[ecrea] Call for Papers: LSE PhD Media Symposium 2012

Call for Papers: LSE PhD Media Symposium 2012 

Cosmopolitanism, New Media and Protests 

The LSE Media and Communications Department invites abstracts for papers 
on 'Cosmopolitanism, New Media and Protests', to be presented at our 
fifth annual PhD Symposium on 15 June 2012. Research students from 
across disciplines in the social sciences are welcome to apply. The 
deadline for submission of proposals is Monday 20 February 2012. 

In the last two years, significant waves of civil protests have been 
taking place around the globe. There are many examples: the so-called 
'Arab Spring' has targeted totalitarian regimes in the Arab world; the 
'indignados' in Spain, Greece and other EU countries have been 
protesting against austerity, unemployment and corrupt governments; the 
#Occupy movement, in the USA and Europe, emerged as a response to the 
financial crisis, targeting financial elites and demanding social 
change; there have also been riots in a number of UK cities; and 
political protests in Russia. 

On the one hand, these developments can be approached as local events in 
which information technologies and new media played a significant role 
in the mediation of protests. On the other, we could argue that we are 
witnessing the emergence of a new global political system, as all these 
events are interrelated and reflect the rise of a new type of 
cosmopolitan networked society. In the latter case, new media may not 
just be a tactical tool but a major factor for system change. 

Conceptualising cosmopolitanism as a contested term resting on a tension 
between the local and the global, the Symposium will examine the 
mediation of protests through new media platforms as they expand within 
and beyond national borders. The key question we will address is: How 
are new media implicated in the creation of cosmopolitan dispositions 
and protest mobilisations? 

The Symposium welcomes, but is not limited to, abstracts in the 
following areas of enquiry: 

- Local/global media in protests 
- Cosmopolitan identity and cosmopolitan publics 
- Global consciousness 
- Social media and political change 
- Networked journalism 
- Mediation of protests 
- Cosmopolitan identity and engagement in protests 
- Media attention 
- The state-networks relationship and mediation 
- Mediating violence and representation of suffering in protests. 

Submission 

Please submit 300-word proposal (title & abstract) for paper and 
presentation of 15 minutes by 20 February 2012 to: 
(media.symposium /at/ lse.ac.uk) <mailto:(media.symposium /at/ lse.ac.uk)> |. In a 
separate attachment, please include your name, paper title, 
institutional affiliation, short bio and contact details as well as your 
PhD project title. Successful submissions will be announced by 30 March 
2012. Subject to availability, research students wishing to attend the 
workshop without presenting are welcome; please indicate your interest 
by emailing the above address with details of your institutional 
affiliation and PhD project title. 

Further information 

For more information and updates about the Symposium, visit our website 
at http://www2.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/events/Symposium2012.aspx 
<http://www2.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/events/Symposium2012.aspx> | 'Like' 
our page on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/PhDMediaSymposiumLSE> | 
and follow us on Twitter @MediaPhDSymp 
<https://twitter.com/#!/MediaPhDSymp> | 

Join the Facebook group 
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/277928595601762/> | to ask questions 
and get more information from the organizers and meet other PhD students 
who are interested in the topic. 

We look forward to receiving your proposals! 

Best wishes, 

LSE PhD Media Symposium Team 

Marina Gerner (M.Gerner /at/ lse.ac.uk) <mailto:(M.Gerner /at/ lse.ac.uk)> | 
Naya Hadzipani (N.P.Hadzipani /at/ lse.ac.uk) <mailto:(N.P.Hadzipani /at/ lse.ac.uk)> 
| 
Gregory Asmolov (G.Asmolov /at/ lse.ac.uk) <mailto:(G.Asmolov /at/ lse.ac.uk)> | 
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