[ecrea] Conference: Dialogue-driven Change in the Public Sphere

Call for papers

2nd ESTIDIA Conference 2013
Dialogue-driven Change in the Public Sphere

Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication
University of Bari "Aldo Moro"
3-5 October, 2013

After its successful launch in Brasov, Romania, in June 2012, ESTIDIA
(European Society for Transcultural and Interdisciplinary Dialogue) is
convening its second conference, whose goal is to create a discussion
forum bringing together researchers and doctoral students who are
investigating change-related dialogue mechanisms and strategies from a
wide range of disciplinary perspectives.
The University of Bari, Italy, has the pleasure to host ESTIDIA 2013,
in the hope that this conference will give rise to creative synergies
and facilitate new networks, crossing both geographical and
disciplinary borders.

Conference Theme

Change, be it subtle or dramatic, is constantly an integral part of
social life, bringing about significant alteration of social
structure, behavior patterns and cultural values. Social change refers
to variations over time in the ecological ordering of populations and
communities, in patterns of roles and social interactions, in the
structure and functioning of institutions, and in the cultures of
societies. In recent times, two fallacies about social change have
been intensively debated. According to the first fallacy, social
change is simply a linear movement in time from a traditional past
towards a modern future, while old values and institutions are
regarded as impediments to changes and obstacles to modernization. The
second fallacy is based on the assumption that there is an
irreconcilable conflict between old and new traditions and structures,
which leads to old traditions and structures being simply displaced by
new ones. However, both fallacies have been proved wrong and
consequently discarded by a large body of studies which provide
alternative interpretations that challenge the assumptions of the
traditional-modern polarisation. In the dynamic and multi-dimensional
reality that we experience daily, tradition and modernity are in fact
mutually reinforcing, rather than being mutually exclusive systems. It
is these two aspects, dialogue-driven continuity in discontinuity, and
discontinuity in continuity, that are the topic focus for the
conference presentations and discussions.

The various theories of social change range from those that explain
specific factors that cause small-scale changes to abstract and
broader theories which attempt to understand underlying trends in the
evolution and transformation of human societies. The focus of the
conference is on the traditions, principles, purposes and practices of
dialogic interaction in the public sphere that are part of, and
conducive to, societal change. While many societies are currently
experiencing dramatic shifts in their political, economic and social
structures, there are at least two dominant trends: the increasing
democratization of political life, and the rise of complex
bureaucratic institutions. The key factors of social change underlying
these trends are globalization, technological developments, systemic
upheavals, migration and the ensuing multiculturalism and
multilingualism. But perhaps the most potentially powerful factors of
social change are the people animated by a profound need to
communicate and, through public dialogue, to craft a dynamic vision
for a more just set of social arrangements in the pursuit of major
goals in the service of the common good. The implementation of
visionary ideas calls for critically discussing ideas and
conceptualizations which take into account the continuously changing
nature of societies and communities, and which aim at explicating the
interdependence between individuals' interaction practices and the
discursive construction of identities, on the one hand, and their
access to full participation in society, on the other.

Key issues of interest to the conference include, but are not limited
to, the following:

- Promoting citizen-centred multicultural and social practices in
Europe and beyond
- Enhancing the dialogue of tradition and innovation at the interface
of the public and private spheres
- Initiating and responding to societal changes through cross-European
networking activities
- Exploring patterns of social and personal change at micro- and macro-level
- Scrutinizing dialogic problem-solving strategies in cross-cultural
perspectives
- Identifying divergence and convergence patterns in public narrative
and dialogue
- Discourse of social change - Boundary-crossing between practice and theory

We welcome contributions from diverse fields of enquiry, including
discourse studies, conversation analysis, discursive psychology,
critical discourse analysis, rhetoric, narrative analysis, political
discourse analysis, social semiotics, multimodal discourse analysis,
applied linguistics, gesture studies, as well as approaches to
dialogue and verbal interaction pertaining to sociology, political
science, pedagogy, comparative education, philosophy, anthropology,
media studies, journalism and cultural studies.

Proposals for individual papers or special sessions may include
research questions like the following:

-       How should we grapple with the notion that arguing for and
against is an opportunity for positive change?
-       How can interpersonal and institutional interactions
facilitate and encourage bottom-up or top-down social change (in
processes of political transition, power transfer and empowerment,
business outsourcing, etc.)?
-       How are the concrete, daily instantiations of social change
articulated in public debate (e.g. media interviews, press
conferences, political debates)?
-       How can concepts such as identity, migration, community, and
citizenship illuminate key aspects of ongoing social, political and
cultural change?
-       How are the various aspects of social change discussed in the
media, in educational institutions, and/or in the political sphere?
-       How is understanding social change going to enrich the
researchers' correlation between theory and practice?
-       How are messages for and against social change conveyed in
public speaking and debating?
-       How is the contribution of pedagogy and psychology to be
integrated in the debate on social change?

Thematic Workshops

In addition to paper presentation, two thematic workshops are being
organized within the framework of the ESTIDIA 2013 conference:

-       Workshop on "Gender Empowerment through Social Innovation
Strategies" (GENESIS) - based on a project proposal by a research
consortium consisting of participants from several EU countries

Chairs:

?       Prof. Daniela Roventa-Frumusani (University of Bucharest, Romania)
?       Prof. Fabienne Baider (University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus)
?       Dr. Rosanna Masiola (University of Perugia, Italy)

-       Workshop on "Re-negotiating Identities in the European Public
Sphere" - based on an ongoing research project at SNSPA (National
School for Political and Administrative Studies) in Bucharest, Romania

Chairs:
?       Dr. Nicoleta Corbu (National University of Political Studies
and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania)
?       Georgiana Udrea, Ph.D. candidate (National University of
Political   Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania)

Keynote speakers

Prof. Cornelia Ilie - Malmö University, Sweden and Zayed University,
Abu Dhabi, UAE;
           Founder and President of the European Society for 
Transcultural and
           Interdisciplinary Dialogue (ESTIDIA)

Prof. Jef Verschueren - University of Antwerp, Belgium; Secretary 
General of the
                         International Pragmatics Association (IPrA)

Abstract Submission

We invite submissions of abstracts for paper presentations (20 minutes
for presentation, to be followed by 10 minutes for questions) to be
scheduled in parallel sessions. The abstract should indicate the
leading research question, theoretical approach, research methods,
data sources, results or expected results, and relevance of the
research. Abstracts will be peer-reviewed by the conference scientific
committee.
Please include in the abstract: the title of the paper, the name(s) of
presenter(s), institutional affiliation and email address (max 500
words, in English).

Email submission to: (alberto.fornasari /at/ uniba.it)
Conference Website: http://www.estidia.eu/news.html;
www.fasf.uniba.it;  www.uniba.it

Important Dates

New deadline for abstract submission:                June 23, 2013
Notification of acceptance:                     July 7, 2013
New deadline for draft papers:                  August 11, 2013

Registration Fee

The early bird conference fee is 100 EUR, late registration fee (no
later than 5th August 2013) is 120 EUR. The registration fee includes,
in addition to the CD-ROM publication of conference proceedings, a
conference bag, welcome cocktail, refreshments/coffee breaks and
guided visits of Bari.

Venue

The 2013 ESTIDIA conference will be hosted by the University of Bari
"Aldo Moro".
University website: www.uniba.it ; www.fasf.uniba.it

Scientific Committee

Nicoleta Corbu - National School of Political Studies and Public
Administration, Bucharest, Romania
Giuliana Garzone - Department of Modern Languages and Cultures, State
University of Milan, Italy
Adrian Lesenciuc - "Henri Coanda" Air Force Academy, Brasov, Romania
Lachlan Mackenzie - Honorary member of the University of Amsterdam;
Instituto de Linguística Teórica e Computacional, Lisbon, Portugal
John McKeown - Mefis International School, Istanbul, Turkey
Esther Pascual Olivé - Department of Communication Studies, Groningen
University, The Netherlands
Dana Popescu-Jourdy - Institut de Communication, Université "Lumiere"
Lyon 2, France
Daniela Roventa-Frumusani - University of Bucharest, Romania ;
Director of the Department of Cultural Anthropology and Communication
Maria de Sao Jose Corte-Real - Faculdade de Ciencias Sociais e
Humanas, Universidade Nova, Lisbon, Portugal
Helen Spencer-Oatey - Centre for Applied Linguistics, Warwick
University, the U.K.
Anna Triandafyllidou - European University Institute, Florence, Italy
Maria Zaleska - University of Warsaw, Poland


Promoters of the Conference : Cornelia Ilie, (University of Malmö, Sweden),
Alberto Fornasari (University of Bari, Italy)

Organising Committee
Rosalinda Cassibba - Director Deparment of Educational Sciences,
Psychology, Communication, University of Bari, Italy
Paola Zaccaria - President of the Degree Course in Communication
Sciences, Full Professor of Anglo-American Literature , University of
Bari, Italy
Luca Gallo - Full Professor of Comparative Education, Director of  the
Laboratory of Intercultural Education , University of  Bari, Italy
Luisa Santelli Beccegato - (Former) Full Professor of  Experimental
Pedagogy, University of Bari, Italy
Beatrice Ligorio - Associate Professor of  Educational Psychology
,University of Bari, Italy
Michele Baldassarre - Researcher of Experimental Pedagogy, University
of Bari, Italy
Alberto Fornasari - Researcher of Experimental Pedagogy, University of
Bari, Italy

Contact
Please check periodically the Conference website or send inquiries to
(alberto.fornasari /at/ uniba.it)

Organizing Committee: Rosalinda Cassibba - Director Deparment of
Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication, University of Bari,
Italy
Paola Zaccaria - President of the Degree Course in Communication
Sciences, Full Professor of Anglo-American Literature , University of
Bari, Italy
Luca Gallo - Full Professor of Comparative Education, Director of  the
Laboratory of Intercultural Education , University of  Bari, Italy
Luisa Santelli Beccegato - (Former) Full Professor of  Experimental
Pedagogy, University of Bari, Italy
Beatrice Ligorio - Associate Professor of  Educational Psychology
,University of Bari, Italy
Michele Baldassarre - Researcher of Experimental Pedagogy, University
of Bari, Italy
Alberto Fornasari - Researcher of Experimental Pedagogy, University of
Bari, Italy
Contact person: Alberto Fornasari
email: (alberto.fornasari /at/ uniba.it)
Address: Department of Educational Sciences, Psychology, Communication
University of Bari "Aldo Moro"
Italy


----------------
ECREA-Mailing list
----------------
This mailing list is a free service from ECREA.
---
To unsubscribe, please visit http://www.ecrea.eu/mailinglist
---
ECREA - European Communication Research and Education Association
Postal address:
ECREA
Université Libre de Bruxelles
c/o Dept. of Information and Communication Sciences
CP123, avenue F.D. Roosevelt 50, b-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
Email: (info /at/ ecrea.eu)
URL: http://www.ecrea.eu
----------------