*CFP* CALL FOR PARTICIPATION, BLANQUERNA SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS CONFERENCE

Blanquerna School of Communications and International Relations

Ramon Llull University, Barcelona

October 7, 8, and 9, 2021

 

With a global pandemic and a world unsettled by profound transformations, we currently live a time of uncertainty, doubts, and opportunities. This conference invites to rethink the role of communication in times of disruption. Civil society, the public sector, and businesses must all face new challenges and respond to unforeseen trials.

The conference welcomes papers dealing with new narratives, communication strategies, messages, storytelling, and publics as they relate to the current and past elements of social, political, and economic disruption: the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic crisis, globalization and business challenges, domestic terrorism, the rise of authoritarianism, political polarization, and widespread protest movements, and insurrections, included the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, as well as current and historical protest/insurrection movements of the past in other parts of the world.

*CFP* "EPISTEMIC CONTESTATIONS IN THE HYBRID MEDIA ENVIRONMENT", SPECIAL ISSUE, POPULAR COMMUNICATION: THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

The aim of this special issue is to explore how a multiplicity of competing epistemologies interact and compete in the “post-Truth” marketplace of ideas in online popular communication. We invite contributions to a special issue on the intersections of popular communication, disinformation, and misinformation. We are especially interested in how popular communication can challenge and even upend traditional and inherited belief systems and knowledge regimes in religion, politics, fandom, and other institutions.

As traditional ideologies and other thought regimes collapse and new ones arise, recent scholarship has examined the contributions of digitalization and datafication of popular communication that contest older communitarian worldviews (e.g. Fuller, 2020). The internet has augmented collective understandings of the world but also undermined a broader sense of belonging, while enabling a new scope of contestation over “epistemic capital” (Robertson, 2016, 2021). In popular communication, especially, the social construction of meaning and worldviews is more manipulable than ever through disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda.

*CFP* "GLOBAL CRISES: MEDIA, POLITICS, AND ENVIRONMENT", IX INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CONFLICT, TERRORISM AND SOCIETY

IX International Conference on Conflict, Terrorism and Society

“Global Crises: Media, Politics, and Environment”

April 13-14, 2021

Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey

 

Crises signify conflicts, danger and chaos. Global crises, from health crises like COVID-19 pandemic to political crises, from war and terror to humanitarian disasters, represent the dark side of a globalized world. This year’s conference theme focuses on how do global crises emerge from, and result in, social, political, cultural, institutional, economic, technological and environmental changes. The conference aims to analyze the ongoing multi-dimensional crisis of global world and provide interdisciplinary approaches to the current global crises. The major themes to be covered with respect to global crises may include health crises (e.g. COVID-19 pandemic), wars and terrorism, global displacement and mass migration, legal crises and legitimacy, economic crises, disasters, catastrophes and risks, environmental challenges, poverty, politics (e.g. rise of populism, rise of nationalism), security (e.g. national security, digital security), the role of media in crisis time, disinformation and power relations. The conference also aims to understand how global crises are spawned by and shape our global age, and how they are represented in the media.

*CFP* "CELEBRITY AND CRISIS, CELEBRITY IN CRISIS", INTERNATIONAL 2021 CONFERENCE

Celebrity and Crisis, Celebrity in Crisis

10-13rd May, 2021

University of Bologna, Italy

 

The emergency and exceptional situations linked to crisis contexts involve a series of urgencies and perspectives that also affect the world of celebrities. Depending on the type of crisis in progress, the media define new celebrities, or place an emphasis on the actions of already known personalities. An example is Greta Thunberg, who has become an icon of the climate crisis, known to the general public above all for the importance that mass media have given to her words and actions. Or the recent "celebrities with white coats", so called to emphasize the social importance and media presence of medical experts in the Covid 19 emergency.

When cases of this type appear in the media, opinion makers and commentators usually rush to define the specificities of the celebrity on duty, also motivating the reasons for its rapid notoriety. Observations on his behavior are activated only randomly, following, in fact, the very trend of the crisis, which appear suddenly, reach the peak and then return to a stabilization logic. In other words, there seems to be a lack of systematic reflection, which instead leads to an analysis of the effects and consequences of the actions of celebrities in crisis situations.

*CFP* "CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION FILM: THE BUSH, OBAMA AND TRUMP YEARS", EDITED VOLUME

The following CFP has been updated in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We are seeking an additional chapter for our edited collection that explores the impact of coronavirus on representations, cultures and discourses of science-fiction cinema.

Since the turn of the millennium the United States of America has undergone what many have considered to be a series of political, financial, and institutional crises. At the same time, the increasing popularity of the science fiction genre has, in many ways, frequently both dramatized and provided a commentary on the fears and anxieties this period has evoked. The philosopher and cultural critic Walter Benjamin argued that allegory emerges most frequently in periods of crisis and uncertainty, correspondingly it is no coincidence that some of the most powerful films to emerge from American cinema in the last two decades are allegorical texts and many of which have come from the science fiction genre.

*CFP* "THE POLITICS OF TECHNOLOGY IN LATIN AMERICA", VOL. 1 AND VOL. 2, CHAPTER BOOK

David Ramírez Plascencia (University of Guadalajara) and Barbara Carvalho Gurgel (UMass Dartmouth) invite you to send full chapters for the edited collections The Politics of Technology in Latin America Vol. 1 and Vol. 2., which will be submitted to Routledge’s Series, Emerging Technologies, Ethics and International Affairs. The editorial has already accepted the project and it is under contract, we are looking for additional works to complete both volumes. Chapters related with the following topics are particularly welcome:

1. Deep Web. 
2. Cyberterrorism. 
3. Data privacy in the workplace. 
4. Labor market, robots and artificial intelligence. 
5. Human trafficking and digital media. 
6. Covid-19 pandemic and the use of Information technology in health, domestic and education issues. 
7. Women and digital activism. 
8. Robots, artificial intelligence and healthcare.

*CFP* "THE NEO-VICTORIAN AND LATE-VICTORIAN: TEXTS, MEDIA, POLITICS", CONFERENCE

The Neo-Victorian and the Late-Victorian: Texts, Media, Politics

University of Brighton

3-4 September 2020

The last few decades have witnessed an increasing interest in revisiting, reproducing or rewriting various aspects of nineteenth-century culture, particularly that of the late Victorian period, whether in the form of neo-Victorian literature, steampunk, media archaeology, fashion, documentaries and period dramas, among others. This trend has received various different interpretations, either as part of the recycling of past periods, styles and texts characteristic of postmodernism of the 1980s, of the ‘memory boom’ of the 1990s and the ensuing culture of commemoration, anniversaries and memorialisation, or the most recent signs of a widespread imperial nostalgia, evident not just in various media texts, such as film or television, but also in contemporary political realities like Brexit.

These are only some of the symptoms of this widespread trend and only some instances of the critical approaches that they have received, and this two-day conference seeks to explore this trend from a diverse range of disciplinary, theoretical and methodological perspectives. The specific focus of the conference is on papers that address the dialectic relationship between the two historical periods. We are particularly interested in the ways in which the late-Victorian is re-envisioned and reconceptualised within the neo-Victorian. 

*CFP* “DATA ANALYTICS FOR DETECTING AND COMBATING CONLINE CRIME AND TERRORISM”, CHAPTER BOOK

Increased usage of social media led to the formation of online communities of terrorist groups for discussing many violent plans. These online communities present big data to researchers to identify hidden patterns and behaviours to generate actionable intelligence which can be useful for security agencies. Recruiting new people over online social media is an emerging trend which presents how the internet is exploited by terrorist groups

Objective

Terrorism is a global issue which is affecting many nations directly or indirectly. Online social media have given a vital platform for terrorists to form online communities and to operate remotely. Jihadist groups such as ISIS are most popular over online social media such as Twitter, YouTube or Facebook for radicalizing their agendas and sharing violent content or videos.

*CFP* "PSA AT 70: RE-IMAGINING POLITICS", 70TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE POLITICAL STUDIES ASSOCIATION

Political Studies Association, 70th Annual International Conference

6 - 8 April 2020, Edinburgh International Convention Centre and Sheraton

Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh, #PSA20

The PSA Media and Politics Group invites members to submit paper abstracts or panel proposals for the PSA Media and Politics stream at the PSA Annual International Conference 2020.

Papers may be related to the conference theme, Re-imagining Politics, but other topics from across the disciplinary and methodological traditions are also welcomed.

Please submit abstracts (max. 300 words) and panel proposals by email to James Dennis: James.Dennis@port.ac.uk by Monday 7 October (please note that this is an earlier deadline than the direct individual submission to the PSA). We also welcome emails earlier than this date to ask for our advice on potential panel proposals.

*CFP* "DATA ANALYTICS FOR DETECTING AND COMBATING ONLINE CRIME AND TERRORISM", CHAPTER BOOK

Increased usage of social media led to the formation of online communities of terrorist groups for discussing many violent plans. These online communities present big data to researchers to identify hidden patterns and behaviours to generate actionable intelligence which can be useful for security agencies. Recruiting new people over online social media is an emerging trend which presents how the internet is exploited by terrorist groups.

Terrorism is a global issue which is affecting many nations directly or indirectly. Online social media have given a vital platform for terrorists to form online communities and to operate remotely. Jihadist groups such as ISIS are most popular over online social media such as Twitter, YouTube or Facebook for radicalizing their agendas and sharing violent content or videos. Detecting such radical messages over social media has been the topic of study for many researchers. Terrorist groups are also using the anonymous nature of internet browsing to build their own private online communities over public internet architecture. 

*CFP* "THE FIGURE OF TERRORIST IN LITERATURE, FILM AND MEDIA", INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

International conference at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, November 8 and 9, 2019

In their pioneering 1996 study Terror and Taboo, cultural anthropologists Joseba Zulaika and William Douglass point out a curious paradox in the contemporary preoccupation – or, rather, obsession – with terrorism: whereas the topic of terrorism has been ubiquitous in Western public discourse since the late twentieth century, the voices of terrorists themselves are usually silenced. Zulaika and Douglass explain this by suggesting that the terrorist is “the paradigm of inhuman bestiality, the quintessential proscribed or tabooed figure of our times.”

To say that there is such a thing as a “terrorism taboo” is not to say that terrorism is not talked about. Quite the opposite is true: quoting Michel Foucault’s well-known phrase, we may, in fact, speak of a “veritable discursive explosion” surrounding the subject of terror, which the events of 11 September 2001 have propelled to the forefront of political action and media attention. What is taboo, then, is not the topic of terrorism as such; it is the political subjectivity of the perpetrator of terrorism, for “the very attempt to ‘know’ how the terrorist thinks or lives can be deemed an abomination.”

*CFP* THE FIGURE OF THE TERRORIST IN LITERATURE, FILM AND MEDIA, UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH

The Figure of the Terrorist in Literature, Film and Media

November 8 and 9, 2019

University of Zurich, Switzerland

International conference at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, In their pioneering 1996 study Terror and Taboo, cultural anthropologists Joseba Zulaika and William Douglass point out a curious paradox in the contemporary preoccupation – or, rather, obsession – with terrorism: whereas the topic of terrorism has been ubiquitous in Western public discourse since the late twentieth century, the voices of terrorists themselves are usually silenced. Zulaika and Douglass explain this by suggesting that the terrorist is “the paradigm of inhuman bestiality, the quintessential proscribed or tabooed figure of our times.”

To say that there is such a thing as a “terrorism taboo” is not to say that terrorism is not talked about. Quite the opposite is true: quoting Michel Foucault’s well-known phrase, we may, in fact, speak of a “veritable discursive explosion” surrounding the subject of terror, which the events of 11 September 2001 have propelled to the forefront of political action and media attention. What is taboo, then, is not the topic of terrorism as such; it is the political subjectivity of the perpetrator of terrorism, for “the very attempt to ‘know’ how the terrorist thinks or lives can be deemed an abomination.”

*CFP* "COUNTER TERRORISM LAWS AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES", CHAPTER BOOK

This anthology is designed to survey the use of counterterrorism laws and their effects on civil liberties, particularly freedom of expression. The editors for the volume will be Dr. Téwodros Workneh and Dr. Paul Haridakis of Kent State University. We are seeking chapter proposals for inclusion in a book proposal we are submitting to Routledge.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States as well as other terrorist-related incidents in different parts of the world have caused profound changes in political, economic, and social relations globally. Nations have aggressively sought a wide range of mechanisms to proactively curb potential threats, such as strengthening controls on immigration, financial transactions, and regulation of communication systems. While arms of executive branches such as law enforcement bodies and even militaries are commonly part of the anti-terrorism apparatus, the most conspicuous common denominator across nations has been the rise of what came to be known as counter-terrorism laws. 

*CFP* "COUNTER TERRORISM LAWS AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES", CHAPTER BOOK

This anthology is designed to survey the use of counterterrorism laws and their effects on civil liberties, particularly freedom of expression. The editors for the volume will be Dr. Téwodros Workneh and Dr. Paul Haridakis of Kent State University. We are seeking chapter proposals for inclusion in a book proposal we are submitting to Routledge.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States as well as other terrorist-related incidents in different parts of the world have caused profound changes in political, economic, and social relations globally. Nations have aggressively sought a wide range of mechanisms to proactively curb potential threats, such as strengthening controls on immigration, financial transactions, and regulation of communication systems. While arms of executive branches such as law enforcement bodies and even militaries are commonly part of the anti-terrorism apparatus, the most conspicuous common denominator across nations has been the rise of what came to be known as counter-terrorism laws. Today, more than 45 countries in the world have enacted legislation that specifically is designed to address terrorism concerns.