July 1 2015

*Application Form*

1.Name

	

	

2.Gender

	

3.Age

	

	

4.Nationality

	

5.University

	

6.Department

	

	

7.Position

	

8.Contacts

	

Telephone

	

Address

	

Email

	

9.Research Interests

	

If you have any questions or requests, please contact Dr. Ji Deqiang via
(ijss2009 /at/ qq.com) <mailto:(ijss2009 /at/ qq.com)>。__





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