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December 30, 2024

Call for Abstracts: European Communication Research: What, Whence, and Whither?

Call for Abstracts: European Communication Research: What, Whence, and Whither?

Deadline

Apr 15 2025 

In its 50th year, Communications: The European Journal of  Communication Research invites to reconsider what European communication  research is – and what it can be. From its start in 1975, the journal’s  mission has been to serve as a forum for scholarship and academic debate  in the field of communication science and research from a European  perspective. But what is in fact a European perspective? The jubilee  conference invites us to rethink what constitutes European communication  research. This opens up a range of questions like: What are particular  European preoccupations and key contributions to the wider debates? On  which theoretical and methodological fundaments does European  communication research rest that set it apart from other inquiries? Is  there a unique European contribution to global communication theories?  How do assumedly European values of diversity, solidarity, or democracy  shape communication research? How can European communication research  explore the concept of a ‘digital Europe’? Where does European  communication research lead us, and what can or shall we expect from it  that is different from work drawn out in other parts of the globe? How  do we deal with linguistic barriers and the diversity of research  traditions? And can we think of a European communication research beyond  exceptionalism and essentialism?  These and similar questions had been around since the journal was  launched, and they are still relevant today. They become virulent again  in a context where Eurocentrism in research has been widely and rightly  criticized while Europe’s identity, its boundaries, its legacies, and  values face increasing contestation. This ties questions of media and  communication to Europe’s political, legal, social, and economic  formation that is in no way isolated, uniform, or static. Indeed, the  attribute ‘European’ carries geopolitical as much as intellectual  connotations with far-reaching consequences for the journal’s scope,  composition, and purpose.  The conference offers a moment to rethink what a European perspective  could mean for scholarship and what kind of Europe is in fact evoked  here. These reflections urge us to rethink the journal’s role in  fostering scholarship that is both inclusive and critically engaged with  Europe’s complexities. What kinds of questions can usefully be asked?  What forms of critique are pertinent? What sorts of research should be  drawn out? Which pathways should Communications follow to reaffirm its  relevance and leadership in fostering impactful scholarship? Possible  answers can come from a variety of areas given that the journal seeks to  encompass the entire field of communication science as its domain of  interest and the contributions published cover a wide range of subfields  in communications.  The conference is open to theoretical and empirical approaches. It  invites emerging and junior scholars as well as senior faculty to  contemplate the peculiar character of European communication research.

Contributions can address, but are not limited to, the following aspects:

  • Diversity and commonalties of European research traditions
  • Legacies and foundations of European communication research
  • Agendas and approaches in comparative research within Europe and beyond
  • Regional and transborder communication
  • Global dimensions, connections, and reverberations of European communication research
  • Gaps and deficits of European communication research
  • Pathways and pitfalls for European communication research
  • Values and norms for European communication research

The conference will take place at the Department for Communication and  Media Studies at Leipzig University, Germany. It is supported by de  Gruyter publishers, the German Society for Communication Research  (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kommunikationsforschung – DGKF), and the  University of Greifswald. Submission Guidelines Abstracts must be submitted via email  ((stefanie.averbeck-lietz /at/ uni-greifswald.de)) by 15 April 2025.  Submissions must contain a front page with all information about the  author(s) as well as an anonymized extended abstract (max. 500 words  excl. front page and bibliographical references).

General Information

The conference will begin on Monday, 29 September 2025, and end on  Tuesday, 30 September 2025. For updated information concerning the  program, registration, accommodation, and travel, please visit our website 

The registration fee is 150 Euro and includes lunch catering and coffee & tea breaks.

Key Dates

15 April 2025: deadline for abstract submissions

1 June 2025: notification of acceptance

1 July 2025: preliminary program online

15 August 2025: deadline for registration to the conference

29 to 30 September 2025: conference

Organizers and Contact

Prof Christian Pentzold, Leipzig University, Germany

Prof Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz, University of Greifswald, Germany Prof Leen d’Haenens, Leuven University, Belgium

Email: (stefanie.averbeck-lietz /at/ uni-greifswald.de)

More info

More information

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