*CFP* "MEDIA ACTIVISM", SPECIAL ISSUE WESTMINSTER PAPERS IN COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE

In a time of political upheaval with the extreme right on the rise globally, and the techniques of fascism (populism, propaganda and fake news, hate speech and rise of hate crimes) dominating discourse around societal and political issues, what is the potential for progressive activists to use the media to enable resistance and open up space for alternatives? This special issue emphasises the importance of collective action and media visibility (Meikle, 2018; Tilly & Wood, 2013; Melucci, 1996) in generating positive change.

We define ‘activism’ as ‘the widest range of attempts to effect social or cultural change’ (Meikle, 2018: iii), while ‘the media’ includes a broad range of communication platforms, from traditional journalism to digital networks.

We welcome papers on the subject of (but not limited to):

• Algorithmic activism 
• Novel ways of adaptation of the long established repertoire of activist tactics to the Internet, preferably based on recent case studies 
• Hashtag activism 
• Tactical media (e.g. the use of established media to disrupt the discourse, or the new media that are specifically crafted for activism) 
• Anti-hate activism 
• Changing the frame. The application of psychological insights that fuel both online and offline strategies, for example countering those frames that 'other’ refugees and trigger values of fear and anger 
• (Post) Feminist activism 
• Environmental activism 
• Activism in restricted media environments 
• Active and re-active activism 
• Whistleblowers and journalistic activism 
• Imagining a post-Brexit activism, addressing the crisis in democracy

This special issue of Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture invites the most recent theoretical interventions and empirical research that explores how media activism across the globe opposes the current crises in Western democracies and beyond.

Co-editors: Michaela O’Brien, Assistant Head of School of Media and Communication; Dr Anastasia Denisova, Lecturer in Journalism, Communication and Media Research Institute, University of Westminster.

Deadline for abstracts: Please submit a 250 words abstract by 21 January 2019. You will receive feedback from editors shortly after.

Deadline for full papers: Full papers are expected by 25 March 2019. All papers will go through double peer-review.

Publication date: June-July 2019

WPCC is an open access journal and there are no fees for contributors. Published by the University of Westminster Press in conjunction with CAMRI. All content in this issue and in its archive is available free to read.