Call for papers
Conference Key Dates
Abstract submission closing date: Friday, 5 July 2024 (11.59pm AEST)
Acceptance notifications by: September 2024 (specific date to be advised)
Early bird registrations open (including PG/ECR Day): 16 September 2024
Early bird registrations close: 11 October 2024
Full papers due: 11 October 2024
Registrations close: 18 November 2024
Conference dates: 25-27 November 2023
PAUSE
Society is facing multiple crises at the planetary level, spanning climate change, public trust, political uncertainty, geopolitical instability and technological upheaval. Extreme weather events are now a familiar part of the daily news cycle. Trust in institutions and news media has eroded while public cynicism and civic disengagement have grown. Far-right parties have become increasingly electable, forcing the news media to re-evaluate coverage of politicians promoting extreme xenophobia. Wars across several regions have also highlighted the central role that media plays in escalating conflicts and violence, from the use of drones and AI-assisted airstrikes, to the dissemination of online propaganda in support of particular worldviews. In such a context, calling for a pause seems indulgent.
However, pausing is not always a sign of apathy or inaction. It can be an opportunity for reflection and deliberation. A pause can provide a chance to seriously consider how to proceed, before deciding on meaningful action, or ensure care for the self amidst a time of crisis. Indeed, taking a moment to stop might be necessary for disciplines that have had to deal with momentous change. Over the last decade or so, platform ecosystems and major technology firms have become key infrastructures for media and communication industries. In response, communication scholars have rushed to understand how social media and streaming platforms, as well as corporations like Apple, Amazon and Google, have influenced their specific areas of interest.
Yet recent developments suggest that we might want to stop and take stock. Existing frameworks for understanding communication may not be as viable as they once were. Are we on the edge of another revolution, now that large language models like Chat GPT are accessible and user-friendly? Do our taken-for-granted digital communication research methods need to change, given the current challenges associated with accessing platform APIs, and the decline of familiar platforms like Twitter-now-X? Do we need to rethink what communication looks like in the future, given the carbon footprint associated with modern computing, especially generative AI? Are we ahead of the game in understanding the increasingly sophisticated and technology-enabled strategies of covert political actors, or is our research and theory being outpaced by practice that fuels global unrest?
We suggest that our disciplines and the world are not just in crisis, but at an inflection point. Scholars of institutionalism call this a critical juncture, a moment of flux where “dramatic change is possible” (Capoccia and Kelemen, 2007). We invite AANZCA24 attendees to discuss and consider the challenges and opportunities associated with this critical juncture. In short, this is a chance to pause and come together to discuss how the land lies before us now and beyond the current inflection point.
We welcome submissions on the following themes and beyond:
- How ‘pauses’ are conceptualised in relation to media consumption and production.
- Critical reflection on moments of pause, appraisal and rest in media and communication production, practice and labour.
- Creative and professional practice that takes a critical approach to pausing, reflection and advocacy.
- Critical junctures in media and communications or relevant sub-fields, either historic or contemporary.
- News media influence on engagement and reflection on critical issues of our time.
- Critical studies on the impact of generative AI tools in professional communication, creative practice, and everyday digital culture.
- Findings, outcomes or reflections from activist, advocacy, social change and community-based research projects and their stakeholders.
- Insights on new or evolving strategic communication practice in a time of global unrest.
- Material impacts of digital technologies during war, conflict or crisis.
- Methodological challenges presented by a dynamic platform environment.
As always, we also welcome papers representing the diversity of research interests across the organisation’s various sub-fields.
Submission Instructions
Abstracts (due 5 July)
Abstracts should be 250 words, accompanied by a 100 word bio for each author. Authors who are writing a full paper also need to submit a separate abstract by this deadline.
Panel Proposals (due 5 July)
For pre-constituted panels of 3-4 speakers – submission must include a panel title, abstract (250-500 words), the names and affiliations for each speaker, an abstract for each speaker (250 words) and a bio for each speaker (100 words).
Full Papers (abstracts due 5 July, full papers due 11 October 2024)
Only full papers will be considered for publication in the special issues. All scholars will be considered for Media International Australia and Communication Research Practice, and only HDRs will be considered for Platform: Journal of Media and Communication. Submitted papers will need to be 6,000 – 7,000 words in length (including references).
Authors selected for CRP, MIA or Platform will be contacted following the conference and their papers will then go through blind peer-review. Decisions about inclusion in the conference will only be made on the basis of abstracts, which means that all authors of full papers will also need to submit an abstract separately. You will be able to go back into your submission on conftool and upload the full paper for the later deadline.
Submission limits
In the interests of diversity and equity, we have set limits on presentations for the forthcoming conference. Each participant will be able to present one paper as lead author as well as appear on one panel. You can appear on additional papers as a secondary author but must not present these.
Eligibility
You do not need to be a member of AANZCA to submit an abstract, panel proposal, or full paper. If your submission is accepted, you will be asked to register for the conference via our website.
Awards
All submissions, whether full papers or abstracts, will be considered for the Grant Noble and Christopher Newell prize.
The Mills Award is awarded to help students and early career scholars in organisational communication attend AANZCA conferences. Applicants must nominate that they wish to be considered for the award when submitting for the conference.
We will be sharing further details about other AANZCA Conference awards in due course, including the Anne Dunn Scholar of the Year Award (co-sponsored by JERAA).
You can register for the conference and submit your abstracts via conftool.
Please email aanzca24@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Submit here
