CALL FOR PAPERS - SPECIAL ISSUE OF ECQUID NOVI: AFRICAN JOURNALISM STUDIES
VOL 31:2, 2010: THE 2010 FOOTBALL WORLD CUP MAKING THE NEWS
GUEST EDITOR: SEAN JACOBS ( GRADUATE PROGRAM IN
INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, THE NEW SCHOOL, NEW YORK)
Article submissions are invited for a special
issue of Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies
on the theme of ?The 2010 Football World Cup Making the News?
On May 15, 2004 the governing body of
international football, FIFA (Fédération
Internationale de Football Association), awarded
the 2010 edition of the World Cup to South
Africa. Nelson Mandela, South Africa?s first
democratic president spoke for a lot of his
compatriots and millions on the continent when
he exclaimed: ?I feel like a 15 year old.?
Mandela?s enthusiasm reflected the historical
significance of the decision. This will be the
first time the World Cup is set on the African
continent. Africa has historically been shunned
by world footballviewed mainly as a cheap
source of talent for Europe?s football
leagues. Expectations are therefore high for
what will be Africa?s first World Cup tournament.
For many people, including Africans, this event
will be experienced as a global and national
news event. News coverage of the tournament has
thus far focused largely on South Africa?s
ability to mount such a competition, often
reflecting journalistic assumptions of Africa
and South Africa. Increasingly news media also
shape the popular discourses about football,
whether about the relation between nationalism
and football (which most media actively
promote), consumption (football is now a billion
dollar business), as well as leisure (in many
societies football is a cheap form of relaxation and socialization).
Journalism about football in South Africa is
also about ?race?-making. In South Africa,
football is often classed as a ?black sport?a
legacy of early 20TH century attempts to
racially police sports: football for blacks and
rugby and cricket for whites. Newspapers and
television in South Africa actively promote
these divisions. But increasingly media also
celebrate black sports heroes. What effect has
sports journalism had on the perception of
football among whites? What role do media play
in changing perceptions of football?
For this issue of Ecquid Novi: African
Journalism Studies we are looking for papers
that explore the relation between football and
journalism in Africa. Topics include, but is not limited to:
· Coverage of the 2010 World Cup in news
reports, documentary films, trade magazines
(i.e. football magazines), radio, narrative
non-fiction and the internet (blogs and social
networks) ? how are the tournament and the host country represented?
· Cultural politics and football
coverage. How does the broadcasting of football
matches and news reportage of these matches play
into language politics, racism and the negotiation of cultural identities?
· The history of journalism about
football, not just in South Africa, but also in
the rest of the continent (for example, the role
of the various regional editions of Drum
magazine, or exploring the role and influence of
the few journalists like Mark Gleeson (in Cape
Town), Filippo Maria Ricci (in London) and Frank
Simon (in Paris) who have come to define how we
understand and read African football).
· Reporting and analyses of the World Cup
is not only the preserve of sportswriters.
Increasingly football is the focus of business
and political reporters. What news discourses have emerged in these areas?
Send all submissions to Sean Jacobs (New
School), tintinyana [at] gmail [dot] com
Deadline for abstracts: November 30, 2009
Deadline for full papers: March 31, 2010
Please see submission guidelines at
<http://ajs.uwpress.org>http://ajs.uwpress.org
Dr Herman Wasserman
Senior Lecturer
Department of Journalism Studies
University of Sheffield
18-22 Regent Street
Sheffield
S1 3NJ
United Kingdom
Tel +44(0)114 222 2506
<http://www.shef.ac.uk/journalism/staff/herman-wasserman.html>http://www.shef.ac.uk/journalism/staff/herman-wasserman.html
Editor: Ecquid Novi: African Journalism Studies
(<http://ajs.uwpress.org/>http://ajs.uwpress.org)
