Cultural Research and Political Theory: New Intersections

Organising division:

Philosophy of Communication Co-sponsoring divisions: Political Communication, Popular Communication, Journalism Studies

Organisers:

• Nick Couldry, Goldsmiths, University of London + Chair, PhilComm Division
• Penny O’Donnell, University of Sydney, Journalism Studies

Exciting potential intersections are emerging between research into communications and culture and theoretical work on political norms. Alongside well-known experiments with new forms of public deliberation and debates on the public sphere in the 1990s and 2000s, there has been much new work in political theory that rethinks the reference-points of political practice:

• expanding the range of those who are treated as political actors (Benhabib The Rights of Others; Fraser, ‘Reframing Global Justice’)
• transforming the scales on which political decisions are appropriately taken, and the network of deliberations appropriate to those scales (Habermas, Between Facts and Norms, Fraser, ‘Transnationalizing the Public Sphere’) and in media’s specific role in enabling this (Bohman, Democracy Across Borders; Pauly ‘Media Studies and the Dialogue of Democracy’);
• improving our understanding of what counts as political ‘voice’, what practices sustain it, and the broader ends which voice serves (Norval, Aversive Democracy; Honneth, Disrespect)
• expanding the domain of the political, often in the cultural or aesthetic spheres, as suggested in recent work in Canada on ‘acts of citizenship’ (Isin and Nielsen, Acts of Citizenship).

Meanwhile, researchers in cultural studies and communications have become increasingly interested not only in questions of citizenship and democracy in general, but specifically in the role that popular culture and everyday communications play in helping us imagine, enact and sustain the new forms of practice that political theory proposes, for example:

• work on popular culture and queer citizenship (Berlant, The Queen of America Goes to Washington City 1997 ; Warner, Publics and Counter-publics 2001)
• work on ‘voice’ within contexts of development communications (Jo Tacchi and others);
• recent work on the practices of ‘listening’ across political, cultural and artistic fields (see special 2009 issue of journal Continuum on the Australian ‘Listening Project’), and
• work on fan practices, social networking sites and politics (Jenkins, Convergence Culture).

This preconference aims to bring together researchers and communication practitioners interested in how cultural research can invigorate political theory, and vice versa. Its specific focus is on examining the terms and means of contemporary politics within and beyond the horizon of neoliberalism. The preconference will be limited to 40 participants, with discussion either in a ‘round-table’ format or through a mixture of plenary and parallel sessions. Participants are invited who are interested in reflecting on the preconference’s themes, whether from the sponsoring divisions or beyond, including participants at the Association for Cultural Studies’ 2010 Crossroads conference in Hong Kong for whom this event is intended as a ‘post-conference’.

Innovations in Mobile Use

Organizer:

Singapore Internet Research Centre (SiRC)

With usership crossing the four billion mark, mobile communication increasingly incorporates broad aspects of contemporary human life, potentially impacting not just the work and play of advanced users in developed markets, but also the daily lives of those in the developing world.

At one end of the spectrum, the rapid diffusion of mobile phones in developed countries offer an extended range of integrated functions and applications such as communication, information, entertainment, internet surfing, transactions, and political participation. At the other, there is rising adoption of mobiles in developing countries, both organic and planned, with the pursuit of basic development objectives such as livelihood generation, education, and health.

The Mobiles preconference workshop aims to foster discussions around how developments in emerging markets reflect the trends in mature markets, as well as assess potential for the cross-pollination of information and communications technologies for development and/or empowerment.

The workshop examines innovations in a variety of societal contexts highlighting different phenomena of mobile phone uses. With advancements in functionality and transmission technologies, mobile phones not only serve as a distribution platform, but also enable content production and consumption anytime, anywhere.

Juxtaposed with the engagement of social media, the extent and effects of mobile communications are amplified, for instance through the use of Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in U.S. and Iran elections, as well as in the demonstration for religious freedom by Uighur Muslims in China. The workshop thus focuses on the social scientific understanding of mobile communication, including the following themes:

• Social impacts of mobile phones use
• Mobile communication for development
• Trends in mobile media systems and social contexts
• Public sphere, social networks, and mobile communication
• Mobile communication policy and regulation
• Mobile broadband
• Theoretical and methodological perspectives on mobile communication research

CONTACT PERSONS:

• Dr. Arul Chib
  Assistant Director,
  Singapore Internet Research Centre (SiRC)
  Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and
  Information
  Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

• Dr. Trisha Lin Tsui-Chuan
  Assistant Professor,
  Wee Kim Wee School of Communication
  and Information
  Nanyang Technological University,
  Singapore
  
  
  

Online Social Capital: An Agenda for Future Research

International Communication Association 2010 Preconference
22 June 2010, Singapore

Organizers:

• Marko Skoric, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (Chair)
• Scott Campbell & Nojin Kwak, Department of Communication Studies, University of Michigan, USA
• Han Woo Park, Department of Media & Communication, YeungNam University, South Korea
• Dmitri Williams, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, USA
  

Supported by

• Singapore Internet Research Center, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, USA
• Arnold C. and Constance F. Pohs Endowment, Department of Communication Studies, University of Michigan, USA
• World Class University Webometrics Institute of YeungNam University, South Korea

This preconference aims to showcase new scholarly work examining definitional, operational and practical issues related to the study of new forms of social capital, with particular emphasis on case studies and applications beyond the US context.

The proliferation of social media, online games and other platforms for online and mobile socializing suggests an increased importance of communication research for the study of social capital and its implications. Since the late 1980s, scholars have voiced serious concerns about the erosion of public life and sense of community, suggesting the rise of television as well as disappearance of traditional sites of informal sociability as the chief culprits for this phenomenon. Among the key concerns has been the apparent disappearance of social capital and the associated decline in civic and political participation. Given the importance of the concept of social capital in the fields of sociology, political science, public policy, economics, organizational behavior, business as well as communication, it is no surprise that the scholarly debate about its potential decline has been so well-attended. In recent years, a number of studies have been published indicating an important (and largely) positive role of new media platforms, particularly social media, as the sites for the production of social capital. Furthermore, researchers have started looking beyond the traditional conceptualization and measures of social capital, suggesting new ways to capture the essence of this concept when it comes to purely online or online/offline relationships.

The aim of this preconference is to further promote this line of research and examine technological affordances of different social media platforms. Furthermore, we invite submissions examining the emerging hybrid forms of informal sociability, and discussing the (continued) importance of physical proximity and face-to-face contact for the creation and maintenance of different forms of social capital. The workshop will revolve around the following panels:

• Conceptualization & measurement
• Applications/case studies (US & non-US context)
• Directions for future research
  

The preconference will be limited to 50 participants and will take place at an off-conference site; a preconference registration fee will be announced at a later date.

ICA 2010 Pre-conference on Intercultural Dialogue

June 22, 2010, Singapore

Sponsored by the Language and Social Interaction Division and the Intercultural Division of ICA

Scholars throughout the world who study issues related to intercultural communication often use a variety of terms and terminology that are specific to a particular geographic area and disciplinary history. In order to cross cultural boundaries and dialogue about these issues, it is essential that we understand one another’s terms. In this preconference, we will examine real intercultural communication encounters in an effort to establish and define the key terms that international scholars use to understand these dialogues.

This day-long preconference serves as a follow-up and continuation of the 2009 NCA Summer Conference on Intercultural Dialogue held in Istanbul, Turkey. All are invited to participate. Technology permitting, electronic participation may be
an option for those who cannot make the trip to Singapore.

Registration: $100 USD and includes lunch.
Questions? Contact Evelyn Ho at eyho@usfca.edu

Preconference Planning Committee:

• Evelyn Y. Ho, Ph.D., University of San Francisco
• Kristine L. Fitch, Ph.D., University of Iowa
• Todd Sandel, Ph.D., University of Oklahoma
• Donal Carbaugh, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts at Amherst

Health Communication Campaigns:
Issues and Strategies in Asia, Australia and Southeast Asia

International Communication Association 2010 Preconference
22 June, 2010
Singapore

The Health Communication Division of the International Communication Association is pleased to invite you to a preconference bringing together ICA members and practitioners, researchers and funders of health communication campaigns in Asia, Australia, and Southeast Asia.

The preconference is hosted by the Singapore Health Promotion Board and the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication at Nanyang Technological University. The preconference will be held at the Health Promotion Board premises in the compound of the Singapore General Hospital.

Health communication campaigns have been deployed in many countries to address a variety of health issues from infectious and chronic diseases to improvements in reproductive health and reductions in maternal and child mortality and morbidity. Systematic, evidence-based, theoretically-driven, locally-focused health communication campaigns have the capacity to
achieve population-level change. The pre-conference will be organized around recent reviews of theoretical perspectives and data on the success of health communication campaigns and on differences in how health communication programs are funded, planned, implemented, monitored and evaluated.

In highly interactive sessions, participants will address unique issues related to the Asia/Australia region, including applicability of models relying on norms and risk perceptions, cultural diversity and literacy, campaign planning and evaluation, selection of community channels, and logistical and political considerations that pose challenges to health communication campaigns. The goal of the pre-conference is to promote the transfer of research to practice among the pre-conference participants.

The workshop will discuss the following topics and/or other issues of relevance to health communication campaigns in the Asia/Australia region:

• Health communication campaigns, issues, and strategies: An organizing framework for the pre-conference
• Diversity in theoretical perspectives in international health campaigns
• Data-based programming: Using national surveillance data in planning and evaluating health communication campaigns
• Methodological preferences in evaluating health communication campaigns
• Intercultural perspectives on the role of norms in health communication campaigns
• Are risk-based models applicable only to Western audiences? How do cultures understand risk and what can we do about it?
• Communicating about health to multi-cultural populations and populations that vary in literacy.
• Selecting among traditional media and new media in health communication campaigns
• The role of news coverage in international health communication campaigns:
• Emergency preparedness and the coverage of H1N1
• The influence of logistical and political considerations in international health communication campaigns
• Differing roles of government agencies and local partners in health communication campaigns

Shaping Global Communicative Practice and Work Cultures:
Women's Labor from the Global South

ICA Preconference 22 June 2010 Singapore

Organising division: Feminist Scholarship Division
Co-sponsoring division: Global Communication and Social Change Division

Organisers:

• Radhika Gajjala, Bowling Green State University, USA – Vice Chair, Feminist Scholarship Division
• B. Shyamasundari, Dastkar Andhra, India
• Assisted by YeonJu Oh, Doctoral Student, Bowling Green State University, USA

Overview and goals

Mobility of capital, industrial production and labor shapes global work cultures and communicative environments in new ways. This has reconfigured work cultures even in traditional sites, rural sites, urban sites in the Global South while mobilizing the labor of women of the Global South in the service of Globalization in interesting ways.

Different processes of production exist simultaneously in Global south work environments, demanding multiple and layered skill sets from them – social, communicative, cultural, technical and manual. Women are increasing filling “gaps” by formally and informally acquiring such skills and sliding in and out of various work contexts. Such women’s labor is termed as “precarious labor” by feminists examining these issues. Precarious labor draws on notions of immaterial, free, digital and consumer labor articulated by scholars such as Negri and Hardt. Such workers play a crucial role in helping the transition to "globalization" in various ways. They help develop global labor practices and co-create communicative processes and work environments. "Work" is rearticulated through the language of altruism, voice, active citizenship and sometimes
even as play.

Capitalizing on ICA’s location for 2010 conference (Singapore) which is potentially accessible to representatives of women and men who work in such environments in the Global South, this preconference is an attempt to bring together researchers, practitioners and activists who work on issues related to Women’s Labor from the Global South.

The day long conference will include a mix of invited and competitively reviewed panels as well as competitively reviewed paper abstracts. Submitters must clearly articulate their connections to activists and non-profit organizations in their abstracts. In fact, submitters are encouraged to collaborate with non-academic partners on the field and to make sure these issues can be translated into our academic formats with integrity and care for the voice and location of the collaborators.

Preconference on the ‘Chindia’ challenge to global communication

22 June 2010

Conceived and organized by: Daya Thussu, Professor of International Communication and Director of India Media Centre at the University of Westminster, London

Supported by: Mass Communication Division of the ICA and by the Center for Global Communication Studies, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania

The transformation of communication and media in China and India--the world’s two most populous countries and fastest growing economies--has profound implications for what constitutes the ‘global’. Jairam Ramesh, currently India’s Environment Minister, is credited with the notion of ‘Chindia’, representing what has been termed as the ‘rise of the rest’. Trade between the
two Asian neighbours - negligible at the beginning of the 1990s - grew to $40 billion by 2008, with China becoming India’s largest single trading partner. Such economic exchanges have coincided with cracks within the neo-liberal model of US-led Western capitalism. The combined economic and cultural impact of ‘Chindia’, aided by their worldwide diasporas, is creating globalization with an Asian accent, a phenomenon that is likely to influence globalized media and its study.

With more than 70 dedicated news channels, India has one of the world’s most linguistically diverse media landscapes, while China has emerged as the planet’s biggest mobile telephone market, having the world’s highest blogger population and as the largest exporter of IT products. The study of media and communication is rapidly growing in both countries: more than 700
communication and media programmes are operational in Chinese universities, while the opening up of the media and communication sector in India has led to mushrooming of media institutes. In addition, both countries provide a
considerable number of media and communication postgraduate and research students to Western universities.

Shaping Global Communicative Practice and Work Cultures:
Women's Labor from the Global South

Sponsored by the Feminist Scholarship and Global Communications and Social Change Divisions

Time: Tuesday 22 June, 9:00 – 17:00

Limit: 50 persons

Cost: $100.00USD (includes refreshment breaks and lunch)

Mobility of capital, industrial production and labor shapes global work cultures and communicative environments in new ways. This has reconfigured work cultures in traditional sites, rural sites, and urban sites in the Global South while mobilizing the labor of women in interesting ways. Different processes of production exist simultaneously in Global south work environments, demanding multiple and layered skill sets from them – social, communicative, cultural, technical and manual.

Women are increasing filling “gaps” by formally and informally acquiring such skills and sliding in and out of various work contexts. Such women’s labor is termed as “precarious labor” by feminists examining these issues. Precarious labor draws on notions of immaterial, free, digital and consumer labor articulated by scholars such as Negri and Hardt. Such workers play a crucial role in helping the transition to "globalization" in various ways. They help develop global labor practices and co-create communicative processes and work environments. "Work" is rearticulated through the language of altruism, voice, active citizenship and sometimes even as play.

Capitalizing on ICA’s location for 2010 conference (Singapore) which is potentially accessible to representatives of women and men who work in such environments in the Global South, we would like that this preconference bring together researchers, practitioners and activists who work on issues related to Women’s Labor from the Global South.

Researching (Popular) Media in the Age of Convergence:
Methodological Innovations in the Study of Contemporary Media Industries, Texts, Technologies and Audiences

Sponsored by the Popular Communication Division

Date: 22 June, 2010; 9:00 – 17:00

Limit: 50 persons

Cost: $100 USD (includes refreshments and lunch)

The processes of digitization and deregulation have transformed the production, distribution and consumption of information and entertainment media over the past three decades. Today, researchers are confronted with profoundly different landscapes of domestic and personal media than the pioneers of qualitative audience research that came to form much of the conceptual basis of Cultural Studies first in Britain and North America and subsequently across all global regions.

The process of media convergence, as a consequence of the dual forces of digitisation and deregulation, thus constitutes a central concept in the analysis of popular mass media. From the study of the internationalisation and globalisation of media content, changing regimes of media production, via the social shaping and communication technologies and conversely the impact of communication technology on social, cultural and political realities, to the emergence of transmedia storytelling, the interplay of intertextuality and genre and the formation of mediated social networks, convergence informs and shapes contemporary conceptual debates in the field of popular communication and beyond.

However, media convergence challenges not only the conceptual canon of (popular) communication research, but poses profound methodological challenges. As boundaries between producers and consumers are increasingly fluent, formerly stable fields and categories of research such as industries, texts and audiences intersect and overlap, requiring combined and new research strategies.

This preconference aims to offer a forum for the presentation and discussion of methodological innovations in the study of contemporary media and the analysis of the social, cultural and political impact and challenges arising through media convergence. This preconference thus focuses on the following methodological questions and challenges:

• New strategies of audience research responding to the increasing individualisation of popular media consumption
• Methods of data triangulation in and through the integrated study of media production, distribution and consumption.
• Bridging the methodological and often associated conceptual gap between qualitative and quantitative research in the study of popular media.
• The future of ethnographic audience and production research in light of blurring boundaries between media producers and consumers.
• A critical re-examination of which textual configurations can be meaningfully described and studied as text.
• Methodological innovations aimed at assessing the macro social, cultural and political impact of mediatization (including, but not limited to, “creative methods”).
• Methodological responses to the globalisation of popular media and practicalities of international and transnational comparative research.
• An exploration of new methods required in the study of media flow and intertextuality

Antecedents of Crisis Communication: Developing a Research Agenda for Furthering Crisis Communication

****Note: This preconference is not held at the Suntec International Convention Centre

Sponsored by the Public Relations Division and SIM University (UniSim)

Time: Tuesday, 22 June, 9:00 – 17:00

Limit: 40 persons

Cost: $100.00USD (includes refreshments and lunch)

Location: University of Singapore Institute of Management (UniSIM)

Crisis communication is rapidly developing as a unique field of study. Crisis communication dominates the public relations research and can be found in organizational communication, corporate communication, and marketing. The interest in crisis communication research is a reflection of the intense practical interest in the subject. Managers in corporations and non-profits, along with politicians, all recognize the value of effective crisis communication. Researchers are providing insights into what constitutes effective crisis communication.

While the rapidly expanding body of crisis communication research is impressive, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of the topic. The crisis communication research has emphasized the study of crisis response strategies, what managers say and do after a crisis hits. Clearly there is a need to understand the crisis response, however, the antecedents of crisis communication have been largely neglected. Crisis antecedents include prevention, preparation, and appreciation of the variables that can shape later crisis responses.

This preconference addresses the need for crisis antecedent research. A collection of international scholars from Asia, Europe, and the U.S. will outline an agenda for research in crisis antecedents. The panelists will stimulate discussion by focusing on particular aspects of crisis antecedents. Participants will be part of the discussion for building a more detailed crisis antecedent agenda. The outcome of the preconference will be a specific agenda for advancing crisis antecedent research including topics, methods, and potential research partnerships.

Media Literacy Education in Asia: New Developments

****Note: This preconference is not held at the Suntec International Convention Centre

Sponsored by the ICA Children, Adolescents, & Media Interest Group

Time: Tuesday, 22 June, 9:00 – 17:00

Limit: 30 persons

Cost: $100.00 USD (Includes refreshments and lunch) $80.00 USD Students (includes refreshments and lunch) (supplemented by the Interest Group)

Location: Ngee Ann Polytechnic

Media literacy education has been developing rapidly in Asia, with substantial exploration of this field by scholars and practitioners. Several universities in China now offer graduate degrees in media literacy education. In South Korea, there is significant government support for media literacy education. In Hong Kong, the government recently funded a large-scale research project to determine the impact of media literacy education on youth attitudes, knowledge and behavior. The Singaporean government has mandated media literacy as well. How is media literacy education being conceptualized in Asian nations? What are the unique characteristics that distinguish the motivation to practice media literacy education in China, South Korea and Hong Kong? What are the opportunities and challenges that media literacy educators face in these nations?

In this lively preconference, we will hear from some of the leading scholars and practitioners of media literacy in Asia. They will offer a review of their current research and practice, to be followed by a substantial period for discussion, questions, and dialogue. Most of the presenters in this preconference are chapter authors in an upcoming book, Media Education in Asia (Springer). This preconference will be a starting point for a broader, continued discussion on media education globally.

Moderator:

Professor Renee Hobbs
Temple University, School of Communications and Theater
Philadelphia PA USA
Email: renee.hobbs@temple.edu
Web: http://mediaeducationlab.com

Presenters:

Wen Xu
University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Education
e-mail: xuwenn@yahoo.com.cn

Jung-Im Ahn
Seoul Women’s University, Korea
email: jiahn@swu.uc.kr

Fiona Jia
Editor, the Youth Media Literacy Education Reference
Shenzhou Media Literacy Education, China
Email: wpomelo@126.com

Jiwon Yoon
Temple University, Mass Media and Communication Program
Philadelphia PA USA
Email: jiwony@temple.edu

Brian Lee, PhD.
Head, Communication
School of Arts and Social Sciences
SIM University (UniSIM)
535A Clementi Road, Singapore 599490
Tel. no. 62489235
brianlee@unisim.edu.sg
www.unisim.edu.sg

Respondent:

Professor Chi-Kim Cheung
Hong Kong University
Email: cheungck@hkucc.hku.hk

Global Public Relations & Strategic Communication:
Envisioning the Interplay of Culture and Communication Outside the Two-Way Symmetrical Box

****Note: This preconference is not held at the Suntec International Convention Centre

Sponsored by the ICA Public Relations Division and the Singapore Management University

Time: Tuesday, 22 June, 9:00 – 17:00

Limit: 25 persons

Cost: $100.00 USD (includes refreshments and lunch)

Location: Singapore Management University

This preconference takes advantage of the international setting to explore how diverse cultural perspectives impact communication with publics. One must assume each society/culture would have something to offer to public relations, and these contributions do not have to be overlaid on contemporary Western public relations as a baseline, e.g., two-way symmetry. Panelists will explore alternative visions of the role of public relations in society that bring contributions from indigenous cultures and will discuss applications to global public relations, strategic communication and public diplomacy.

Doctoral Consortium of the Communication and Technology Division

***Note: This preconference is not being held at the SUNTEC International Conference Centre

Sponsored by the ICA Communication and Technology Division

Time: Tuesday 22 June 2010, 9:00 – 17:00

Limit: 25 persons

Cost: $50.00USD Students Only (includes refreshments and lunch)

Location: Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University

The Communication and Technology (CAT) Division proudly announces the first-ever Doctoral Consortium to be held in conjunction with the 2010 Conference of the International Communication Association. The consortium will be held at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore on June 22.

The consortium intends to bring together PhD candidates working on Communication and Technology to give them the opportunity to present and discuss their research in a constructive and international atmosphere. The goals of the event are to provide feedback and advice to participating PhD candidates on their in-progress research thesis. Moreover, the doctoral consortium will provide the opportunity to meet experts as well as fellow PhD candidates from different backgrounds working on related topics.

During the consortium, students will be invited to present their work, following which they will receive feedback from their fellow students and faculty participants, all of whom will have read the proposals in advance of the Doctoral Consortium. In addition, one faculty participant will be assigned to respond in detail to each proposal. Besides the presentations of proposals, there will also be discussion of other topics such as ethics, research methods, publishing the thesis, and positioning one’s work for the job market. There will also be a variety of social activities in the program.

Applicants must be advanced to candidacy, and have their dissertation proposal topic. Ideally, students will be in the early stages of their dissertation, where feedback would be helpful in refining and advancing their work. To apply, students must submit a proposal describing their research.

• Submissions must be related to the working area of the Communication and Technology Division of ICA. A description of the division’s primary interests can be found in the last section of this call.
• Proposals must identify the significant problems in the field of research, briefly outline current knowledge of the problem domain, and clearly formulate a research question.
• Proposals must outline the proposed research approach, methods, and results obtained so far.
• Submissions should not exceed 6000 words, should include name and affiliation of the PhD candidate
• Applications should be accompanied by a letter of recommendation from the advisor stating how the PhD candidate can benefit from participation in the Doctoral Consortium.

The proposal and letter of recommendation must be submitted as one .pdf document and sent as an attachment in an email to IcaCatDc@GW.UTwente.nl. The deadline for submission is 1 March 2010. Submitted proposals will be reviewed by the members of the program committee based on significance of research, specificity of research topic and/or questions, clarity of writing, and degree to which student can benefit from expert guidance and feedback. Notification of acceptance will be on 1 April 2010.