[ecrea] Activist and Alternative Edited Volume Seeking Contributors

Past research concerning alternative media and activist media have 
thoroughly explored the role of both in social movements and activist 
organizations. However, there has been little attention paid to the role 
of such media in mainstream political communication. However, the rise 
of the modern Internet and social media platforms have allowed for the 
proliferation of these forms of media across society in ways that were 
not possible twenty years ago. Today, alternative media have become more 
intertwined with mainstream media, and have even become increasingly 
relevant in mainstream political communication. The most significant 
example of the emergence of alternative and activist media in mainstream 
political communication rests in the election of Donald Trump in the 
2016 US Presidential election. As a candidate for the presidency, Trump 
was a frequent reader and user of content from a variety of right-wing 
alternative media sources, a guest on Alex Jones’ web based program 
/InfoWars/, and eventually hired the editor of /Breitbart News /to serve 
as the chief executive of his campaign. That editor, Steve Bannon, went 
on to become President Trump’s White House Chief Strategist. This is not 
the only example of such convergence, as mainstream news media often 
rely on alternative media and activist sources of information for their 
content about political issues.

In order to address the growing role of alternative and activist media 
in mainstream political communication, we seek to build an edited volume 
based on the contribution of scholarship that addresses one of four 
topics related to these issues. Overall, we are asking for research 
contributions that provide insights concerning the following topics:

Topic I: The Role of Alternative & Activist Media in Political Campaigns

  * This topic explores how alternative media and activist media
    influence political campaigns, and how political campaigns utilize
    those media. This could include issues such as:
      o Alternative media content integrated directly into campaign
        materials.
      o Linkages between alternative media and campaign materials.
      o The use of alternative/activist media content by political
        operatives to connect campaigns to political issues.
Topic II: Candidates, Government Officials, and Alternative Media

  * This topic examines how candidates or government officials take part
    in alternative media, through production and other forms of
    participation. This can cover issues like:
      o Political candidates or government officials participating in
        interviews conducted by alternative media titles.
      o Alternative media production by candidates or government officials.
      o Quotations of alternative media content by candidates on the
        campaign trail, or government officials locked in policy debates.

Topic III: Relationships Between Alternative/Activist Media, and 
Mainstream Political News

  * This topic investigates the role of alternative/activist media in
    mainstream reporting on political stories, and how those media might
    shape mainstream political news content. This can involve issues like:
      o Differences between political reporting in alternative media and
        mainstream news media.
      o The ways in which alternative/activist media are utilized in
        mainstream news about politics.
      o Fake news as alternative or activist media, and how such news
        impacts mainstream political news.

Topic IV: Alternative Media, Activist Media, & Political Participation

  * This topic focuses on the ways in which alternative/activist media
    have changed notions of political participation, and how they
    currently shape the ways people become politically involved at
    different levels. This could encompass issues like:
      o Descriptions of political participation or democracy in
        alternative media content.
      o The ways in which alternative/activist media might spur
        political participation.
      o The role of alternative/activist media in local politics.
      o The role of alternative/activist media in generating
        national-level political interest for citizens.

Submission Requirements & Dates:

To be considered for this edited volume, potential authors should submit 
a proposal of 700-1000 words to Dr. Joshua Atkinson by December 15, 
2017. All submissions should provide indication about which of the four 
topics the author(s) would like their submission to be considered. The 
editors of the volume will engage in a masked review of the proposals; 
authors will be notified of acceptance by mid-January. After acceptance, 
the authors will have eight months to complete initial drafts of the 
paper and submit to Dr. Atkinson. Final revisions will be due by 
December of 2018. For more information regarding the topics of interest 
or key concepts, contact Dr. Atkinson.

Joshua D. Atkinson, PhD

Associate Professor

School of Media & Communication

Bowling Green State University

Linda Jean Kenix, PhD <(lindajean.kenix /at/ canterbury.ac.nz)>

Associate Professor

Media and Communication Department

Head of School of Language, Social and Political Sciences

University of Canterbury

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