The Mediated Communication, Public Opinion & Society Section invites submissions for its open sessions at the IAMCR annual conference that will be held in Durban, South Africa, July 15-19, 2012. The overall conference theme is 'South North Conversations'.
The deadline for submissions is February 14, 2012. (For more information on submissions and decisions, see below)
Our section firstly encourages submissions that relate theoretical and empirical work that is relevant to the overall theme of the conference whether on mediated communication use and implications to South and North Conversations or on the implications of media and public opinion to conversations or the lack of conversations among South and North nations or within nations.
We secondly wish also to continue our well established tradition to promote the further theoretical discussions on the contribution of prominent thinkers on the field of communication research. In the last years we organized panels that discussed the contribution of the works of Goffman, Habermas, Schutz, Bourdieu, Foucault, McLuhan, Walter Benjamin and Roland Barthes. Following that tradition we would like to organize for the Durban conference at least one session centred on the contribution of the works of Antonio Gramsci to the theory and research in the field of communication. In addition, we plan a panel to promote the dialog and exchange of theoretical approaches concerning media research between south and north – abstracts for that panel are also welcome.
Thirdly, we would like to continue to make space for the presentation and discussion of theoretical and empirical papers about Family and Mediatization. Despite the social and cultural changes it seems that the family is still the main place of media domestication and media use, and it is the place where children learn to operate with media and start their lifelong media career. The main question we would like to discuss is: how this takes place today in the different cultures, different classes and with reference to the different possibilities to deal with media.
Finally, we would like to continue our long standing interest in the discussion, development and critical assessment of the methodologies we use and we need for communication research and especially for international and cross cultural research projects, both quantitative and qualitative.
Abstracts should be sent to the MCPOS Section Heads only through the Open Conference System (OCS), and should be 500 words long in English. Each abstract must include title, name(s), affiliation, institutional address and email address of author(s) and a short (up to 100 words) bio-data.
It is also possible to propose a full panel of no more than four participants, which should come from at least three different countries. In this case we expect the four abstracts of the participants and their short bio-data and in addition a framing text about the idea and the goal of the full panel. It would also be recommended to name a panel chair and a discussant.
IAMCR accepts presentations in English, French and Spanish. However, it is requested that abstracts will be submitted in English.
Non members of IAMCR and/or of the section are welcome to submit and present if accepted, following the same procedure as described above and if accepted also the procedure as described below.
Papers and panels proposals will be reviewed by the two heads of section and by further specialists, named by the heads.
Decisions on acceptance of abstracts will be communicated to individual applicants by the Section Heads no later than March 12, 2012.
If a proposal is accepted, the sender must fulfil two preconditions to be included in the final program of the section. She or he must upload a full paper by June 10, 2012 via the OCS, register for participation at the Conference and mail a copy of the registration to the heads of section.
For more information on the submission of abstracts, registration, theme, location, etc., please go to the IAMCR institutional website, or to the Durban 2012 Conference website.
All Abstracts, although to be identified for specific Sections or Working Groups, should be submitted only via the central Open Conference System (OCS).
Deadlines
The deadline for submission of abstracts is February 14, 2012. Please note that this deadline will not be extended.
The OCS system will open on December 1, 2011, and will close on February 14, 2012.
Decisions on acceptance of abstracts will be communicated to individual applicants by the Section Heads no later than March 12, 2012.
On the same day, March 12, 2012, conference registration will open for bookings by participants.
For those whose abstracts are accepted, full conference papers are to be submitted via the IAMCR OCS by June 10, 2012.
General Guidelines for Abstracts
Abstracts should be 500 words in length.
All abstract submissions must be made centrally via the OCS. There are to be no email submissions of abstracts addressed to any Section or Working Group Head.
It is expected that for the most part, only one (1) abstract will be submitted per person for consideration by the Conference. However, under no circumstances should there be more than three abstracts bearing the name of the same applicant either individually or as part of any group of authors. Please note also that the same abstract or another version with minor variations in title or content must not be submitted to other Sections or Working Groups of the Association for consideration, after an initial submission. Such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be automatically rejected by the Open Conference System, by the relevant Head or by the Conference Program Referee. Such applicants risk being removed entirely from the conference program.
Upon submission of an abstract, you will be asked to confirm that your submission is original and that it has not been previously published in the form presented. You will also be given an opportunity to declare if your submission is currently before another conference for consideration.
Questions for further information should be addressed to the section heads.
Looking forward to seeing you in Durban!
Hillel Nossek
College of Management Academic Studies, Israel
hnossek [at] colman.ac.il
Friedrich Krotz
University of Bremen, Germany
krotz [at] uni-bremen.de