[ecrea] CFP: Sites of Protest - Canterbury Christ Church University

Sites of Protest

Wednesday, 29 October 2014
Canterbury Christ Church University
MeCCSA Social Movements Network

'Sites of Protest' is the fourth event organised by the MeCCSA Social 
Movements Network since its foundation in 2013. This conference, 
organised in conjunction with the Canterbury Media Discourse Group, will 
be held in Canterbury on 29 October 2014.

The role of social media in the development of contemporary social 
movements, such as the 'Arab spring' or the Indignados, has been 
decisive. Social media are useful instruments to coordinate national and 
international actions, and they have become essential to keep up with 
the latest news about different movements. Nevertheless, we should take 
a step back from the focus on social media and think about it as yet 
another available tool in the development of social movements.

While Castells (2009) states that recent technological changes have 
allowed new actors to enter the global network society, other authors 
argue that we need to pay attention to the physical and emotional 
aspects of social movements. Collins (2001), for instance, points out 
that the level of critical mass involved in social movements depends on 
emotional dynamics, and that it is in the physical assembly of people 
where a sense of collective awareness develops.

After all, the digital divide is still a reality and, as activists 
involved in the 15M actions in 2011 point out, the initial web-based 
operation turned into a vast street-based campaign which included the 
use of posters, debates and word of mouth (Gerbaudo, 2012: 89). The need 
to become visible in the streets came from the fact that millions of 
citizens are still cut off from the online campaigns carried out on 
social media.

We welcome 250-word abstracts from academics, postgraduate students and 
activists for 15-20 minute presentations, exploring the concept of 
'sites of protest' broadly, from street assemblies to creative work, 
including theoretical and empirical analyses. Topics may include, but 
are not limited to, the following areas:

    * Online and offline sites of protest
    * Social media: opportunities and limitations
    * Mobilizing people: following, liking, joining
    * Uses of public space
    * Building collective identities
    * Sites of protest and the State
    * Street assemblies
    * Occupy
    * Researching social movements on social media: methods and approaches

Please send your 250-word abstracts to Dr Ruth Sanz Sabido at 
(ruth.sanz-sabido /at/ canterbury.ac.uk) by 1 July 2014, including your name 
and affiliation, email address, a paper title and any technical 
requirements to deliver your paper. Any queries about the Network should 
also be sent to the same email address.

Further details on registration will be made available shortly.

??Best wishes,

Ruth




Dr Ruth Sanz Sabido

Lecturer in Media and Communications
Department of Media, Art and Design
Canterbury Christ Church University
North Holmes Road
Canterbury
CT1 1QU
Chair, MeCCSA Social Movements Network
Mentorship Programme Coordinator, IAMCR Emerging Scholars Network

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