*CFP* "SILENCED VOICES", THE MEDIA, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURAL STUDIES ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

Silenced Voices

The Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association

6-8 January 2021

Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK

The Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association is pleased to invite the submission of abstracts, panel proposals and practice-based contributions for the MeCCSA 2021 Conference, to be held 6-8 January 2021 at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. The theme of the conference is Silenced Voices.

The theme encourages engagement with a wide range of topics, which we hope will attract researchers interested in minority, excluded, alternative or powerless communities, and their ability to influence public discourses. It offers the opportunity for a wide variety of perspectives: from the historical to the contemporary; from group-centric to macro societal changes; from enablement to suppression; from psychological to technological; from the speakers unable to reach their audience, to audiences unable to find their voice.

The silencing of voices goes hand in hand with powerlessness and oppression. In a world grappling with the implications of fake news, cancel culture, the suppression of journalism, post-truth politics, debates about freedom of speech, and the mainstreaming of lies, we hope that this timely theme will inspire presenters to engage in analyses of the ways in which media and cultures work with and against those with silenced voices.

We invite proposals for scholarly papers, themed panels, posters, film screenings and other practice-based contributions. Proposals might engage with the various social, political, economic, artistic, individual, collective, institutional, representational and technological dimensions of media interactions and environments. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Censorship
• Non-mainstream voices
• Activism
• Samizdat / Underground press
• Voices from below
• Whistle-blowing
• Post-truth politics
• Counter-culture
• Cultural pluralism
• Empowerment
• Corporate power and the media
• Minority languages
• Translation and mediation
• Freedom of speech
• Pedagogies and educational practice promoting inclusivity and embracing diversity.

We welcome contributions across the full range of interests represented by MeCCSA and its networks, including, but not limited to:

• Race, ethnicity and postcolonial studies
• Representation, identity, ideology
• Film and television studies and practice
• Radio studies and practice
• Cultural and media policy
• Social movements and activism
• Climate change, sustainability and environment
• Digital culture and games studies
• Gender and sexuality studies
• Disability studies within media studies
• Media pedagogy
• BAME experiences of media and culture industries
• Children, young people and media
• Diasporic and ethnic minority media
• Political communication
• Methodological approaches
• Media practice research and teaching
• Community media

Submitting a proposal

Individual abstracts should be up to 250 words. Panel proposals should include a short description and rationale (200 words) together with abstracts for each of the 3-4 papers (150-200 words each including details of the contributor), and the name and contact details of the panel proposer. The panel proposer should coordinate the submissions for that panel as a single proposal. For both panels and individual papers please include up to five key words.


Practice-based work

We actively support the presentation of practice-as-research and have a flexible approach to practice papers and presentations. This may include opportunities to present papers and screenings in the same sessions or as part of a separate screening strand. We also welcome shorter papers in association with short screenings. We also have dedicated presentation spaces to display practice artefacts including screenings, posters and computer-based work. For displaying practice work, please include specific technical data (e.g. duration, format) and a URL pointing to any support material when submitting your abstract. We expect delegates who are showing screenings to be present at the conference.

Please note that all proposals (abstracts and practice-based work) will be peer reviewed. PGRs are welcome to submit.

The RGU organising committee are aiming to publish an edited collection of papers focusing on the conference theme with a reputable academic publisher. Further details of how to submit will be announced closer to the conference.


Timeline of submissions and reviews

Submission deadline: 17 July 2020

Review decision: September 2020

Submit proposals to this page. 

Twitter: @MeCCSA2021