[Commlist] CfP ICA Preconference: "Crafting Theory. Methods of theory building in communication"

Call for Proposals for the ICA 2019 Preconference

"Crafting Theory. Methods of theory building in communication"

Date: Friday, 24 May, 2019, 9 am – 5 pm approx.

Location: Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C.


The state of theory building in communication has been the object of 
lamentation, disappointment, caricature, even ridicule, but also appeals 
and aspiration throughout the history of our field. Rather than 
restating deficiencies in our field’s theory building in comparison with 
our neighboring disciplines or reiterating the reasons for or 
consequences of these deficits time and again, this preconference aims 
at collecting and advancing our field’s methodological tools and 
practices for theory building. “Theory building” or “theory development” 
can be characterized as a creative problem solving process of generating 
novel or modifying existing conceptual structures (statements about 
concepts and their relations) with the aim of describing and explaining 
phenomena better than before (Hagen, Frey, & Koch, 2015; Weick 1989). 
This preconference is interested in a methodological discussion of 
cognitive operations, individual and social practices, and empirical 
approaches researchers use in this process of theory building. In stark 
contrast to the great importance theory building is attributed by the 
scientific community in general and in our field, the collection, 
development and dissemination of methodological knowledge about how to 
develop both original and well-crafted theory only forms small part of 
our methodological research and teaching. For example, there is a 
scarcity of textbooks that cover more than the formal requirements and 
logical principles of “theory construction” (Blalock, 1969; Dubin, 1969; 
Freese, 1980) and accommodate the specifics of our field (but see, as 
one prime exception, Shoemaker, Tankard & Lasorsa, 2004). Also, 
inspiring and instructive collections of individual experiences with and 
approaches to theory building have been published, e.g., in psychology 
(Kruglanski & Higgins, 2004), human resource development (Turnbull, 
2002) and management (van de Ven, 1989), but not in communication.
This preconference aims at stimulating the scholarly reflection and 
discourse about methods and methodology of theory building across all 
subfields of communication and ICA divisions by inviting participants to 
share their thoughts, experiences, and insights in an open, interactive 
and interdisciplinary exchange. We invite proposals for theoretical, 
empirical or historical contributions including but not limited to:
+ case studies about the practice of theory building in your own work or 
in the work of other scholars
+ empirical or literature-based overviews of methods used for theory 
building in communication
+ collections and discussions of heuristics, tools, practices and 
approaches in every phase of theory development
+ examinations of methodological challenges and potentials specific to 
theory building the field of communication
+ analyses of social, situational, and individual factors conducive (or 
detrimental) to creative and well-crafted theory building
+ experiences in teaching theory building.

We are interested in submissions covering one or several of the above 
aspects or related questions. We encourage submissions with a broad 
variety of approaches and from diverse perspectives. Scholars at all 
stages of their careers are welcome to apply.

Submission and selection process:

Extended Abstracts (800 to 1,200 words plus references) should be sent 
as a PDF file to Benjamin Krämer ((kraemer /at/ ifkw.lmu.de)). Please remove 
any kind of information that would identify the authors. The deadline 
for submission is 25 January 2019. Submissions will be peer-reviewed 
(please volunteer to review!) and decisions will be sent out by 
mid-February 2019 (after ICA main conference decisions).

Dates, conference fee, registration:

This preconference is approved by the ICA 2019 organizing committee and 
is part of the official ICA 2019 conference program. The preconference 
will take place on 24 May 2018 (9 a.m. to 17 p.m. approx.) onsite in the 
conference hotel in Washington, D.C. The registration fee will be $60 
for presenters and non-presenters, covering the expenses for facilities, 
coffee breaks (lunch not included) and administrative overhead. 
Registration will be open to anyone wishing to attend.

Organizers:
If you have any questions and/or would like to volunteer as a reviewer, 
please feel free to approach the organizers Felix Frey 
((ffrey /at/ uni-leipzig.de)) and Benjamin Krämer ((kraemer /at/ ifkw.lmu.de)).

https://www.icahdq.org/mpage/CFPCraftingTheory


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