[ecrea] CfP: 3rd Bremen Conference on Multimodality, 20-22 September 2017, University of Bremen

*We are happy to announce that the 3rd BREMEN CONFERENCE ON 
MULTIMODALITY will be held at Bremen University from September 20**^th 
**– 22**^nd **, 2017. *

BreMM17 is the third in a series of conferences dedicated to bringing 
together different disciplinary and methodological approaches to the 
study of multimodality in various academic contexts. More than ever, 
multimodality is one of the most influential semiotic theories for 
analyzing media artifacts, and it enjoys growing global popularity. 
However, this popularity does not imply universality: the conceptual 
anchoring of multimodality as well as its empirical applications often 
remain nationally and regionally grounded.

The Bremen team takes these differences in national and international 
perspectives as a starting point of discussion and analysis. We 
continuously initiate deeper inquiry into the specific theories and 
practices of multimodal research: BreMM14 was dedicated to building 
bridges between various multimodality-ready disciplines, and BreMM15 
concerned itself with theoretical and methodological explorations. Both 
conferences resulted in edited volumes which present each event’s 
strongest contributions and serve as the basis for lasting academic 
exchange on the ever-new topic of multimodality in theory and practice.

The upcoming Third Bremen Conference, BreMM17, plans to lay the 
foundation for the formation of a standalone discipline to be dubbed 
‘multimodality’ as opposed to the widespread interdisciplinary view. Its 
aim is, therefore, to push the envelope and start far-reaching 
discussions which cover description, terminology, and methodology, 
bringing a multitude of approaches to multimodal analysis into the fold 
and letting previously disparate directions in theory and practice 
converge. The end result will be a common basis upon which the 
monolithic view of multimodality as a concerted disciplinary field can 
be built.

The *confirmed keynote speakers for BreMM17 *are:

*Kay O’Halloran (Curtin University, Australia)*

*David Machin (Orebro University, Sweden)*

*Ellen Fricke (Chemnitz University, Germany)*

For a lively and multifaceted discussion, we encourage proposals that 
explore a vast range of issues, including but not limited to the 
sub-themes below. We welcome both theoretical and empirical takes on 
these general questions, and we particularly encourage proposals which 
unify several theoretical or methodological traditions in order to 
achieve integration and, thus, guide our discipline-building explorations.

-What previously established disciplines should inform multimodality’s 
disciplinary delineation? What is the place of semiotics, SFL, discourse 
analysis, interaction analysis, and other popular methods in the process 
of defining multimodality as a standalone discipline?

-Where can multimodality find its most inclusive and exhaustive 
theoretical basis? Can we rely on Peirce, de Saussure, and Halliday on 
their own? Do we need ways of combining their work to produce a new 
theoretical basis for the discipline? Do we start a new theory from scratch?

-What goes in multimodality’s methodological toolbox? What existing 
empirical approaches define the field, how can we develop them further 
or combine them, and do we need new methods to capture multimodality’s 
vastness?

-What are multimodal media and how do their various semiotic affordances 
shape multimodality within and across media formats? Are all media truly 
multimodal to begin with?

-How can we define multimodal literacy and how can we best teach it in a 
systematic and reliable manner?

-What is the role of technology in pushing the boundaries of 
multimodality and in assisting its empirical study?

-How can multimodality as a research direction improve our understanding 
of social, cultural, and political issues around the globe?

*GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION*

This year we invite proposals for three different kinds of presentation:

*Long paper. *This will consist of a 25-minute presentation followed by 
15 minutes of Q&A. This format is reserved for well-developed projects 
that present potentially controversial or conceptually complex ideas or 
empirical studies.**

*Short paper. *This will consist of a 15-minute presentation followed by 
10 minutes of Q&A. This format is suitable for work in progress or ideas 
and empirical studies that can be presented more succinctly.**

*Poster Presentation or Demo. *This may be any form of research display 
or demonstration. Presenters will have the opportunity to present and 
discuss their work during a 90-minute drinks reception/poster 
presentation session.**

Proposals will be selected according to the following criteria (please 
be sure to address each one):

-the appropriateness of the topic to the studies of multimodality;

-the conceptual clarity and intellectual rigor of the project;

-the contribution the project makes to advancing current understanding;

-the content should not have been presented elsewhere in identical form.

Your proposal (350-500 words in length) must include: (1) title of the 
presentation, (2) name of the  author(s), affiliation, email address, 
(3) proposal format (long paper, short paper or poster), (4) 
bibliography of key sources (up to 5), (5) brief biographical statement 
for presenting author (25-100 words).

*SUBMISSION*

Please submit your proposal as an e-mail attachment (Word, PDF) by 
*December 5th, 2016*, to (bremm17 /at/ uni-bremen.de) 
<mailto:(bremm17 /at/ uni-bremen.de)>.

For further information, visit the conference website: 
http://unihb.eu/4D2mpHBe.

Notification of acceptance by end of December.
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