[ecrea] CFP: The 8th International Joint Summer School in June 2016, Zhejiang, China

We are now announcing the CFP for the 8^th International Joint Summer
School to be held on June 21-July 3 in Zhejiang China. The theme of this
year is “Communication, Culture and Global South”. Scholars and students
with relevant academic backgrounds or research interests around the
world are welcome to join us in the summer to ground communication study
in the social sphere in China and beyond, particularly with a clear
orientation towards the Global South. More details about the summer
school are provided as below in the CFP.

Call for Participants

The 8^th  International Joint Summer School (2016)

*Communication, Culture and Global South*

June 21 – July 3, 2016

Lishui, Zhejiang, China

*Sponsors:*

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

School of Communication, Simon Fraser University, Canada

The Communication and Media Research Institute, University of
Westminster, UK

School of Journalism and Communication, Chinese University of Hong Kong,
China

*Hosts:*

Heyang Institute for Rural Studies, China

Lishui College, China

**

*Local Collaborator**:*

Jinyun Library, China

*Media Support:*

Chinamediaresearch.cn

            The term “global south” is not a geographic indicator.
Rather, it signifies a critical perspective for understanding societal
power relations. It strives to go beyond the fantastic imaginaries of
globalization and urbanization, and provides reflexive theories and
praxes with which we can look beneath “the surface”to achieve a deeper
understanding of the structure of globalized and globalizing societies

            Communication has long been considered a crucial social
adhesive; however, certain regions, countries, peoples, or cultures
remain excluded from the purview of communication studies. To be sure,
the Internet and new media technologies have proven to be capable of
transcending national boundaries, creating what is often claimed a
“flat” world. Yet, in witnessing the exploitation of developing regions
by the global capitalist system, rivalries between nation-states, class
and ethnic stratifications within countries, and deep sociocultural
cleavages between the city and the countryside, we are constantly
reminded that spatial and social divisions will not fade quietly into
history. On the contrary, they may become further intensified.

In China, the countryside has transformed from being the provider of the
material basis for national industrialization, to playing an integral
part in globalized production, and now serving as a new frontier in the
realms of electronic commerce and digital economy. How the relations of
production and material conditions have changed so far in this vast land
deserves a much more detailed and nuanced examination. Once the subjects
of worker-peasant alliance, the traditional working class and peasantry
are now disintegrating. At the same time, the emerging migrant workers
are experiencing an identity crisis. Against the backdrop of new class
politics and social fracturing engendered by the rising power of
capital, what kinds of social conflict and cultural crisis have been
created? What kinds of resistance are taking shape within this crisis?
Finally, what new social and cultural forms will arise from this struggle?

China’s economic growth has been unparalleled over the years, even
suggesting an alternative path of development. However, this triumphant
march has also been accompanied by environmental destruction, unequal
wealth distribution, intensified social conflicts, cultural alienation,
and an overall destructiveness that has already penetrated deep into
China's social fabric. It has become rather urgent and ever more
necessary, for us to find the balance between economic growth, social
justice, satisfaction of life, and ecological sustenance; while all at
once investigate the role of media technologies, communication
activities, and cultural practices within this historical conjuncture.

Therefore, when searching for the answers, we are inevitably drawn to
the ground –to begin our search by returning to the people, the
grassroots, the field, and the praxis. And this is precisely the purpose
of this year’s summer school: to “re-ground” communication studies and
social research, to deepen and to further problematize our research
within and of the field, and to harness the potentials of theories
within the practices of the people.

This International Joint Summer School, co-sponsored by the four
universities, has been held seven times since its inception in 2009.
Following four successful years in Beijing, the fifth summer school
moved base to Simon Fraser University in Canada, while the sixth and
seventh were hosted by the National Institute of Development
Administration in Thailand and the School of Media and Communication at
Inner Mongolia Normal University, respectively. Now in 2016, the 8th
International Joint Summer School is set to take place in Jinyun, a
culturally rich mountainous county in the city of Lishui in Zhejiang
Province. Joining as local co-hosts will be the Heyang Institute
for Rural Studies and the School for Nationalities at Lishui College.

The 2016 summer school will consist of two main components: academic
lecture and field research. First, lectures will be given by Chinese and
overseas scholars from the fields of communications, sociology, and
political science, along with experts on local economic and cultural
issues. Prospective lecturers will include Yuezhi Zhao, Hu Zhengrong,
Bu Wei, Jack Linchuan Qiu, Daya Thussu, Adel Iskandar, Jesse Owen
Hearns-Branaman, Peng Bing, Su Yihui, Liu Xinting, Yu Xiaoxiong, Xiang
Yizhong, and Ma Songgen. Then, young scholars will direct the summer
school students to carry out field studies in Jinyun. Research topics
will include (but are not limited to) the economic transformation of the
countryside, migrant workers and social mobility, land and ecology,
media and rural communication, left-behind children and rural education,
folk culture and Chinese traditional opera, everyday life and domestic
spatial politics, media industry and the visual reconstruction of the
countryside, as well as oral history and collective memory. Finally, the
summer school will conclude with a wrap-up and experience-sharing
session in which students will reflect upon the theoretical insights
they have gained and the findings of their field studies.

*School Calendar*

June 21, 2016

Registration

June 22 - 26, 2016

Academic Lectures

June 27 - 28, 2016

Weekend Break

June 29 – July 1, 2016

Field Research

July 2, 2016

Summary Session

July 3, 2016

The End of the School

*Application*

This 2016 summer school module in Jinyun is calling for participants who
are interested in communications, cultural studies (humanities), and
social studies. Enrollment will be limited to 30 students.

Prospective participants are required to fill out an application form
accompanied by a statement of research interests, both of which should
be sent to (ijss2009 /at/ qq.com) <mailto:(ijss2009 /at/ qq.com)> by May 15, 2016. The
provision of other supporting documents will be appreciated, such as an
up-to-date CV or relevant academic papers. Early submission is
recommended, and notification of the applicants' status of acceptance
will be sent out on June 1, 2016.

The IJSS is free of charge, however, participants will be responsible
for their own travel and accommodation expenses. 3-5 scholarships will
be awarded to outstanding participants, which will cover the travel fees
in China, as well as local living expenses for the duration of the
project. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call
010-65779313 or send an email to (ijss2009 /at/ qq.com) <mailto:(ijss2009 /at/ qq.com)>.

Please download the APPLICATION FORM by clicking on
<http://www.chinamediaresearch.cn/domain/chinamediaresearch_cn/files/201602_3.docx> 
this
link:
http://www.chinamediaresearch.cn/domain/chinamediaresearch_cn/files/201602_3.docx

--

Deqiang JI

PhD & Associate Professor

The National Centre for Radio and Television Studies

Communication University of China, Beijing, PRC

Chief Editor, www.ChinaMediaResearch.cn <http://www.chinamediaresearch.cn/>



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