[Commlist] CFP: Communicating narratives, imaginaries and epistemes of hope (Joint Communication, Social Justice and Democracy IAMCR Working Group conference & ECREA 2026 pre-conference)

https://iksz.fsv.cuni.cz/en/research/conferences/communicating-narratives-imaginaries-and-epistemes-hope

Conference
“Communicating narratives, imaginaries and epistemes of hope”

Joint Communication, Social Justice and Democracy IAMCR Working Group 
conference & ECREA 2026 pre-conference

7 September 2026, Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism, 
Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

Call for contributions

Political ideology, religious faith, science and art are all informed by 
visions of hope, the promise or prospect of a good state of affairs in 
the future. While hope is shaped by ideas of the present (and the past), 
it is mainly forward-looking, articulating visions of possible futures.
Hope can be a powerful motivator for mobilisation and societal change. 
At the same time, aspirations for a better future may be 
instrumentalised or manipulated for political gain or financial profit. 
This conference focuses on the constructive force of hope, addressing 
visions, discourses, and practices of hope for democracy, peace and 
justice, as articulated in media representations and communicative 
practices.

By focusing on hope, the conference aims to foster intellectual 
reflection and dialogue, through diverse approaches and methods, on how 
spaces, practices, cultures, and technologies of communication can give 
visibility to or help articulate claims and inform struggles for fairer 
societies, dignity, and freedom.

A wide range of settings, fields and practices may serve as objects or 
loci of study (e.g., journalism, political communication, campaigning, 
activism, popular culture, art, history, education, religion), exploring 
how hope is represented, negotiated, rearticulated and performed by 
actors and groups in the social realm.

We welcome contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following 
thematic areas:
•	how societal phenomena, challenges, and crises (e.g., climate change, 
migration, war and conflict, extremism) are mediated and reconfigured 
through narratives of hope at national and international levels;
•	how different actors, social groups, and institutions (e.g., media, 
political parties, education, religion, art) negotiate their visions of 
hope in mediated environments;
•	how visions of peace and justice are communicated in public discourse 
and through people’s struggles;
•	how history is mobilised in communicative practices and public debates 
in articulations of better presents and futures;
•	how space, time and technology inform narratives and imaginaries of hope;
•	how imaginaries of hope are constructed in contexts of persistent 
curtailment of freedoms and rights, and increasing authoritarianism;
•	how viable democratic presents and futures are imagined, under dire 
conditions of ongoing conflict, violence, or war;
•	how struggles against injustice, oppression and authoritarianism 
inform, and are informed by, cultures and epistemes of hope.

Abstract length and submission deadline

Abstracts of 400–500 words should be submitted by 10 May 2026 via email 
to (vaia.doudaki /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)
Please note that this conference will be held in person only; no 
arrangements will be made for online participation.
Decisions will be announced by 10 June 2026.

Date and location

Date: 7 September 2026
Location: Centrum Voršilská, 5th floor, Charles University /
Voršilská 144/1, Prague, Czech Republic

The conference is scheduled for the day before the ECREA 2026 main 
conference begins. Brno, the host city of this year’s ECREA conference, 
is approximately a 2.5–3 hour train ride from Prague, with very frequent 
connections.


Conference organisers

This is a joint Communication, Social Justice and Democracy IAMCR 
working group conference & ECREA 2026 pre-conference.

The conference is endorsed by the International and Intercultural 
Communication ECREA section, and is hosted by the Culture and 
Communication Research Centre (CULCORC) @ the Institute of Communication 
Studies and Journalism (ICSJ) (Charles University)

Contact: Vaia Doudaki, (vaia.doudaki /at/ fsv.cuni.cz)

Scientific Committee
Vaia Doudaki (Charles University, Czech Republic)
Nico Carpentier (Charles University, Czech Republic)
Ilija Tomanić Trivundža (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Andrea Medrado (University of Exeter, UK)
Fernando Oliveira Paulino (University of Brasilia, Brazil)
Tania Cantrell Rosas-Moreno (Loyola University Maryland, United States)


For more information: 
https://iksz.fsv.cuni.cz/en/research/conferences/communicating-narratives-imaginaries-and-epistemes-hope 



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