[eccr] Call for Papers: Communication in the Age of Suspicion

>COMMUNICATION IN THE AGE OF SUSPICION
>
>A Conference on Trust, Communication and Culture
>Bournemouth University, February 20-21 2004
>
>Call for Papers
>
>Is trust still possible?
>Who in public life deserves our trust?
>Do emphases on accountability and audit erode trust?
>What public communications can we now believe?
>
>The problem of trust in the modern world has preoccupied theorists and
>researchers across many disciplines for some time. Many see a crisis of
>trust; others a climate of suspicion. Most agree that efforts to develop an
>inclusive and democratic culture are hampered by a weakness of trust:
>people do not believe many of the messages they receive as citizens and
>consumers. The lack of trust in political messages is seen as a major cause
>of disengagement from politics, while many commercial organisations
>struggle to retain any degree of public belief in their probity. As
>political parties and corporations seek to restore trust by managing their
>communications more intensively, so mistrust intensifies. Corporate
>behaviours and political events (e.g. recent accounting scandals, and
>currently the debate about why we went to war in Iraq) repeatedly bring to
>centre stage the issue of trust in leaders. Public information communicated
>by scientists, doctors and other professionals is also contested.
>
>This conference organised by the Centre for Public Communication Research
>at Bournemouth University will bring together a range of perspectives on
>this issue, with a focus on the role of communications - especially managed
>communications - in enhancing or eroding credibility, authority and trust.
>
>Offers of papers are invited that address the issue of trust in
>contemporary Britain from a communications perspective. Amongst the
>questions we expect the conference to examine are the following (not an
>exhaustive list - papers on other relevant topics are welcome):
>
> What is 'trust' in the British public sphere? How is it related 
>to trust
>between individuals?
> What can we learn from cross-cultural studies of trust?
> Is 'trust' a rational judgement or an emotional commitment?
> Is there a 'crisis of trust', and if so what forms does it take?
> What are the characteristics and consequences of low- and high-trust
>cultures?
> Is trust mediated or manufactured by the media? (and what of 
>trust within
>organisations?)
> Which sources and which media are most likely to be trusted in 
>future?
> Do computer-mediated communications raise any new questions about 
>trust?
> In building a culture of trust, what are the responsibilities of
> public figures - politicians, business leaders, 'celebrities'?
> professional communicators (in PR, advertising, journalism, etc.)?
> the public?
> What are the priorities for research in this area?
> How can research on trust be used to inform communication practices?
>
>Please send an Abstract of 250-300 words, by 31 October 2003, as a Word
>attachment to (cpcr /at/ bournemouth.ac.uk) or by post (5 copies) to Professor
>Barry Richards, Bournemouth Media School, Bournemouth University, Talbot
>Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, Dorset BH12 5BB
>
>If you aren't submitting an Abstract, but want more details of the
>conference when they are available, send an e-mail to
>(cpcr /at/ bournemouth.ac.uk) with the words 'Conference details' in the Subject
>field.

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Carpentier Nico (Phd)
Vrije Universiteit Brussel - Free University Brussels
Studies on Media, Information & Telecommunication (SMIT)
Centre for Media Sociology (CeMeSO)
Office: C0.05
Pleinlaan 2 - B-1050 Brussels - Belgium
T: ++ 32 (0)2-629.18.30
F: ++ 32 (0)2-629.28.61
E-mail: (Nico.Carpentier /at/ vub.ac.be)
W1: http://smit.vub.ac.be/
W2: http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~ncarpent/
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