[Commlist] cfp: Languaging Crises (Conference)

Helsinki, Finland

Date: 4/03/2026 - 5/03/2026
Call for papers ending on: 31/10/2025

In a world characterised by the presence of multiple, simultaneous and
overlapping crises, language and communication have an increasingly 
important
role. For example, in the context of large-scale, societal crises, effective
communication during and about a crisis keeps people calm and informed by
carefully controlling the flow of information, and by providing guidelines
and directions that are understood and accepted by all segments of the
populace.  Similarly, during organisational, political or personal crises of
reputation, language use becomes an essential tool for minimising and
mitigating the effects of the crisis. The different parties involved in the
crisis communicate their own interpretations of the situation, while also
interacting with other affected parties.

The Languaging Crises conference focuses on the ways in which language is
used and abused in crisis situations or the ways in which various crises are
dealt with in different texts. In particular, more research is needed on how
the language used during small- and large-scale crises is targeted at, and
received by, different demographic subsets within heterogeneous societies,
and whether effective communication requires a messaging strategy that takes
those subsets into account in different ways.

The presentation proposals can approach communication and language use 
during
crises from various perspectives, ranging from linguistics and language
studies to discourse analysis, communication and social studies. They can
also deal with both diachronic and synchronic communication about global and
local crises and examine texts by public figures, the media, organisationsor
individuals. The crises investigated may include, but are not limited to,the
following:

health crises, accidents and traumaswars, conflicts and violencenatural
disasters and environmental criseseconomic/financial/political
crisesorganisational crises and reputation crisesinter/personal crises and
life changeshateful and impolite situations
The confirmed keynote speakers are Tony McEnery (Lancaster University), 
Merja
Koskela (University of Vaasa), Dario Del Fante (University of Ferrara), 
Heini
Hakosalo (University of Oulu).


The language of the conference is English.

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