[Commlist] Call for abstracts - IAMLMR 2024 conference

*CALL FOR PAPERS*

**

*INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MINORITY LANGUAGE MEDIA RESEARCH (IAMLMR) 
ANNUAL CONFERENCE*

*July 8-11, 2024 (Hybrid)*

**

*Theme: *

*MINORITY LANGUAGE MEDIA IN UNCERTAIN TIMES*

**

The organising committee of the International Association for Minority 
Language Media Research (IAMLMR) annual conference under the theme 
“Minority Language Media in Uncertain Times” invites submissions for the 
annual international conference to be hosted by the Indigenous Language 
Media in Africa (ILMA) research entity at the North-West University, 
Mafikeng, South Africa on 8-11 July 2024.**

*Preamble*

**

Uncertain times are part of human social realities that have shaped 
local, national and international outlooks on many issues including 
language use. The documented effects of global pandemics ranging from 
HIV/AIDS to coronavirus underscore this fact. The COVID-19 pandemic is a 
harbinger of uncertain times which have altered different facets of 
human lives worldwide such that it has created what is referred to as 
the ‘new normal.’ Now that the pandemic’s menace is receding amidst 
various other maladies that trouble the world, there is a need to 
evaluate its impact. Moreso, attention has been paid to its effects on 
mankind in the post-covid era (Shen, 2020). There is no doubt that the 
infodemic during pandemics has shed light on how people use languages 
and its effects in their communities. This infodemic is a byproduct of 
uncertain times that has even further highlighted the influence of 
pandemics on minority language media, considering the inadequacy of the 
mainstreamed languages in mitigating the pandemics’ effects.

Scholars already have demonstrated that minority language media usage 
and practice have declined even before the advent of COVID-19, which 
reveals the pre-COVID-19 minority language media situation and the 
urgency required to tackle issues surrounding the field of study to 
attempt to preserve minority languages for posterity despite uncertain 
periods of human existence. Generally, questions have emerged about the 
pandemic effects on minority language media. For example, have pandemics 
helped minority language media use in any way? Indeed, across Europe, 
Asia and Africa, scholars are increasingly considering how minority 
language media were affected by pandemics in uncertain times (Bober and 
Willis, 2021; Piller, Zhang and Li, 2020; Wang, Bahry and An, 2022). It 
is easy to assume that pandemics have negatively affected minority 
language media the way colonialism, globalization and digitalization 
have. Have pandemics like COVID-19 helped the progress and preservation 
of minority language media worldwide? To what extent have they 
contributed to the growth or extinction of minority language media in 
different societies in the world?

It is crucial to consider these questions in the aftermath of the 
pandemic that borders on the survival of humanity to find solutions to 
the excruciating impact of the pandemic. Minority language media are a 
constant in the mediation of human existence. Language generates 
coherent and semiotic codes and symbols to communicate with one another. 
Despite the numerous human languages worldwide, studies have shown that 
many minority languages have been marginalised by natural and 
non-natural causes. Moreover, minority language media have often fought 
to find space for expression amidst these causes that engender uncertain 
times in human history (Mpofu & Salawu, 2018). Indeed, pandemics such as 
COVID-19 have challenged scholars to evaluate how minority language 
media have performed in the race for survival against powerful forces of 
colonial, global languages and other pandemics in uncertain times. As 
Tshabangu and Salawu (2021) posit, scholars need to focus minority 
language media research on new vistas beyond digitalization, democracy, 
development, health communication and gender. Language media generate 
and mediate people’s identities worldwide, and it is important to 
determine how pandemics like COVID-19 have influenced them, posing many 
questions about minority language media in uncertain times of human 
history. The phrase “uncertain times” is wide-ranging and is 
deliberately used to accommodate other submissions that do not 
necessarily focus on the COVID-19 aftermath.Thus, this Call for Papers 
invites submissions that fit into the sub-themes below and any other 
aspects of minority languages:

*Sub-Themes*

oTheorisation of Minority Language Media Research in Uncertain Times **

oMinority Language Media and Information Technology in Uncertain Times**

oMinority Language Media and Audience Access in Uncertain Times**

oEconomies of Scale for Minority Language Media in Uncertain Times**

oMinority Language Media and Spatial Representation in Uncertain Times**

oMinority Language Media and Home, Identity, Memory and Belonging in 
Uncertain Times**

oMinority Language Media, Borders and Politics in Uncertain Times**

oMinority Language Media and Music in Uncertain Times**

oMinority Language Media, Cinematics and Videography in Uncertain Times**

oMinority Language Media and Government Policies in Uncertain Times**

oMinority Language Media, Teaching and Learning in Uncertain Times**

oMinority Language Media and Online Teaching in Uncertain Times**

oResearch Methodologies and Minority Language Media in Uncertain Times

This is not an exhaustive set of themes for the joint conference and 
presenters are free to submit on aspects of minority languages 
worldwide. Abstracts of 300 words in MSWord Times New Roman 12 pt. 
should be submitted to the emails specified below. These shall be 
reviewed, and presenters shall be subsequently advised on the outcomes.


*SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS*

Interested participants are invited to submit abstracts of not less than 
300 words on any of the specific themes stated above, and 150-word short 
biography. Abstracts should be sent to: *(iamlmr2024 /at/ nwu.ac.za)*

1^st Call for PapersSeptember 29, 2023

Submission Deadline DateJanuary 31^st , 2024

Notification of AcceptanceFebruary 14, 2024

Conference Registration (Early Birds)March 15-May 16, 2024

Conference Registration (Late Birds)May 16-June 16, 2024

08 Arrival

09 conference start, opening followed by keynotes.

10- keynotes, Gala dinner

11- Departure/Excursion (optional)

*Conference Fees*

StudentR 1,500

Academics/StaffR 3,500

*ONLINE PARTICIPANTS*

StudentR 1,000

Academics/StaffR 2,000

*Submission Procedure*

When submitting abstracts, participants must indicate which of the above 
themes their submission aligns with.

*Format*

Abstract preparation should take the following format: title, name of 
presenter, contact details, type of presentation and the text of the 
abstract (250-300 words).

Short bios of presenters should also be included.

**

*Categories*

·Oral presentations

·Virtual presentations

·Posters

·Panel discussions

*References*

Bober, S. and Willis, C. (2021). The Covid-19 pandemic and minority 
language media in Europe: the effects of spring 2020 lockdowns. /Journal 
of Multilingual and Multicultural Development/, 
https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.2005074 
<https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.2005074>.

Mpofu, P. and Salawu, A. (2018). Linguistic disenfranchisement, minority 
resistance and language revitalisation: The contributions of 
ethnolinguistic online communities in Zimbabwe. /Cogent Arts & 
Humanities/ (2018), 5: 1551764,

https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2018.1551764 
<https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2018.1551764>.

Piller, I., Zhang, J. and Li, J. (2020). Linguistic diversity in a time 
of crisis: Language challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. /Multilingual - 
Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication/ 
<https://www.researchgate.net/journal/Multilingua-Journal-of-Cross-Cultural-and-Interlanguage-Communication-1613-3684>//39(5), 
DOI: 10.1515/multi-2020-0136 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/multi-2020-0136>

Shen, Q. (2020). Commentary: Directions in language planning from the 
COVID-19 pandemic. /Multilingua/ 2020; 39(5): 625–629.

Tshabangu, T. and Salawu, A. (2021). Indigenous-language Media Research 
in Africa: Gains, Losses, Towards a New Research Agenda. /African 
Journalism Studies/, Vol. 43(1), pp. 1-16.

Wang, G., Bahry, S.A. and An, W. (2022). Minority Language 
Revitalization and Social Media through the Lens of Covid-19 in Yunnan 
and Gansu, western China. /Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural 
Development/, https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2022.2042541 
<https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2022.2042541>


---------------
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/ commlist.org)
URL: http://nicocarpentier.net
---------------