Studies in Communication Sciences (SComS)

Deadline: July 31, 2020

Edited by Dimitris Serafis, Jolanta Drzewiecka, Sara Greco

We are seeking contributions for a thematic section of Studies in Communication Sciences (SComS) – a peer-reviewed open-access journal of communication and media research – exploring discursive constructions of migration.

The massive movement of migrant and refugee populations from war and conflict zones to Europe in summer 2015 created a state of emergency for the member-states and institutions of the European Union (EU). More specifically, in the context of the so-called “refugee crisis” (2015-2017) new fences and borders were raised in Europe as well as alarming racist and hateful discourses were disseminated (see Mussolf 2017; Assimakopoulos et al. 2018). 

During this polarized period, studies that adopt a critical perspective focused on the examination of migration, racism and xenophobia across various fields of research in communication sciences (see e.g. Krzyzanowski, Wodak & Triantafyllidou 2018). This thematic section aims at advancing this perspective in communication sciences by gathering cutting-edge research revolving around the discursive/communicative constructions of the migratory phenomenon and the related new forms of racism traced in various European countries (e.g. Greece, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, United Kingdom etc.). In doing so, this issue attempts to present coherent research tools and approaches to expose racism and xenophobia cultivated in Europe during the past years of "crisis," thereby facilitating cultural and critical resistance to these very problems. We are looking forward to receiving submissions from different disciplines in the broader area of communication that combine critical, interdisciplinary perspectives, innovative methodological approaches, and rigorous empirical analyses of the discursive/communicative construction of migration in different European countries during the “refugee crisis”; we also encourage papers that compare discourses in more than one European country. 

Submissions relating (but not limited) to the following disciplinary perspectives are invited: 

• Political Communication 
• (Social) Media Communication 
• Intercultural Communication
• Discourse Theory 
• Discourse Analysis 
• Critical Discourse Analysis 
• Argumentation 
• Linguistics 
• Rhetoric 

Submission guidelines

The journal welcomes submissions in English, German, French, or Italian, but the abstracts must be in English. All submissions should be uploaded on the SComS platform: www.scoms.ch.

Paper submissions will be due 31 July 2020. Final acceptance depends on a double-blind peer review process. The expected publishing date of this special issue is April 2021.

For any further information, and if you wish to discuss the relevance of your research proposal to this thematic section, please contact Dimitris Serafis (dimitrios.serafis@usi.ch).

Timeline:

• Full papers are required no later than July 31, 2020
• 1st review will be provided by September 30, 2020
• 2nd submission should be submitted by November 15, 2020
• 2nd review and notification of acceptance will be provided by December 31, 2020
• Final papers should be submitted by February 15, 2021