The Participatory Communication Research Section of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites submissions for the 2015 IAMCR Conference. The Conference will be held at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Canada, from 12th to 16th July 2015.

Argument

The Participatory Communication Research Section of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites submissions for the 2015 IAMCR Conference. The Conference will be held at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Canada, from 12th to 16th July 2015. 

The IAMCR annual conference will be held under the general theme “Hegemony or resistance? The ambitious power of Communication.” The theme explores the multifaceted impact of communication on hegemony and resistance.

The PCR section addresses the ways in which communication, information and/or media foster social change through participation within the local, regional, national or international spheres. The section is particularly interested in the research and conceptualization of communication, information and/or media-driven processes that go beyond a ‘toolkit’ approach and emphasize voice as value. While the PCR section has traditionally accommodated creative approaches to participatory communication, it has over recent years, intentionally encouraged inter-disciplinary methods marked by critique and innovation.

The section welcomes papers that discuss theoretical or methodological perspectives or document specific case studies. Topics can include a wide variety of issues such as participation as an avenue towards empowerment; participatory communication and democracy, communication and information rights; participatory communication for economic and social justice; ICTs for empowerment and sustainable development; health communication; environmental communication; communication for advocacy; folk media and social movements; national and cultural identities; participation and gender; participatory media production; non-formal participatory forms of education; and participatory action research. This year’s conference theme allows the section an opportunity to highlight empirical research from a large scope of epistemological perspectives on the theory and practice of participatory communication in negotiating active resistance against hegemony and oppression.

While all abstracts will be reviewed, the section is specifically interested in abstracts in the following areas:

• Participatory communication strategies in negotiating resistance against hegemony
• Participatory communication strategies influencing mass movements of global solidarity for economic and social justice
• Voice as resistance: Listening, Speaking and Public Spheres
• Participation communication as an avenue towards empowerment
• Participatory communication as a driving force in innovation and change
• ‘New’ media technologies as a platform for resistance and participatory action
• Public Internet, and public service roles of the media
• The political economy of participatory communication initiative
• New advances in participatory communication research theory
• New advances in participatory communication research methods
• Empirically-based studies of the professional practice of participatory communication

Guidelines submission

Individual papers and panels are possible, but all proposals must be submitted through the online Open Conference System from 1 December 2014 – 9 February 2015. Early submission is strongly encouraged. There are to be no email submissions of abstracts addressed to any Section or Working Group Head.

The deadline for submissions is February 9th, 2015.

This section accepts abstracts in English, French or Spanish, and will arrange for presentations in the three languages as well.

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 two (2) 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 Reviewer. 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.

Presenters are expected to bring fully developed work to the conference. Prior to the conference, it is expected that a completed paper will be submitted to Section, Working Group, Session Chairs, and/or Discussants.

Participatory Communication Research Section

Chair

• Satarupa Dasgupta 

Vice-Chair

• Florencia Enghel 
• Elske van de Fliert