[Commlist] CFP: AANZCA24 conference: Pause

Please find the Call for Papers for this year’s AANZCA conference below. 
The conference webpage is now live at : 
https://anzca.org/conference-event/aanzca-2024-conference/#conference-call-for-papers 
<https://anzca.org/conference-event/aanzca-2024-conference/#conference-call-for-papers>.

If there isn't a clash with the annual CSAA conference, we hope people 
consider attending.

On behalf of the AANZCA 2024 organising committee at RMIT.

James Meese

Call for papers

Conference Key Dates

Abstract submission closing date: Friday, 7 July 2024 (11.59pm AEST)

Acceptance notifications by: September 2024 (specific date to be advised)

Early bird registrations open (including PG/ECR Day): 16 September 2024

Early bird registrations close: 11 October 2024

Full papers due: 11 October 2024

Registrations close: 18 November 2024

Conference dates: 25-27 November 2023

PAUSE

Society is facing multiple crises at the planetary level, spanning 
climate change, public trust, political uncertainty, geopolitical 
instability and technological upheaval. Extreme weather events are now a 
familiar part of the daily news cycle. Trust in institutions and news 
media has eroded while public cynicism and civic disengagement have 
grown. Far-right parties have become increasingly electable, forcing the 
news media to re-evaluate coverage of politicians promoting extreme 
xenophobia. Wars across several regions have also highlighted the 
central role that media plays in escalating conflicts and violence, from 
the use of drones and AI-assisted airstrikes, to the dissemination of 
online propaganda in support of particular worldviews. In such a 
context, calling for a pause seems indulgent.

However, pausing is not always a sign of apathy or inaction. It can be 
an opportunity for reflection and deliberation. A pause can provide a 
chance to seriously consider how to proceed, before deciding on 
meaningful action, or ensure care for the self amidst a time of crisis. 
Indeed, taking a moment to stop might be necessary for disciplines that 
have had to deal with momentous change. Over the last decade or so, 
platform ecosystems and major technology firms have become key 
infrastructures for media and communication industries. In response, 
communication scholars have rushed to understand how social media and 
streaming platforms, as well as corporations like Apple, Amazon and 
Google, have influenced their specific areas of interest.

Yet recent developments suggest that we might want to stop and take 
stock. Existing frameworks for understanding communication may not be as 
viable as they once were. Are we on the edge of another revolution, now 
that large language models like Chat GPT are accessible and 
user-friendly? Do our taken-for-granted digital communication research 
methods need to change, given the current challenges associated with 
accessing platform APIs, and the decline of familiar platforms like 
Twitter-now-X? Do we need to rethink what communication looks like in 
the future, given the carbon footprint associated with modern computing, 
especially generative AI? Are we ahead of the game in understanding the 
increasingly sophisticated and technology-enabled strategies of covert 
political actors, or is our research and theory being outpaced by 
practice that fuels global unrest?

We suggest that our disciplines and the world are not just in crisis, 
but at an inflection point. Scholars of institutionalism call this a 
critical juncture, a moment of flux where “dramatic change is possible” 
(Capoccia and Kelemen, 2007). We invite AANZCA24 attendees to discuss 
and consider the challenges and opportunities associated with this 
critical juncture. In short, this is a chance to pause and come together 
to discuss how the land lies before us now and beyond the current 
inflection point.

We welcome submissions on the following themes and beyond:

1. How ‘pauses’ are conceptualised in relation to media consumption and 
production.
2. Critical reflection on moments of pause, appraisal and rest in media 
and communication production, practice and labour.
3. Creative and professional practice that takes a critical approach to 
pausing, reflection and advocacy.
4. Critical junctures in media and communications or relevant 
sub-fields, either historic or contemporary.
5. News media influence on engagement and reflection on critical issues 
of our time.
6. Critical studies on the impact of generative AI tools in professional 
communication, creative practice, and everyday digital culture.
7. Findings, outcomes or reflections from activist, advocacy, social 
change and community-based research projects and their stakeholders.
8. Insights on new or evolving strategic communication practice in a 
time of global unrest.
9. Material impacts of digital technologies during war, conflict or crisis.
10. Methodological challenges presented by a dynamic platform environment.

As always, we also welcome papers representing the diversity of research 
interests across the organisation’s various sub-fields.

Submission Instructions

Abstracts (due 5 July)
Abstracts should be 250 words, accompanied by a 100 word bio for each 
author. Authors who are writing a full paper also need to submit a 
separate abstract by this deadline.

Panel Proposals (due 5 July)
For pre-constituted panels of 3-4 speakers – submission must include a 
panel title, abstract (250-500 words), the names and affiliations for 
each speaker, an abstract for each speaker (250 words) and a bio for 
each speaker (100 words).

Full Papers (abstracts due 5 July, full papers due 11 October 2024)

Only full papers will be considered for publication in the special 
issues. All scholars will be considered for Media International 
Australia and Communication Research Practice, and only HDRs will be 
considered for Platform: Journal of Media and Communication. Submitted 
papers will need to be 6,000 – 7,000 words in length (including references).

Authors selected for CRP, MIA or Platform will be contacted following 
the conference and their papers will then go through blind peer-review. 
Decisions about inclusion in the conference will only be made on the 
basis of abstracts, which means that all authors of full papers will 
also need to submit an abstract separately. You will be able to go back 
into your submission on conftool and upload the full paper for the later 
deadline.

Submission limits

In the interests of diversity and equity, we have set limits on 
presentations for the forthcoming conference. Each participant will be 
able to present one paper as lead author as well as appear on one panel. 
You can appear on additional papers as a secondary author but must not 
present these.

Eligibility

You do not need to be a member of AANZCA to submit an abstract, panel 
proposal, or full paper. If your submission is accepted, you will be 
asked to register for the conference via our website.

Awards

All submissions, whether full papers or abstracts, will be considered 
for the Grant Noble and Christopher Newell prize.

The Mills Award is awarded to help students and early career scholars in 
organisational communication attend AANZCA conferences. Applicants must 
nominate that they wish to be considered for the award when submitting 
for the conference.

We will be sharing further details about other AANZCA Conference awards 
in due course, including the Anne Dunn Scholar of the Year 
Award (co-sponsored by JERAA).

You can register for the conference and submit your abstracts via 
conftool<https://www.conftool.net/aanzca2024/ 
<https://www.conftool.net/aanzca2024/>>.
Please email (aanzca24 /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(aanzca24 /at/ gmail.com)> if you have 
any questions.
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