ECREA WEEKLY digest ARTICLES

September 5-6, 2019

Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Deadline: May 15, 2019

An interdisciplinary conference hosted by ‘Mediatized diaspora (MEDIASP): Contentious Politics among Arab Media Users in Europe’

Keynote speakers:

• Professor Naomi Sakr: Westminster School of Media and Communication, UK.
• Professor Myria Georgiou: Dept of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
• Associate professor Tourya Guaaybess: Humanities and Social Sciences-Nancy, University of Lorraine. France
• Professor Carola Richter: Institute for Media and Communication Studies. The Free University of Berlin, Germany.

The research project ‘Mediatized diaspora (MEDIASP): Contentious Politics among Arab Media Users in Europe’ at the University of Copenhagen is pleased to announce the call for papers for a two-day conference on regime-critical media – produced in or outside the Middle East and North Africa – and their users in diaspora.

After the Arab Spring, political developments in the Arab countries have varied from sustained civil war in Syria and Yemen to fragile political democracy in Tunisia; from successive regime changes in Egypt to regime maintenance in Bahrain; and from ongoing uprisings in Sudan to “successful” pressure against the regime to resign in Algeria. These developments have a direct impact on the conditions for regime-critical and politically mobilized media and for Arab diasporas living outside the Arab world. Regime-critical media have faced new restrictions and challenges in the Middle Eastern and North African countries post-Arab Spring, letting several media to move to other countries. Likewise, the situation of political activists either still living in the Middle East or in diaspora has greatly changed and their contributions have taken on a new significance.

Hence, the overall questions are: how do regime-critical media produced for the Middle Eastern or North-African audiences meet new challenges and opportunities? How do Middle Eastern and North-African diaspora groups mobilize politically and engage in transnational political activities? How does the audiences’ use of regime-critical media influences political action formation in diaspora?

We invite conference papers that examine the regime-critical media produced both in and outside the Middle East, and/or how media practices of Middle Eastern and North-African political activists in diaspora contribute to political transformation. The conference aims at exploring and discussing the potentially wide variations in regime-critical media and the Arab diasporas’ practices of using them. Both theoretical and empirical contributions are welcome.

The conference welcomes papers on any of the following – or allied – topics or themes:

Regime-critical media in the Middle East and North African countries:

• The history (and developments) of Arab critical media
• Politicization of critical media after the 2011 Arab Spring
• Social media in light of political repression
• Critical media coverage of social movements
• Critical media censorship and ownership
• The performing of conflict by critical media
• Violence and affective media events
• Audio-visual modalities of critical media
• Art, creativity, alternative features of critical media
• Virtual mobility and glocality of critical media
• The legal framework of Arab media
• The future of Arab critical media
• Political activism and media users of regime-critical media:
• Media practices in the diaspora
• Media and migrationhood
• Practices of citizen journalism
• Political activism in digital media
• Cyber activism post-Arab Spring
• Transnational media practice
• Mediatized negotiations and contestations of current developments
• Connective and collective action formations
• Electronic armies (committees) on social media

Abstract Submission

The deadline for submitting proposals for individual papers is May 15. Please submit a title and abstract of about 250 words, in addition to your name, institutional affiliation and contact information.

Please send your abstracts or any enquiries to mediasp@hum.ku.dk.

A selection of accepted papers will be published in a special issue in Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research in April 2020 (Volume 13, Issue 1).

Key dates

• 20 March 2019 – Call for papers is announced
• 15 May 2019 – Deadline for submitting abstracts
• 22 May 2019 – Notification of accepted abstracts
• 4 August 2019 – Deadline for registration
• 1 September 2019 – Deadline for full paper submission, 7500 words
• 5-6 September 2019 – The conference takes place in Copenhagen
• 6 October 2019 – Deadline for paper submission after revisions
• 3 November 2019 – Peer reviewer’s feedback will be send to author
• 1 December 2019 – Deadline for submission of final paper

The conference does not cover travel or accommodation costs for the participants.

Conference host

The host of the conference is the research project ‘Mediatized diaspora (MEDIASP): Contentious Politics among Arab Media Users in Europe’. You can read more about the project here: https://ccrs.ku.dk/research/centres-and-projects/mediatizeddiaspora/

The project has its home at the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies (language, religion and society), University of Copenhagen.

For more information about the conference, please contact the organizing committee at mediasp@hum.ku.dk. The organizing committee consists of Dr. Ehab Galal, Dr. Thomas Fibiger, Dr. Mostafa Shehata, and PhD-fellow Zenia Yonus.

Edited volume of Networking Knowledge Journal

Deadline: April 30, 2019

This edited volume of the postgraduate Journal “Networking Knowledge” of UK’s Media and Cultural Studies Association invites scholars from a broad range of disciplines to submit manuscripts on the theme of “Temporalities in Non-Western and Western communication and media studies”.

The topic had its peak with every rise of a new medium, with the work of Innis and McLuhan in the 70s in the rise of television at the forefront. With the emergence of the internet as an ubiquitous phenomenon, the topic of temporalities rises to new levels and emergent phenomena with scholar such as Sharma, Wajcman, Qiu and others at the forefront. This call for submissions therefore hopes to contribute towards this emerging discourse on social time and the digital. Moreover, a lack of temporalities communication and media research in the Global South is attributed to the prevalent Western tradition in communication research. This special section also serves to overcome the dominance of Western approaches in temporalities studies. Following these considerations, scholars are invited to submit their original manuscripts that address the following topics, among others:

• Comparative studies of temporalities in communication and media sciences
• Methodologies investigating journalism, advertisements, PR, political communication, cultural studies, feminist or queer approaches investigating media or communication temporalities;
• Time use research or time budget studies addressing communication and media (e.g. passive leisure (watching tv), multitasking (activities while watching tv), use of information and communication technologies)
• Dynamic methodologies and longitudinal studies;
• Memory or generational studies;
• Theory development or contrasting theory streams explaining temporalities in communication and media studies;
• Cross-cultural temporalities;
• Social time and the digital in educommunication and/or approaching the study of (new) media in the learning environment
• Other topics (please enquire with the editor in advance)

Theoretical as well as qualitative and quantitative approaches investigating such temporalities are welcome. Different disciplinary approaches can be pursued. Submissions must not have been previously published nor be under consideration by another publication. An extended abstract (up to 500 words) or a complete paper at the first stage of the reviewing process will be accepted. All the submissions must be received by April 30, 2019. If the extended abstract is accepted, the complete manuscript must be received by August 31, 2019. Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the guidelines on the website (http://www.ojs.meccsa.org.uk/index.php/netknow/about/submissions) and should have a length of about 4,000 to 6,000 words including tables and references. All manuscripts will be peer reviewed, and the authors will be notified of the final acceptance/rejection decision.

The detailed timeline will be as follows:

• April 30, 2019 - Deadline for receiving abstracts or extended abstracts
• May 10, 2019 - Deadline for informing authors of selection of abstract, and invitations for full papers
• August 30, 2019 - Deadline for receiving full papers
• September 10, 2019 - Deadline for carrying out first round of edits
• September 10, 2019 - November 30, 2019 - Peer review process
• November 30 onwards - Final edits, draft introduction, cover image etc.
• February 1, 2020 - Publication

Please direct questions and submissions to Associate Editor Maria Faust M.A. at maria.faust@uni-leipzig.de, Guest Editor Tiago Rodrigues Ph.D. at tiagoedergarciarodrigues@gmail.com and Guest Editor Jorge Rosales Ph.D. at jorge.rosales@umayor.cl.

University of Colorado Boulder, USA

Deadline: April 10, 2019

The Department of Media Studies (MDST) in the College of Media, Communication and Information at the University of Colorado Boulder seeks a scholar-in-residence in media studies with a particular emphasis in critical environmental studies. The successful candidate will demonstrate excellence in research and a commitment to contributing to our interdisciplinary undergraduate and graduate programs. The position is expected to begin in August 2019.

We will consider applicants with various research interests in critical media studies, although preference will be given to the following areas:

• The material and ethical implications of media practice/technology/consumption for environmental sustainability.
• The role of digital culture, emergent media forms, art and design in shaping current debates about the ecological crisis and disaster relief.
• Relationship between intersectionality (race, gender, class, sexuality, etc.) and ecomedia research.

A PhD in Media Studies is required; a terminal degree (JD or MFA) in another discipline will also be considered. Qualified candidates will have an active research agenda, a proven record of teaching excellence, and a strong commitment to interdisciplinary collaborations. The selected candidate will teach two courses each semester in a variety of media-related topics with a possibility to develop a course in the candidate’s own area of research expertise.

The Department of Media Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder offers a dynamic program of study that emphasizes the creative and analytical skills needed to operate in a complex media environment and to gain a deep understanding of the history and development of various means and forms of communication. We teach courses in media history; media activism; globalization and culture; Postcolonialism and decoloniality; media and religion; disruptive media entrepreneurship; media and human rights; popular culture, gender, race, class, and sexuality; media and food politics; audience studies, among many others. We offer an exciting Master’s degree in Media and Public Engagement and a well-ranked PhD program in media studies which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2019.

The College of Media Communication and Information, established in 2015, is the first new college on the CU-Boulder campus in 53 years. CMCI prides itself on offering students an interdisciplinary education with a focus on innovation and creativity. The College prepares students to be leaders in our ever-changing information society. Our students and faculty think across boundaries, innovate around emerging problems and create culture that transcends convention. CMCI strives to be a community whose excellence is premised on diversity, equity, and inclusion. We seek candidates who share this commitment and demonstrate understanding of the experiences of those historically underrepresented in higher education. We welcome applications from racial and ethnic minorities, ciswomen, non-normative genders and sexualities, persons with disabilities, and others who have encountered legacies of marginalization.

The University of Colorado is an Equal Opportunity employer committed to building a diverse workforce. Benefits include domestic partners and health insurance coverage for hormone replacement therapy (for more, see http://www.colorado.edu/ glbtqrc/resources/cu-and-state-policies). Alternative formats of this ad can be provided upon request for individuals with disabilities by contacting the ADA Coordinator at hr-ADA@colorado.edu.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Candidates must submit the following:

1. Cover letter outlining interest in the position and research and teaching interests

2. Curriculum Vitae

3. Statement of Teaching Philosophy

4. An example of scholarly and/or creative work.

5. Three letters of reference

Screening of candidates will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. To ensure full consideration, applicants should submit all materials by April 10, 2019.

Application page: https://jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDetail/?jobId=16540

Special issue of Journal of Communication

Deadline: July 15, 2019

Guest Editors: Keren Tenenboim-Weinblatt (Hebrew University of Jerusalem) & Chul-joo “CJ” Lee (Seoul National University)

With the rapid growth and development of the field of Communication, it has also become increasingly fragmented, while its subfields – as represented by ICA’s various divisions and interest groups – have become increasingly self-contained. Researchers within the different subfields speak to each other in numerous forums and publications and in ever-growing levels of precision and sophistication, but are often oblivious to related developments in other subfields. Similarly, conceptual, analytical and empirical contributions are discussed in relation to the state-of-the-art within a specific subfield, but often fail to be developed into broader theoretical frameworks. The result is a multiplicity of theoretical, conceptual and empirical fragments, whose interrelationships and relevance for a range of communication processes remain to be established.

In this special issue, we look for rigorous, original and creative contributions that speak across multiple subfields of communication. All theoretical approaches as well as methods of scholarly inquiry are welcome, and we are open to various formats and foci: The papers can be based on an empirical study, integrate a series of empirical pieces, thereby proposing a new theory or model, or be primarily theoretical. Their focus can be a specific theory, a specific concept or a set of related concepts, a communication phenomenon that can be better accounted for using a cross-disciplinary perspective, or any other focus that fits the purpose of the special issue. In all forms, the papers should make substantial, original contributions to theoretical consolidation and explicitly discuss the relevance and implications of their research to different subfields.

Deadline for full paper submissions is July 15, 2019. The special issue is scheduled for Issue 3, 2020.

Submissions should be made through the JOC submission site (https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jcom). Please make sure you click "yes" to the question "is this work being submitted for special issue consideration?" and clearly state in the cover letter that the paper is submitted to the special issue. Manuscripts should strictly adhere to the new JOC submission guidelines. These guidelines will be available on the journal’s website in early January 2019. Before that, they are available upon request from Editor-in-Chief, Lance Holbert, r.lance.holbert@gmail.com.

Questions and comments about the special issue should be addressed to Keren Tenenboim-Weinblatt (keren.tw@mail.huji.ac.il) and Chul-joo “CJ” Lee (chales96@snu.ac.kr).

Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Journalism Studies, University of Sheffield

Read more here

We are investing in an appointment in the area of digital news cultures to enhance and expand upon the subject areas offered by our strong interdisciplinary research and teaching team. The post holder will make a key contribution to the department’s 2021 REF submission, enhance existing teaching and contribute to the development of new areas of research and teaching and enhance the department’s profile as a centre of excellence for the study of news and journalism in the digital age. The post holder will make a strategic contribution to the development of the department and bring expertise in any of the following or related areas: hyperlocal news, digital news innovations and disruptions, the culture and power dynamics of digital news content, production, participation and consumption. We welcome applications from a range of disciplinary backgrounds.

The successful candidate will have a PhD (or equivalent academic/professional achievement) in a relevant field, a well-established research profile, play a central role in the Department’s Research Strategy through the delivery of high quality internationally peer reviewed research outputs and a track record of research funding bids, have a strong commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, a proven teaching ability, and will make a key contribution to advancing the Department’s leading position in the field. You will contribute to the Communication, Media and Journalism (CMJ) research group and more widely across the Faculty of Social Sciences and the University.

Specifically, the post holder will

• bring high levels of research expertise, high quality international peer reviewed publications and funding
• contribute to the delivery of our undergraduate and postgraduate MA programmes
• demonstrate an interest in and engage with student newsroom-based activity in innovative ways and work collaboratively with other staff in the department to engage in curriculum development
• be open to explore ways in which your research has impact potential by bringing benefit to non-academic organisations.

Person Specification

You should provide evidence in your application that you meet the following criteria. We will use a range of selection methods to measure your abilities in these areas including reviewing your online application, seeking references, inviting shortlisted candidates to interview and other forms of assessment action relevant to the post.

Criteria

1. A PhD (or equivalent academic/professional achievement) in a relevant subject area.

2. Proven teaching ability 

3. Previous experience of working as a lecturer

4. An established research profile, as evidenced through publications in high impact peer reviewed journals (4* or 3* REF 2014 standard) and/or other measures.

5. Strong commitment to and potential for generating research income.

6. Possess or be willing to undertake a teaching qualification 

7. Proven teaching ability in areas relating to digital news cultures 

9. Knowledge and experience of evaluation, development and innovation in research-led learning and teaching.

10. Knowledge and experience of technologies to support learning and teaching (desirable)

11. Experience of supervising PhD students 

12. Ability to manage resources effectively

13. Experience of applying for externally funded research 

14. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal including effective use of technology where appropriate.

15. Ability to communicate research findings via a variety of media

16. Experience of adapting own skills to new circumstances

17. Proven ability to work to and meet deadlines 

18. Excellent planning and organisational skills, including the ability to undertake administrative duties efficiently and effectively.

About the Team

The University of Sheffield builds teams of people from different backgrounds and lifestyles from across the world, whose talent and contributions complement each other. We believe diversity in all its forms delivers greater impact through research, teaching and student experience. We are consistently ranked in the top 100 of the world’s universities; however, we offer much more than this.

By joining the University, you will be joining award-winning teams and departments who are all working together to make the University of Sheffield a remarkable place to work.

The Faculty of Social Sciences is a large and diverse grouping of thirteen departments that offer professional education alongside more traditional social science disciplines. This rich and exciting inter-disciplinary mix encompasses both world-leading academic research and education and a strong practitioner focus in particular areas. It uniquely positions the Faculty among Sheffield's peer institutions.

The Department of Journalism Studies is one of the major journalism research and teaching establishments in Europe. We are committed to a teaching and research programme that takes an interdisciplinary approach to the fields of factual media, journalism and communications. The 2014

Research Excellence Framework put the University of Sheffield in the top ten percent of all UK universities. It judged the department’s research environment as of world leading quality and that our research has significant global impact. The Communications, Media and Journalism research group (CMJ) draws together all the research active staff and doctoral students in the department, reflecting its wide variety of research expertise in: public and political communication, media law and policy, international law, conflict and crisis communications, propaganda and strategic communication, the historical study of journalism, contemporary European history, media and international politics, war and media, media freedom and the role of the factual media in post conflict reconstruction. The department is home to our Centre for Freedom of the Media (CFOM) and the Centre for the Study of Journalism History.

Our staff are drawn from both journalism and academia and we have an excellent network of national and international contacts, in journalism, civil society organisations and in the academic world. We have a thriving international community of postgraduate research students, taught postgraduates and undergraduates. Our alumni are working in newsrooms in the UK and abroad as reporters, editors, producers, presenters while others have gone on into the communications sector more broadly as well as in to academic careers.

The department has grown significantly in recent years. Our MA Global Journalism and MA International Public and Political Communication in particular attract students from all over the world and these courses have a strongly international curriculum. Our undergraduate programme is one of the most applied for in the country.

For more details about the department please see www.sheffield.ac.uk/journalism

Job Description

We seek applications from ambitious, highly motivated and talented individuals who will be keen to play an active role in maintaining and enhancing the department’s national and international reputation for research, teaching excellence and innovation. The appointee will have a strong commitment to both research and teaching, and to interdisciplinary collaboration, and will make a key contribution to advancing the School’s competitive position. They will also contribute to our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

We welcome applications from high-quality candidates with research expertise that will complement and strengthen our existing research profile in communications, media and journalism. The successful applicant will make a major contribution to the delivery of our undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, with the potential to take the lead on programme coordination, and module co-ordination and development. We look for ambitious, highly motivated and talented individuals with a proven track record of research expertise and publication that will complement and/or strengthen our existing research profile, and who will be keen to play an active role in enhancing the department’s national and international reputation for research and teaching excellence and innovation.

Applicants will be keen to contribute to the department’s Communication, Media and Journalism research group and the Faculty of Social Sciences Digital Societies Network, as well as collaborating with colleagues in the department, and more widely across the Faculty of Social Sciences and the University.

Applicants should make clear how their research will contribute to the department’s research environment and how they can contribute to its teaching portfolio.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Conduct personal research and scholarship and generate research funding from external agencies;

• Participate in and establish productive research links and collaborations within the wider University and beyond;

• Manage and/or co-manage external research funding to successful conclusion, and manage and monitor the work of research staff as appropriate;

• Disseminate research outcomes through publications in high-impact journals and other highimpact channels including academic and professional conferences;
• Manage, supervise and support research students and colleagues;
• Work with departmental colleagues to foster a culture of mutual support and collegiality;
• Design and deliver high-quality, research-led learning and teaching for modules on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, including: identifying learning objectives, determining appropriate curricula, selecting teaching methods and resources, preparing teaching material, communicating subject matter, encouraging and supporting student inquiry;

• Conduct assessment of postgraduate student work, including: design of assessment approaches and criteria, provision of formative and summative feedback (oral/written), marking to agreed deadlines;

• Supervise and assess undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations;
• Carry out module and programme evaluation and implement teaching quality assurance and enhancement strategies;

• Carry out a pastoral role for students such as acting as Personal Tutor to postgraduate students, referring students to the appropriate authority for guidance as necessary, and collaborate with colleagues to identify and respond to students’ needs;

• Contribute to teaching-related and other administrative activity within the department as assigned by the Head of Department;

• Participate in Department/Faculty committees and working groups as appropriate;
• Demonstrate external recognition through professional activities such as committees, conference organisation, refereeing of research papers and grant applications, journal editing and external examining;

• Self-generate work through research and scholarship, curriculum development, and innovation in teaching and administration;

• Plan and prioritise own daily work and forward plan up to five years for some tasks. For teaching, plan up to one year ahead, or in the case of significant programme changes or new programmes and modules, up to two or more years ahead of their introduction;

• Deal with reactive requests daily such as those concerning teaching, supervising students and administrative tasks;

• Coordinate and contribute to team teaching, which will include liaison with other academic staff and/or university teaching assistants, to ensure modules complement others taken by students.

• Engage with vocational elements of our provision in innovative ways that draw on your research strengths.

• You will make a full and active contribution to the principles of the ‘Sheffield Academic’. These include the achievement of excellence in applied teaching and research, and scholarly pursuits to make a genuine difference in the subject area and to the University’s achievements as a whole. Further information on the underpinning values of the Sheffield Academic can be found at: Sheffield Academic.

• Any other duties, commensurate with the grade of the post.

Reward Package

Terms and conditions of employment: Will be those for Grade 9 staff.

Salary for this grade: £51,630 - £58,089 per annum Potential to progress to £67,317 per annum through sustained exceptional contribution.

This post is open ended.

This post is full-time:

This role has been identified as a full-time post, but we are committed to exploring flexible working opportunities with our staff which benefit both the individual and the University (See www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/guidance/flexible/arrangements). Therefore, we would consider flexible delivery of the role subject to meeting the business needs of the post. If you wish to explore flexible working opportunities in relation to this post, we encourage you to call or email the departmental contact listed below.

Selection – Next Steps

Closing date: For details of the closing date please view this post on our web pages at www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs

Following the closing date, we will contact you by email to let you know whether or not you have been shortlisted to participate in the next stage of the selection process. Please note that due to the large number of applications that we receive, it may take up to two working weeks following the closing date before the recruiting department will be able to contact you.

It is anticipated that interviews and other selection action will be held on the 21 May 2019. Full details will be provided to invited candidates.

For more information on our application and recruitment processes visit

www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/info

Informal enquiries

For informal enquiries about this job and the recruiting department, contact: Professor Jackie Harrison on j.harrison@sheffield.ac.uk

For administration queries and details on the application process, contact the lead recruiter: Samantha Bharath on sam.bharath@sheffield.ac.uk.

For all online application system queries and support, visit: www.sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/applying

August 28-30

University of Cape Town

Deadline: April 15, 2019

Current communication debates are increasingly dominated by polarities and conflicts. On closer inspection, these polarities are not always defined by antagonism or opposing ideologies, but are also informed by power imbalances in terms of race, class and gender, technological access, education, age, geospatial factors, and mobility.

This year’s theme looks at the positions of communications specialists, media producers and users as being inside or outside media systems; from being inside the echo chamber to being shut out by censorship; from speaking as an inside whistleblower to being left outside the frame. Who has and who controls access to creative technologies and distribution?

Who speaks, who is being followed, who is being listened to and whose voices are being amplified? What is heard on air, or edited out? How does one’s position (either inside or outside) make one vulnerable, empowered, educated or misinformed?

Themes may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Content platforms and gatekeepers
• Film, media and marginality
• Media networks and ecologies
• Film and media censorship
• Citizen journalism, community media and media corporations
• Television beyond the box
• Media scholarship and inclusion
• African media scholarship in the world
• Media platforms and questions of access
• WhatsApp and citizen witnesses
• News writing and news aggregation
• Threats to media freedom
• Social media
• Corporate communication, crisis communication, strategic communication,
• organisational communication
• Development communication
• Election coverage

ABSTRACT CATEGORIES

There will be three categories of presentation:

• Category 1: Full 20-minute conference paper presentations
• Category 2: Panel discussion sessions and/or roundtable/workshop proposals
• Category 3: Poster presentations

Best Paper Prizes

There are two paper prizes: a student award and an open paper prize. To be eligible for the awards, *full papers must be submitted by 5th of August.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS

All abstracts must be submitted to the email address: sacomm2019@gmail.com, using the correct abstract submission form. Submissions not submitted on the correct form will not be accepted. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

Submission of one abstract per person is encouraged to keep the programme manageable. No more than two abstracts per person (for different streams) will be allowed.

The Abstract Submission form can be downloaded here

Sacomm website: sacomm.org.za

Key dates:

• Abstract: 15 April 2019
• Notification of acceptance: 31 May 2019
• Full paper submission: 5 August 2019

Special Issue of Communication & Sport

Deadline: October 1, 2019

Communication & Sport is pleased to announce a Call for Papers for a Special Issue on “Sport Communication and Social Justice.” Now in its seventh year, Communication and Sport (C&S) is a cutting-edge, peer-reviewed bimonthly journal that publishes research to foster international scholarly understanding of the nexus of communication and sport. C&S publishes research and critical analysis from diverse disciplinary and theoretical perspectives to advance understanding of communication phenomena in the varied contexts through which sport touches individuals, society, and culture. In 2018, Communication & Sport was the winner of the prestigious PROSE Award as the Best New Journal in the Social Sciences. Communication & Sport has a current Clarivate Analytics two-year impact factor of 2.395 and is ranked 14/83 (Q1) in the Communication and 17/50 in Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism categories, ranking above many longstanding legacy journals in both Communication/Media and Sport Studies. Detailed information about Communication & Sport may be found at: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/com.

About the Special Issue Sport Communication and Social Justice

Sport has long been a conduit for societal debates on important and often contentious topics. In particular, media sport is a highly celebrated and influential constituent of popular culture that intersects with shifting political, economic, technological and cultural conditions (Whannel, 1992). This context creates tensions where mainstream media representations are framed around normative ‘accepted’ production practices by dominant organisations, which fosters an (in)visibility and marginalisation of non-normative groups around gendered, raced, disability and sexuality dynamics. These tensions are inexorably embedded in power, politics and issues of social justice.

At the same time – as Bell Hooks (1990) reminds us – marginality is not simply “a site of deprivation” but instead, it can also be “the site of radical possibility”. Here, leading athletes from traditionally marginalized groups have been able to seize on their visibility to highlight issues of inequality and discrimination through innovative, mediated and highly symbolic forms of protest, from Tommie Smith and John Carlos’s Black Power Salute at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics to Colin Kaepernick’s kneeling protest in 2016. Through social media, these iconic moments have started to transcend individual athletes’ activism and communities have coalesced around hashtags such as #takingaknee and the U.S. women soccer team’s high profile “Equal Play. Equal Pay” campaign.

While mainstream media organizations continue to play an important role in how these debates are framed, the emergence of new sport/digital media has the potential to disrupt dominant relations of power, offering renewed forms of ‘democratization’ and the prospect of meaningful change (Hutchins & Rowe, 2012, 2013; Wenner, 2015). Within a contemporary moment dominated by a highly commodified and corporatized media sport landscape, marginality can itself be re-fashioned as a commodity, centered on “celebritized” marginal subjects that can be exploited by media organisations and global sporting corporations for marketing and public relations purposes. For instance, consider the rainbow flag be-decked advertising campaigns from U.S. corporations Visa and Coca Cola that surrounded the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics following a repressive approach against LGBT rights activists by the Kremlin and Russian lawmakers.

Despite these memorable examples, discussions of activism, civic agency and social change have largely been the domain of the political sciences, sociology and political communication. Only relatively recently has the field of sport communication began to contribute to such debates, stimulated in part by the rapid expansion of digital and social media which has led to new ways of communicating in sporting cultures, a new visibility of cultural (counter / resistant) narratives, and mediated forms of democratic renewal. Importantly, following Dart (2012), this shifting sport media landscape has led to articulations of seemingly ‘old issues’ and cultural debates in new relatively distinct ways, bringing to the surface original critical questions in new emerging contexts. These are questions that focus on the nature of power, the way in which sport media serves to uphold, challenge, contest and negotiate dominant narratives within socio-political structures and the role and function of representation in effecting progressive social change.

In this special issue of Communication & Sport, we welcome theoretical and empirical inquiries that address the theme of “Sport Communication and Social Justice” by examining the following areas and other relevant topics:

• The emergence, resistance and contestation of new sport cultures via mainstream and alternative sport media platforms;
• The capitalization on – and exploitation of – marginalization and resistance in the context of a neo-liberalized enterprise sport media culture;
• The dynamics of public opinion and audience meaning-making with respect to sport, politics and social justice;
• The negotiation of identity politics in sport media representation; in particular, issues of (in)visibility (and resistance) of marginalized, non-normative groups who remain mostly under-represented in mainstream sport media (e.g. gender, race, disability, sexuality, etc.);
• The use of sporting platforms (media and sporting mega events) as a vehicle for social justice campaigns by activists, social movements, and other actors;
• The causes and consequences of athlete activism as symbolic protest;
• The role and function of sporting media representations (including self-representations and encounters between representations and reception practices) in addressing social justice issues;
• The role and function of non-mediated communication practices (interpersonal, group, organization) in effecting and generating social change in a sporting context.

Manuscript Submissions

Manuscripts for the special issue should be submitted beginning June 3rd 2019 and before October 1st 2019 at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/commsport to facilitate full consideration. In the submission process, authors should highlight in their cover letter that the submission is for the “Sport Communication and Social Justice” special issue of Communication & Sport and choose “Sport Communication and Social Justice Special Issue” as the “Manuscript Type.” Manuscripts should follow the Manuscript Submission Guidelines at https://journals.sagepub.com/home/com.All manuscripts will be subject to peer review under the supervision of the Special Issue Editors and Editor-in-Chief. Expressions of interest, abstracts for consideration, and questions may be directed to the Special Issue Editors: Dan Jackson (jacksond@bournemouth.ac.uk), Emma Pullen (epullen@bournemouth.ac.uk), Michael Silk (msilk@bournemouth.ac.uk) or Filippo Trevisan (trevisan@american.edu).

Deadline: April 16, 2019

RMIT University

Job no: 574610

Work type: Full time - Continuing/Permanent

Categories: Media, Journalism & Communications, Research, Education, Management

• Drive research excellence and industry engagement
• 6 x full-time, continuing positions with a Digital Communication focus
• Academic level D/E ($139,644-$179,880 p.a ) plus 17% superannuation, based at RMIT's CBD campus (Melbourne, Australia)

About RMIT

RMIT is a global university of technology, design and enterprise in which teaching, research and engagement are central to achieving positive impact and creating life-changing experiences for our students.

One of Australia's original tertiary institutions, RMIT University enjoys an international reputation for excellence in professional and vocational education, applied research, and engagement with the needs of industry and the community.

The School of Media and Communication is home to a vibrant community of renowned practitioners, theorists and thinkers. It is one of only two Schools in Australia to receive a ‘well above world standard’ ERA 5 ranking in the most recent Excellence for Research in Australia exercise for research in media and communication.

In the 2019 QS World University Ranking by subject, RMIT Communications and Media Studies was ranked 37th in the world and 4th in Australia.

Key research endeavours include the Digital Ethnography Research Centre (DERC) which is internationally renowned for its cutting-edge digital qualitative methods.

DERC excels in both academic scholarship and applied work with industry partners. Other vibrant research labs in the School include the Non/fictionLab, a collective of scholars, writers and creative practitioners working with story, dialogue, poetics and partnerships, and the Screen and Sound research group, with links to the Australian Film Institute Research Collection (housed in the School).

The School’s higher education programs have a significant presence in international markets onshore and offshore. See our Media and Communication programs and courses

The Role and Your Responsibilities

The Professor will be a senior academic and eminent researcher in a field related to one or more of the School Clusters (Media, Communication, Creative Writing), making substantial contributions to teaching and research activities, building capability of staff and promoting strong academic performance. They will provide high level leadership, developing and leading research project teams and programs and fostering a vibrant research culture. He or she will be required to develop a high-quality and productivity-driven research network across RMIT and with external national and global partners.

The Professor will be embedded in the relevant teaching discipline and make a contribution to teaching and learning in the media and communication disciplines with the aim of improving learning outcomes for students.

The Associate Professor will provide leadership and foster excellence in teaching and research efforts of the School, within the University, and with the community, professional, commercial and industrial sectors.

More specifically, they will be expected to contribute to relevant programs in the School and to advance their scholarly, research and/or professional capabilities in ways that are pertinent to this discipline at a national and international level. In addition, they will be embedded in the relevant teaching discipline and make a contribution to teaching and learning in the media and communication disciplines with the aim of improving learning outcomes for students.

Skills & Experience Required

You will be an academic leader with digital communication expertise who can evidence: a distinguished track record in research, scholarship and practice; strong experience in capacity building, capability and culture development; research quality and impact through esteem and citations; publishing in top ranked outlets; research income generation; teaching innovations where relevant; international connections; and success in obtaining competitive grants and prizes.

As the ideal candidate, you will be creative, critical and ambitious in your approach to media and communication research and scholarship. If you demonstrate a global outlook, international excellence and high impact research and supported cross-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary teams/partners then we would like to hear from you.

Mandatory PhD in a relevant discipline

Appointment to this position is subject to passing a Working with Children Check

Description - Associate Professor - more here

Description - Professor - more here

For further information please contact Professor Lisa French, Dean of School +61 3 9925 3026 or email lisa.french@rmit.edu.au

Applications close 11:55pm on Tuesday 16 April 2019

Applicants are requested to separately address the key selection criteria, as outlined in the relevant position description.

The University reserves the right to make an appointment at a level appropriate to the successful applicant's qualifications, experience and in accordance with the classification standards for each level.

RMIT is an equal opportunity employer committed to being a child safe organisation. We are dedicated to attracting, retaining and developing our people regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and age. Applications are encouraged from all sectors of the community.

Application close: 16 Apr 2019 11:55 PM AUS Eastern Standard Time

Special Issue of The Poster

Deadline: May 20, 2019

For this issue, The Poster seeks contributions in the form of papers, visual essays and reviews that interrogate the visual culture of the Second World War. Given the multiplicity of potential themes represented, we are open to an equally rich variety of approaches that contemplate the visual forms of communication in this period: images of war, propaganda, activism, authoritarianism, manifestos and manifestations, conflicts, dissident images, national and international cooperativism. The journal is not restricting the call to combatant nations; we welcome research that reflects neutral and non-aligned nation’s responses to the global conflict.

While this issue welcomes research into the formal mass media of the conflict (movies, posters, artworks, publishing and the like), we also welcome research into less overt propaganda. Uniforms, caricature, badges, architecture, unit signs, pornographic black propaganda, fake currency and stamps, movies and more were all pressed into service. At times, even the media of neutral states was conscripted to promote partial positions in their home nations. The Poster wants to see your research in these subjects.

The home fronts of the combatant nations saw the evolution of a rich visual culture beyond the state authored positions. From the domestic responses to shortages, the work of the Mass-Observation group, to civilian contributions to the Red Cross and the Swing Kids of Axis Europe; the lived experience of the civilian populations of the combatant nations forms a rich seam for research.

Details

In the spirit of multimodality, The Poster encourages scholars from both social and political science, as well as cultural studies, arts and communication studies, to submit proposals for work for publication.

The journal is looking for:

• Full papers: 7,000-9,000 words, plus illustrations, on the issue’s theme (for double-blind peer-review). Rich illustration of the text is welcomed. Theoretical papers as well as methodological discussion are welcome, but preferably in combination with empirical analysis of imagery. Case studies, comparisons across culture or historical studies are invited.
• Artist/designer monographs: Extended scholarly pieces addressing the issue’s theme (for double-blind peer-review). 10,000–25,000 words plus extensive illustrations.
• Image and photo essays: composed of illustrations, photographs, diagrams or schematics that use visual languages to communicate their point of view on the issue’s themes. Textual support may be added, if it is felt necessary.
• Reviews: reviews of relevant books, exhibitions and political gatherings, including critiques of contemporary historical revisionists.

Timeline

Abstracts (250 words) due *20 May 2019*. Please direct all submissions to the guest editor via helenab@ua.pt . Selected contributors will be informed in the following week if the journal would be interested in seeing a full manuscript. Full manuscripts due 30 August 2019.

For more information about the call, click here.

September 26–28, 2019

Prague, Czech republic

Deadline: April 10, 2019

Call for abstracts - for this independently organized session

Session organizers: Yossi David, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; Godfried Asante, Drake University. More information here.

Session abstract

Networked platforms have become fully integrated in almost every aspect of everyday life in the digital age. In particular, notions of digital activism through digital mobilization have become deeply intertwined in civil society groups, non-profit and LGBTIQ+ organizations. These platforms are used, particularly, by marginalized groups to make visible various human rights abuses and also create safe spaces outside of, but in relation to the daily varied forms of hetero/homonormativities.

Conversely, state officials and moral entrepreneurs are continuously stretching their communications to networked platforms in order to voice their discontent with emerging voices against “traditional” and nativist’s discourses. Their tactics involves state funded surveillance of marginalized virtual communities and individual social media accounts. Nonetheless, the nation-state is a heterogeneous actor and in this global neoliberal times, the relationship between the nation-state and “sexual dissidents” is increasingly becoming more complex. As such, this panel aims to upend and make visible, the various forms of state regulation and surveillance ranging from the commodification of sexual difference to the forms of queer modes of being, relating and belonging that have emerged to resist, transform and subvert such regulatory regimes, especially in non-western contexts (middle-east, Africa, Asia, south and central America). While the focus of this panel is on non-western contexts, we are also aware that the boundaries between the west and the non-west is malleable and sometimes blurred as bodies migrate or seek refuge in other nations, thereby creating a complex system of transnational regulatory regimes and surveillance.

This panel focuses on aspects of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, etc.) by elucidating, analyzing and examining the blurred boundaries of safety and security in digital spaces by incorporating analysis of opportunities and challenges associated with sexuality, security and surveillance in digital spaces. Each essay investigates different aspects of security and safety, and how its complexities manifest in social media platforms. The essays will also explore the construction of social, digital and physical borderlands through candid and nuanced narratives that are both distinctively personal and

contextually diverse. We thereby, focus on non-western contexts in order to contribute to the theoretical discussion concerning digital spaces and its implications on civil societies in places where the local and global tend to have uneasy tensions.

This session will explore the role of sexuality, security and surveillance in digital spaces in various scales, contexts, places and spaces.

We seek submissions that critically investigate, but are not limited to:

* Paradoxes in the practice or discourses around sexuality, security and surveillance in digital spaces.

* The politics of sexuality, security and surveillance in digital spaces

* The boundary work and policing work around sexuality, security and surveillance in digital spaces

* The ways in which sexuality, security and surveillance is framed, produced and negotiated within social movements and grassroots (digital) activism groups.

* Bisexual and transgender identities and security and surveillance in digital spaces

* Intersections of race, gender, class, ability, sexuality, body and nation, and its relation to security and surveillance in digital spaces.

* Sexuality, security and surveillance in digital spaces and disability.

* Sexuality, security and surveillance in digital spaces and the diaspora.

* Transnational coalitional possibilities under surveillance and security

Please submit abstracts (250 words maximum) to sexualitysurveillance@gmail.com by April 10, 2019. Questions or comments about the session are also welcomed.