[Commlist] Call for Chapters: Representing/Communicating the US in Local and Global Turmoil: From Wars to Contemporary Challenges

Representing/Communicating the US in Local and Global Turmoil: From Wars 
to Contemporary Challenges


Call for Chapters:


This book is among a slate of others being considered for adoption as a 
series by editors Victoria Ann Newsom (Olympic College) & Lara Lengel 
(Bowling Green State University) entitled Conflict, Culture, 
Communication from Lexington Books.


Premise:

Views of the United States from a conflict standpoint can vary widely 
depending on the specific conflict, region, and the time period in 
question. Different countries and individuals may hold different 
perceptions of the US based on their own geopolitical interests, 
historical experiences, and cultural perspectives.


There are a wide range of communication subfields that interact with 
conflict and peace perceptions about the United States - intercultural 
communication, rhetoric, critical cultural communication, media studies, 
global communication and social change, philosophy, theory, and 
critique, etc. Similarly, scholars have identified different contexts 
within which the US conflict and peace perceptions unfold. For example:


Ally vs. Adversary: The US has both allies and adversaries around the 
world. US allies generally view the country positively and often support 
its actions in conflicts. These allies may share common values, security 
interests, and diplomatic cooperation. Adversaries, on the other hand, 
may view the US as a source of conflict due to geopolitical 
disagreements or perceived interventionism. Xing (2011) found that 
rhetoric on US-China relations is largely shaped by the cultural 
orientations and national interest of each country.


Interventionism: The US has been involved in numerous conflicts 
throughout its history, often leading to the perception of American 
interventionism. Some countries may view US actions as unwarranted 
interference in their internal affairs, while others may appreciate US 
intervention in support of democracy, human rights, or regional 
stability. From a critical standpoint, US interventions have come at a 
great detrimental cost to many communities and countries in the world. 
Especially considering the US colonial legacies, such as slavery, 
treatment of indigenous peoples, racial hierarchies, impact on religious 
diversity, etc., that continue to have real world effect today in the 
form of economic, legal, and political systems, land dispossession, 
language and culture, and regional identities. Myers & Hayes (2010) 
found that during the Iraq wars, people’s attention to the news 
predicted accuracy in one’s beliefs about the number of casualties, but 
not opinions about the US intervention, suggesting that accuracy of 
one’s knowledge mediates the effect of attention to the news on public 
opinion.


Regional Conflicts: Views of the US can be heavily influenced by 
specific regional conflicts. In the Middle East, for instance, the US is 
often seen as a significant player due to its involvement in conflicts 
such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the wars in Iraq and 
Afghanistan. These views can range from appreciation for US support to 
criticism for its role in the region's instability. Proxy conflicts, 
affinities and secondary support for conflict parties substantially 
affect how the US is perceived from within regional conflicts, even when 
not directly influenced by the United States.


Public Opinion: Public opinion about the US in various countries can 
differ significantly from the official stance of their governments. 
People in some countries may have positive or negative views of the US 
based on their country’s foreign policies, leadership, politics, 
cultural and economic exports. What then are the underlying reasons that 
move the needle of public opinion from one end of the spectrum to the other?


Humanitarian Efforts: The US is often involved in humanitarian efforts 
during international conflicts. These efforts, such as providing 
humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and peacekeeping missions, can 
influence how the US is viewed, with a generally positive perception 
when it provides assistance in times of need. How then are conflict 
stakeholders resolving the US role as humanitarian provider through 
communication?


Multilateral Institutions: The US plays a prominent role in 
international organizations like the United Nations and NATO. Views of 
the US in these contexts can be influenced by its cooperation or 
conflicts with other member states.


Historical Context: Historical events, such as World Wars, the Vietnam 
War, the Cold War, and the US-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, 
have shaped perceptions of the US in different parts of the world. Some 
countries and peoples may hold historical grievances, while others may 
view the US as a force for good. This context is perhaps the most 
significant one given that US economic might sometimes glosses over the 
importance of paying attention to historical specificity of a conflict 
and its stakeholders. How this contextual significance is 
communicatively registered or not is an important area of contribution 
for this volume.


As perceptions are highly nuanced and subject to change over time, 
public opinion, government policies, and regional dynamics all play a 
role in shaping these views. Communication cross-currents within the 
above mentioned contexts are important registers to gauge the current 
position and future implications of the US in the world and the various 
roles it plays in international events.

This book will therefore be influenced by two important questions which 
have received less attention than they deserve: How do people, engaged 
in conflict with one another, come to understand their opponents and 
what roles do institutions, such as, media, international multilateral 
organizations, national ideological parties, etc., play in the formation 
and maintenance of beliefs about the others? This book takes the United 
States as its thematic center, and countries/communities with which the 
United States has conflict as the spokes. Each author in this volume 
will examine a contemporary or recent conflict involving the United 
States and, instead of centering representations inthe United States, 
examine the representations ofthe United States - representations that 
cast the United States as the other. We believe that the scholarly 
questions and answers being developed in this book will make useful 
contributions to the development of knowledge about international 
conflict situations and conflict resolution, communications studies and 
international relations. Though designed for scholars, the chapters 
should be accessible by undergraduate and graduate level courses 
concerned with representation and conflict management.


The editors seek contributions from authors who are experts in 
communications, conflict studies, area studies and other related 
disciplines, to write chapters examining these conflict situation 
representations of the United States. We seek to create a collection of 
chapters representing a wide range of conflict situations and areas of 
the world from diverse sub-disciplines within communication studies. We 
are especially interested in inviting authors who are from or have a 
great deal of knowledge and experience in the countries about which they 
write.

Prospective authors should produce a proposal of 2000 words, 
highlighting their conceptual and methodological approaches and the 
anticipated outcomes of their study. Appropriate thematic topics for 
this book might include:

  *

    Conflicts in which the United States are directly involved

  *

    Conflicts in which the United States are indirectly involved

  *

    Conflicts centered around economic issues

  *

    Conflicts centered around environmental or land issues

  *

    Conflicts centered around cultural, religious and hegemonic issues

  *

    Conflicts in which the United States’ involvement is or is not
    productive


Though not exhaustive, we are especially interested in contributions 
highlighting the following conflicts involving the United States:

  *

    Refugees and the aftermath of US involved conflict;

  *

    US involvement in the Middle East including Israel-Palestine, Iraq,
    Syria, etc.

  *

    Iran, and the representations of politico-religious conflict;

  *

    Native Americans, Puerto Ricans, Filipinos, and the representations
    from American protectorates and territories;

  *

    Africa, and the representations of economic and other exploitations;

  *

    Latin, Central, South and North America, and representations related
    to geography, dominance, overt and covert conflict.

We kindly request that proposals be submitted via email to Mark Finney 
((mfinney /at/ ehc.edu) <mailto:(mfinney /at/ ehc.edu)>) and Sudeshna Roy 
((roys /at/ sfasu.edu) <mailto:(roys /at/ sfasu.edu)>) by Mon, January 22, 2024.


  Myers, T. A., & Hayes, A. F. (2010). Reframing the Casualties
  Hypothesis: (Mis)Perceptions of Troop Loss and Public Opinion about
  War. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 22(2), 256–275.
  https://doi-org.proxy.lib.umich.edu/10.1093/ijpor/edp044
  <https://doi-org.proxy.lib.umich.edu/10.1093/ijpor/edp044>


  Xing, L. (2011). From “ideological enemies” to “strategic partners”: A
  rhetorical analysis of US-China relations in intercultural contexts.
  Howard Journal of Communication,22(4), 336-357.

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