Conference of the International and Intercultural Communication, Erfurt, 27-29 October 2011‏

The conference will scrutinize Western media studies from previously peripheral, non-Western perspectives and research areas. And it will consider the (potential) reciprocal impacts of these non-Western perspectives on Western research.

The central aim is to initiate an insightful exchange on the interrelationship of non-Western and Western perspectives in order to inspire research practice.

Confirmed Keynote speakers:

* Dr. Raka Shome (New York University)
* Prof. Dr. Daniel Hallin (University of California San Diego)

Travel Grants:
There will be travel grants available for outstanding proposals. The grants will be awarded to emerging scholars (doctoral students and post-docs) and will not exceed 500€.

The following panels are intended to explore the theme of the conference:

Panel 1: Research landscapes: Proposals for professional reflection

This meta-discursive panel will allow a professional self-positioning or self-reflection vis-à-vis the status quo of current international and intercultural communication studies from different (geographical) positions.

Panel 2: Media & globalization: A critical analysis of a research construct

This multidisciplinary panel will analyze the integration of Western and non-Western perspectives, the discussion of proximity and distance between media products and systems, and thus reassess the explanatory power of globalization theories and their terminology in research on international and intercultural communication.

Panel 3: Journalism: Demarcating, transcending and subverting borders

This panel will explore the classical fields of journalism research, such as foreign correspondence, media ethics or the impact of technological innovations on journalistic work, and consider the reciprocal influences between "center" and "periphery" in them.

Panel 4: Media & development: Western claims and local needs

Media assistance is becoming increasingly important in international development efforts. This panel will feature a critical discussion of the theoretical foundations of the concept of media assistance, its relation to methodology and the empirical evaluation of its successes and failures.

Panel 5: Diaspora & media: The periphery as a dynamic center

This panel wishes to develop different approaches to assessing the role of media for diasporic communities and use them as resources for the expansion of Western and non-Western perspectives.

Submission and selection of papers

Please send your proposal for a 20-minute presentation to the organizers (iic2011@uni-erfurt.de) no later than May 15, 2011 (using a pdf or a doc file). The abstract should not be longer than 8000 characters (including blank spaces) and should be assigned to one of the panels. Submissions for the conference should be made in English. Please add a title page to the abstract containing the name(s) and address(es) of the presenter(s) and the title of the presentation. All submissions will be subjected to anonymous review and submitters will be informed by June 15, 2011 about the outcome of the selection process.
Registration & Fees
Registration will be open from June 1 to September 15, 2011.
Please use the form on the website to register. (will be available in June)
The conference fee will be 30 Euro.
Students and doctoral students will have to pay a reduced fee of 20 Euro.

Website: http://www.uni-erfurt.de/kommunikationswissenschaft/conference/
Email: iic2011@uni-erfurt.de
Scholarship / Financial aid: travel grants available
Date: October 27-29, 2011
Deadline: May 15, 2011
Open to: doctoral students and post-docs