INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION SECTION - CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2022

The International Communication Section of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites the submission of proposals for papers and panels for IAMCR 2022, which will be held online from 11 to 15 July 2022. The conference will also have a national hub at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The deadline for submission is 9 February 2022, at 23.59 UTC.

See the CfPs of all sections and working groups >

Conference Themes

IAMCR conferences have a main conference theme (with several sub-themes) that is explored from multiple perspectives throughout the conference in plenaries, in the programmes of our sections and working groups, and in the Flow34 virtual cinema and podcasts stream. They also have many themes defined by our 33 thematic sections and working groups. Proposals submitted to sections and working groups may be centered on an aspect of the main conference theme as it relates to the central concerns of the section or working group, or they may address the additional themes identified by the section or working group in their individual calls for proposals.

The main theme for IAMCR 2022, “Communication Research in the Era of Neo-Globalisation: Reorientations, Challenges and Changing Contexts,” is concerned with possibilities for rethinking communication research agendas in the post-pandemic world, which has seen dramatic shifts in the way we interact and understand our physical, social, cultural, political and material environments.

Eight sub-themes of this central theme have been identified: Reorienting Media and Communication Research in the Era of Neo-Globalisation; Artificial Intelligence in Global Communication Contexts; Cultural Identities and Dis-Identities in the Era of Neo-Globalisation; Communication for Sustainability: Climate Change, Environment, and Health; Media Ethics and Principles in the Digital Age; Media, Communication, and the Construction of Global Public Health; Data/Digital Science and Intercultural Communication; Digital Platforms and Public Service: Science, Technology and Sustainability. See the complete theme description and rationale here.


Scholars of globalisation, regardless of their take on the phenomenon, agree that in recent years it has been undergoing structural changes, theorised by some under the umbrella term of “neo-globalisation”. The onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic reinforced some of these existing tendencies, where the unprecedented restrictions on the freedom of movement and other protectionist policies could potentially be reversing the flow of globalisation. For the field of international media and communication studies this, however, presents an opportunity to reconsider the role of communication in globalisation and anti-globalisation paradigms, and shed light on the complex and contradicting transnational processes of inclusion and exclusion, global inequality and divide, identity negotiation, at times underpinned by affordances and constraints of media technologies.  

With this opportunity in mind, the International Communication Section encourages all interested scholars from around the world to present their research and join our discussion on cross-national and cross-platform interplay of culture, politics, and communication. As a reminder, we request authors to submit proposals related to the conference’s central theme, Communication Research in the Era of Neo-Globalisation: Reorientations, Challenges, and Changing Contexts. Our Section strives to provide the platform for knowledge-sharing inclusive of scholars from the regions of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania, and features a wide range of contributions, from the purely theoretical to the methodological and/or empirical analysis. Possible themes may include, but are not limited to:

  • The transformations of media discourse in local and global political, economical and social contexts.
  • Communication beyond the Global North and the ways it is evolving in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.
  • The ethical challenges neo-globalisation poses to media production, audience participation and communication research.
  • The application of computational and other innovative methods aimed at uncovering new aspects of international communication processes.
  • The role of international communication in the public health field.
  • Affordances and inequalities created and reinforced by digital media globally and locally. 
  • Studies transcending Western-centric approaches to the communication studies.

Guidelines for abstracts

Abstracts are requested for the Online Conference Papers component. Abstracts submitted to the International Communication Section should have between 300 and 500 words and must be submitted online at https://iamcr2022.exordo.com. Abstracts submitted by email will not be accepted.

The deadline to submit abstracts is 9 February 2022 at 23h59 UTC.

See important dates and deadlines to keep in mind

It is expected that authors will submit only one (1) abstract. However, under no circumstances should there be more than two (2) abstracts bearing the name of the same author, either individually or as first author. No more than one 1 abstract can be submitted by an author to the International Communication Section. Please note also that the same abstract or another version with minor variations in title or content must not be submitted to more than one section or working group. Any such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be rejected.

Proposals are accepted for both single Papers and for Panels with several papers (in which you propose multiple papers that address a single theme). Please note that there are special procedures for submitting panel proposals. 

Languages

The International Communication Section is happy to welcome submissions for abstracts and/or panels, and also presentations, in any of the three official IAMCR languages: Spanish, English, and French.

For further information about the conference contact beijing2022@iamcr.org

For further information about the International Communication Section, its themes, submissions, and panels please contact: 

Karen Arriaza Ibarra, 
Section Chair 
arriazaibarra@ccinf.ucm.es

Deqiang Ji,
Section Vice-chair
JiDeqiang@cuc.edu.cn

Kateryna Kasianenko, 
Section Vice-chair
kkasianenko@gmail.com