[Commlist] CfP Media and the Illiberal Turn

*Call for papers *

*Media and the Illiberal Turn: **Challenges to democracy and public 
communication in light of the COVID-19 pandemic *

28-29 April 2022, Loughborough University

We are inviting abstracts for a conference that will mark the closure of 
the project “The Illiberal Turn: News Consumption, Polarization and 
Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe”, conducted at the Centre for 
Research in Communication and Culture, Loughborough University since 2019.

Recent years have seen worrying political developments across both old 
and new democracies, ranging from the rise of populist leaders and 
dwindling support for democratic rule to deepening ideological cleavages 
and growing polarization of public opinion. Many of these trends have 
been linked to parallel changes in the information environment, and 
specifically to the growth of social media and digital platforms. These 
changes have been blamed for the growing societal polarization around 
key issues of public concern, ranging from immigration policies, 
abortion and LGBTQ+ rights to the climate change and public health 
measures. However, traditional media have often been central to these 
processes as well, whether through amplifying populist and illiberal 
narratives, or through serving as propaganda channels for governments 
and other actors.

This conference will provide an opportunity to widen the discussion of 
media and illiberalism beyond the geographical scope of “The Illiberal 
Turn” project. Although Central and Eastern Europe has been at the 
forefront of the illiberal turn, similar trends have been documented in 
an increasing number of countries across the world, including Brazil, 
India, the Philippines, as well as Western democracies such as the US or 
the UK. A key aim of the conference is to map the role of the media in 
diverse trajectories of illiberalism around the world.

In addition, we are also interested in understanding the interactions 
between illiberalism, the media, and the COVID-19 pandemic. In several 
countries, governments abused the crisis to push through illiberal 
policies, impose further restrictions on free speech, and tighten their 
grip over the media. At the same time, concerns about the role of the 
media in spreading misinformation and fuelling vaccine hesitancy added a 
sense of urgency to debates about digital platform regulation. What do 
these tendencies mean for the mid- and long-term impact of the pandemic 
on the global advance of illiberalism?

We welcome both theoretically-focused and empirically-informed papers 
exploring, from a broad range of methodological perspectives, topics 
such as (but not limited to):

- the impact of political/media polarization on democracy and the public 
sphere;

- the role of the Internet and social media as channels 
fostering/opposing illiberalism and authoritarian politics;

- the relationship between media consumption and the nurturing of 
(il)liberal attitudes;

- the proliferation and exploitation of mis/disinformation in 
contemporary “cultural wars”;

- the determinants and changing nature of public trust in media and 
democratic institutions;

- the impact of the pandemic on news media use, trust and independence;

- instrumentalization of media and challenges for editorial autonomy;

- the role of popular culture, fiction and entertainment genres in the 
rise of illiberalism;

- the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the relationship between 
illiberalism and media.

Abstracts of c. 250-300 words should be sent to 
(illiberal-turn /at/ lboro.ac.uk) <mailto:(illiberal-turn /at/ lboro.ac.uk)> by *15 
December 2021*.

Attendance is free. The conference will be organized in a hybrid format, 
allowing for on-site and online participation. There will be limited 
financial support available to cover the travel expenses of early career 
scholars. Opportunities for publishing selected conference papers will 
be explored after the conference.


---------------
The COMMLIST
---------------
This mailing list is a free service offered by Nico Carpentier. Please use it responsibly and wisely.
--
To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit http://commlist.org/
--
Before sending a posting request, please always read the guidelines at http://commlist.org/
--
To contact the mailing list manager:
Email: (nico.carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------