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Dr. Francois Cooren |
We hope that you will join us for the 60th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association, which will take place in Singapore from June 22-26, 2010.
For the first time in its history, the ICA conference will take place in this beautiful city of contrasts and energy. Located at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula, Singapore is not only a metropolis, but also an island and a country. Although it is Southeast Asia’s smallest nation, what strikes any visitor to Singapore is its diversity, both ethnic and religious. Its population of almost 5 million people - 80% Chinese, 12% Malay, 6% Indian and 2% Caucasian - live in relatively good harmony, a harmony that is palpable when you walk down its streets, discovering an Indian temple in the middle of Chinatown or a mosque next door to a church.
Full of excellent restaurants, rich museums, and picturesque neighborhoods, Singapore has much to offer in terms of cultural life and attractions. Although Singapore is known for being rather socially conservative, the visitor will appreciate this vibrant country’s blend of the global and the metropolitan with the exotic and unique. As an international metropolis, it offers a rich cultural life, including cinemas, concerts, theaters, museums, classic tourist attractions and a vibrant nightlife. Its distinctive history brought together the Malay, Chinese, Indian, and British cultures, a history that continues to mark the uniqueness of this dynamic country, whether in terms of architecture, art, traditions, or cuisine.
So, I warmly invite you to participate in this wonderful conference that will also celebrate the 60th birthday of our association. At this venerable age, the ICA might be in need of a fountain of youth. I was told that its name is the Singapore Sling (yours to discover! ;-)...
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Dr. Ang Peng Hwa |
Shiok! That is how Singaporeans express extreme excitement. And we at the Nanyang Technological University are indeed more than in shiok as the host of the 60th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association from June 22-26, 2010.
We hope that you will share our shiok by joining us next year when, in keeping with ICA tradition, the best papers on communication and media from the world’s top and emergent scholars are presented in Singapore. As next year’s conference is to be held in Asia, the first time in seven years since Seoul in 2002, it provides those of you who are in the region with greater access to this important event in our discipline. At the same time, those of you who reside outside Asia will get to appreciate the rapid growth of communication and media studies and industries in our region.
Singapore, it has been said, is a little red dot. But what a packed little red dot it is. See how our own concrete jungle rises from the most verdant tropical gardens, how our temples, mosques, and churches stand in harmony next to each other, how our Chinatown, Little India, and Arab Street blend in one continuum of color and culture, how our diverse cuisines can be found from hawker centers to ritzy restaurants, and how the beach is only one monorail ride away from the city. You can experience the vibrancy of this little red dot and be in shiok yourself!
Thus, as we look forward to welcoming you next year, we invite you to surf our Website as you prepare for sun, sea, and scholarship in Singapore.
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Dr. Benjamin Detenber |
After an intense but exhilarating year of planning, meetings, location scouting, and logistics, the faculty and staff of WKWSCI are pleased to welcome communication scholars, students and practitioners from across the globe to 60th annual ICA conference being held in Singapore.
We are honored to be your hosts for a conference that promises to open up transnational discussions, debates and dialogues. We are eager to learn about your new research and projects, and we are excited about having conversations and making connections. Most of all, we are looking forward to sharing what are sure to be many wonderful experiences.
The ICA President-Elect, François Cooren, and the local organizing committee have put together a terrific series of events to stimulate and satisfy. In addition to the usual gamut of intellectual and social activities, there will be a special new media exhibition called Open Space/Singapore/Southeast Asia on Wednesday and Thursday of the conference, sponsored by the WKWSCI.
Open Space/Singapore/Southeast Asia features four panels, a live remix project and party in collaboration with the Human Studies Film Archive of the Smithsonian Institution, seven new media installations, an online new media arts exhibition, a Top Five challenge—and an interface that encourages people to join in. New media artists, technologists, musicians, remixers, archivists, activists, and inventors from Southeast Asia will discuss their projects and show their work in open forums that will leave plenty of time for talk and exchange of ideas. Our hope is that Open Space will provide a compelling complement to the more familiar aspects of the conference.
With the panels in place, the receptions organized, and the plenaries programmed, the conference will come to life when you arrive. We wish you a safe and easy journey, and hope you have a great conference and a lovely time in Singapore.
