Theories of International and Intercultural Communication
International Conference and PhD Workshop
October, 29-31, 2009, University of Mannheim, Germany
Conference theme
In focusing on international and intercultural
communication, the conference addresses one of
the most innovative research areas in the field
of media and communication studies. It deals
with theoretical questions concerning mediated
communication crossing national borders or
cultural boundaries. However, a closer look
reveals that the theoretical basis of this
research area is still unclear, heterogeneous,
and fragmented. The conference aims at
critically discussing different theoretical
approaches and traditions and at fostering
theoretical integration. Four pivotal
theoretical challenges in the field of
international and intercultural communication
will be addressed in four thematic panels; a
fifth panel will be thematically open in order
to be able to react to submissions.
Panel 1: Disciplinary intersections. Even the
use of both â??internationalâ?? and
â??interculturalâ?? in the title of the
conference refers to different systemic contexts
that shape mediated crossâ??border
communication. â??Internationalâ?? brings to
mind the politicalâ??legal conditions,
â??interculturalâ?? more clearly connotes the
socioâ??cultural formations of the communicating
entities and content and process of
communication. Apart from these connections to
political science/law as well as
sociology/cultural studies, crossâ??border
communication cannot be understood without a
third disciplinary reference point: (media)
economics. The globalization of procurement,
advertising and markets in the media business on
the one hand and communicative problems of
global media companies on the other hand
constitute important topics that deserve and demand further theorization.
Panel 2: Spatial patterns. For a long time,
research on international and intercultural
communication has been characterized by a
centerâ??periphery model that emphasizes
relations of dependence and domination between
various world regions (â??media imperialismâ??).
This has been complemented, however, by models
of multipolarity as well as national and
regional selfreliance that challenge narrow
views of Western influences in the world.
Nonâ??Western perspectives on international and
intercultural communication come centerâ??stage,
which need to be acknowledged as distinct and
unique in the first place. This panel,
therefore, aims at developing the potential of
different deâ??centered conceptions of the world
for theorizing international and intercultural communication.
Panel 3: Temporal structures. In a temporal
perspective, many current diagnoses of
international and intercultural communication
use concepts like acceleration, synchronicity,
as well as culmination or turning points. Global
realâ??time media, particularly the Internet,
but also live coverage in transnational news
channels, have accelerated crossâ??border
communication to a point where a shared global
presence is created in certain instances. But
attention structures of crossâ??border
communication are still quite volatile so that a
shared presence is not achieved permanently on a
global scale but depends on particular focal
points, i.e. global media events such as Olympic
Games, summits, wars, or disasters. The third
panel is thus devoted to theorizing such points of culmination as
well as the global realâ??time media that create and support them.
Panel 4: Building theory from comparison. A
particular challenge of research into
international and intercultural communication
consists in the parallel existence of at least
two, if not three distinct logics of analysis.
The logic of international and intercultural
comparison is based on the assumption that the
entities compared are independent from each
other and that the features to be explained can
be attributed to structural similarities and
differences of these entities. In contrast,
approaches focusing on crossâ??border
communication precisely emphasize relations of
exchange and influence between the entities,
i.e. phenomena that cannot be properly
understood by comparison alone. In addition,
some recent approaches use the prefix
â??transâ?? instead of â??interâ?? (as in
transnational and transcultural) and thus focus
our attention on communicative structures that
transcend and subvert existing delineations. A
purely comparative logic of inquiry is
insufficient here as well. The fourth panel thus
seeks answers to the question of how comparative
designs contribute to theoryâ??building in the
field of international and intercultural
communication, and how such designs can be
combined and integrated with â??interâ?? and â??transâ??â??oriented approaches.
Panel 5: Open panel. In addition to the thematic
panels, submissions can be made that address any
aspect of international and intercultural
communication from a theoryâ??oriented perspective.
Conference program
The panels will be supplemented by plenary
speeches as well as a panel discussion. The
following keynote speakers and/or respondents will participate:
? Prof. Dr. Oliver Boydâ??Barrett, Professor of Journalism,
Bowling Green State University, USA
? Prof. Dr. Eytan Gilboa, Professor of Communication and Government,
Barâ??Ilan University, Ramatâ??Gan, Israel
? Prof. Dr. Monroe E. Price, Director of the
Center for Global Communication Studies,
Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, USA
(not yet confirmed)
? Prof. Dr. Daya K. Thussu, Professor of International Communication,
University of Westminster, London, UK
? Prof. Dr. Leo Van Audenhove, Professor of Communication,
Free University, Brussels, Belgium
Integrated PhD workshop
The conference will be supplemented by a
workshop at which PhD students can present their
dissertation research in international and
intercultural communication without any thematic
restrictions imposed. Renowned international
scholars will be commenting on each
presentation, thus offering a unique opportunity
to obtain constructive feedback from experts who
would otherwise not be easily available. For PhD
students presenting at the workshop some travel
funds are available upon request. If you wish to
receive such funds, please indicate this on your submission.
Submission and selection of papers
Submissions for the conference as well as for
the PhD workshop can be made in English or
German, as the conference will be bilingual.
Please send your proposal for a 20â??minute
presentation to Maria Roeder
((roeder /at/ unimannheim.de)) or Manuel Adolphsen
(adolphsen@uniâ??mannheim.de) no later than June
14, 2009 (using a pdf or a doc file). The
abstract should not be longer than 8000
characters (including blank spaces) und should
be assigned to one of the panels. Please add a
title page to the abstract containing the
name(s) and address(es) of the presenter(s) and
the title of the presentation, and make sure you
remove all references to the submitter(s) in the
rest of the abstract. Please also note on the
title page whether you can give your
presentation in English, German or both. All
submissions to the conference as well as the PhD
workshop will be subjected to anonymous
peerâ??review based on the criteria of
originality, relevance to the conference and
panel, sophistication of theoretical foundation,
and clarity of language. Proposals based on
empirical work will additionally be rated
according to the appropriateness of the methods
used. All submitters will be informed by July
24, 2009 about the outcome of the selection process.
Organization and contact:
The conference is organized by the â??Network
Intercultural and International Communicationâ?? in cooperation with:
? the Global Communication and Social Change
division of the International Communication Association (ICA)
? the International and Intercultural
Communication section of the European
Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)
? the Young Scholars Network of the European
Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA)
? the Graduate Program â??Formations of the
Globalâ?? at the School of Humanities, University of Mannheim, Germany
For more information on the conference, the
venue as well as travel and hotel details,
please see
<http://niik2009.uni>http://niik2009.uniâ??mannheim.de.
Mannheim is only a 30â??minute train ride from
Frankfurt International Airport. Conference
chair: Prof. Dr. Hartmut Wessler Conference
organization: Maria Röder, M.A., and Manuel Adolphsen, MSc.
