[ecrea] The BRIC Nations: Between National Identity and Global Citizenship -2013 ICA Pre-Conference on 17 June

Call for 2013 ICA Pre-Conference Abstracts



The BRIC Nations: Between National Identity and Global Citizenship



Monday 17th June 2013, University of Westminster Regent Street Campus, 
London



This preconference aims to compare the construction of national 
identities and global citizenship among four leading emerging 
economies—Brazil, Russia, India and China, or the “BRIC” nations. It 
draws particular attention to the internal and external challenges and 
opportunities the four countries face in the process of construction and 
reconstruction of their national and global identities in the digital 
environment. Internally, these countries confront the challenge of 
balancing economic growth and accompanying social, political and 
cultural transitions, which lead to marked challenges in developing what 
Anderson (1991) calls “the imagined community” that is activated and 
sustained through local and global production and consumption of media 
and cultural products. Externally, these countries aim to strive for 
international recognition while trying to exert influence on the 
existing global power structures, especially the traditional East-West 
and North- South relationships. While the BRIC nations have increased 
their economic, political and media presence worldwide in order to 
project a cosmopolitan image to the rest of world, they have also become 
predisposed to rising nationalism. Forthese nations, media have 
undoubtedly become one of the most important channels in constructing 
national identities, new geographical imaginaries as well as for 
external communications.



This one-day pre-conference event will discuss the pressing issues the 
four nations face in the context of emerging consumer culture and 
reconstructing their national and global identities. It aims to advance 
research regarding emerging nations by bringing together scholars who 
conduct interdisciplinary research with a comparative approach.



The pre-conference themes to be considered include but are not limited to:



·      Core theories and models to understand nation branding

·      The BRIC nations’ strategies to brand themselves and communicate 
externally and internally and the challenges they face

·      Re-examining the notion of the “imagined community,” produced 
through news media and popular culture, and the BRIC nations’ reaching 
out to their global audiences

·      The rights discourses among the BRICS nations, including but not 
limited to labor rights, intellectual property rights, environment and 
privacy issues in relation to  national and international image

·     Consumer culture, consumerism and anticonsumption activism in 
relation to nationalism and cosmopolitanism

·      Local and global media representations of the BRIC nations 
individually and collectively as a power block



While papers may address individual nations or geographic areas, each 
presenter should aim to develop a comparative approach, ideally 
reflecting on or pertaining to more than one emerging nation.



If you are interested, please submit an 800-word abstract by December 5, 
2012 to Dr. Hongmei Li at (Hongmei.li9 /at/ gmail.com) and Dr. Leslie Marsh at 
(llmarsh /at/ gsu.edu). Decisions about paper acceptance will be notified by 
January 10, 2013. Completed papers must be submitted by May 15, 2013.



This event is hosted and organized by the Communication and Media 
Research Institute (CAMRI), University of Westminster, UK, with Georgia 
State University, USA, and Renmin University, China.



Organizers:

·      Dr Hongmei Li, Department of Communication, Georgia State University

·      Dr Leslie Marsh, Modern and Classical Languages, Georgia State 
University

·      Dr Xin Xin, CAMRI, University of Westminster

·      Dr Xin Zhong, Renmin University



Co-sponsors:

·      The Department of Communication and the Center for International 
Business Education and Research (CIBER), Georgia State University;

·      The School of Journalism and Communication, Renmin University;

·      The Division of Global Communication and Social Change, ICA



Venue and Cost:

The pre-conference will be held on the University of Westminster Regent 
Street Campus, 309 Regent Street London W1B 2UW (the location is very 
central, within walking distance from the London Metropole Hotel).

·  The cost will be £40/$US65 per person (inclusive of morning tea, 
lunch, and afternoon tea).

·      Enquiries regarding the pre-conference should be sent to Dr 
Hongmei Li at (hongmei.li9 /at/ gmail.com).





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