CALL FOR PAPERS, POSTERS AND PANELS
CEECOM Prague 2012
Central and Eastern European Media and Communication Conference
27–28 April, 2012

http://www.ceecom2012prague.cz

The Central and Eastern European Communication and Media Conference CEECOM Prague 2012 encourages scholars to send in proposals of papers, posters and panels pertaining to all aspects of media and communication processes and cultures in Central and Eastern Europe.

The conference will be held in Prague, Czech Republic on 27 – 28 April, 2012. It is organized by the Institute of Communication Studies at Charles University in Prague and the ECREA Central and East-European Network. CEECOM Prague 2012 is a follow-up to conferences previously held in Ksiaz, Poland (2008), Brno/Telc, Czech Republic (2009), Bratislava, Slovak Republic (2010) and Krakow, Poland (2011).

The call will be open to 6 February, 2012.
Abstracts must be written in English. An abstract should be submitted as an attachment of an email message which is sent to the address ceecom2012 @fsv.cuni.cz. PDF and MS Word are the preferred formats for the abstracts.
Proposals for individual papers should be max 400 words long and contain the author’s name and university affiliation. The recommended structure of an individual paper proposal embraces the paper title, theoretical/conceptual framework, methodology and research results (where applicable).

Proposals of panels must include the panel title, the panel theme abstract (max 400 words), the panel convener’s name and university affiliation, and 5 abstracts of individual papers which will constitute the panel. The individual abstracts should be composed according to the instructions for individual paper proposals (see above).
The main theme of the conference is “Media, Power, Empowerment”. The theme reflects the ambiguity of media communication in its relation to societal dominance and resistance. This theme aims to motivate contemplations on how these potentials are actualized in the distinctive political and historical situations of the countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Topics related to the conference main theme are especially encouraged, although this is not deemed necessary, and contributions on a variety of other themes are welcome.
Subthemes that can be used as an inspiration for potential conference topics are provided below. These subthemes anchor the main theme’s broader complexities and are especially relevant because of the post-transformational character of the media systems and cultures of Central and Eastern Europe.

Subthemes:
Future of journalism as a democratic institution: challenges to “the Fourth Estate”
Engagement and deliberation in the European public sphere
Citizenships through and by media
“People formerly known as the audience”: consumption, use, participation
Social networks: connecting across divides
Post-transformational challenges for media policies
Political communication in times of mediation
Popular culture and meaning-making processes
Media industries transformed?
Perspectives on media ownership
Historical development of media institutions and organizations
Media histories and memories
Establishing community/alternative media
Educating media professionals: between vocational training and academy

WELCOME TO CEECOM PRAGUE 2012!

Prague