IAMCR 2024 conference: Call for Proposals - Whiria te tāngata / Weaving people together

The International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites the submission of abstracts for its 2024 conference, which will be held from 30 June to 4 July 2024, hosted by the University of Canterbury in Ōtautahi Christchurch, New Zealand. The deadline for submission is 7 February 2024, at 23h59 UTC.

IAMCR conferences address many diverse topics defined by our 33 thematic sections and working groups. We also propose a single central theme to be explored throughout the conference with the aim of generating and exploring multiple perspectives. This is accomplished through plenary and special sessions, as well as in some of the sessions of the sections and working groups.

The 2024 central theme is Whiria te tāngata / Weaving people together: Communicative projects of decolonising, engaging, and listening.

Whiria te tāngata, weaving people together in English, is a Māori proverb (whakataukī) about the strength that comes through common purpose. The whakataukī highlights multiple issues that we invite conference participants to explore.

It invites analysis of commonality in mediated communication, given the weaker power of place-based mass media, the rise of algorithmic culture, the challenges of engaging with difference in multicultural contexts and the crises facing neoliberal globalisation.

The use of a Māori proverb also invites particular attention to analysis of indigenous communication and other attempts to challenge or rework colonial structures.

More broadly, the theme invites reflection on the terms and models appropriate to describe contemporary communication, including the political and moral goals embedded in them. It therefore also points to alternative ways of theorising or evaluating communication alongside dominant imaginaries such as the public, and of the colonial and gendered histories that are part of those imaginaries.

Weaving emphasises the agency of the communicator and directs attention to the valuing of communication as a project or skill, whether that is focused on social change, community or economic gain.

Weaving also reminds us of the goal of a conference to build common purpose amongst participants.

Not all submissions have to address the central theme. See the calls for proposals of individual sections and working groups for additional information about their themes.

Guidelines for abstracts

Abstracts must be submitted to a section or working group exclusively through IAMCR’s submission system from 4 December 2023 through 7 February 2024, at 23.59 UTC.

Abstracts should be between 300 and 500 words, unless a particular Section or Working Group establishes its own guidelines in this respect.

It is expected that each person will submit only one (1) abstract. However, under no circumstances should there be more than two (2) abstracts bearing the name of the same author, either individually or as part of any group of authors. The same abstract, or a version with minor variations in title or content, must not be submitted to more than one Section or Working Group. Such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be rejected by the abstract submission system, by the Head of the Section or Working Group or by the Conference Programme Reviewer. Authors submitting the same work to multiple Sections or Working Groups risk being removed entirely from the conference programme.

Technical guidelines, if any, are defined by the individual Sections and Working Groups. Before submitting, consult the specific CfP of the Section or Working Group. If you have questions contact the head of the Section and Working Group that interests you.

Evaluation criteria

Submitted abstracts will generally be evaluated on the basis of:

Technical merit

Readability

Originality and/or significance

Use of or contribution to theory

Relevance to the section or working group

Sections and Working Groups may use additional criteria and may assign different weights to the above criteria. Consult the specific CfP or contact the head of the Section and Working Group you want to submit to if you have questions.

Languages

Different sections and working groups have different policies regarding languages. Some accept abstract and programme sessions in English, French and Spanish while others conduct their programmes in only one or two languages. Consult the CfP of your section or working group for details of its language policy.