ICA Communication History Division: Overview at Denver Conference
Dear ICA Communication History Division (CHD) members and others interested in communication history,
We hope this mail finds you well and you are looking forward to the conference in Denver as much as we are.
The Communication History Division has 13 meetings and slots scheduled for the conference from Friday to Sunday (June 13, 14, and 15). We are also co-sponsoring a preconference, “Non-Aligned Disruptions: Global Media Histories in the Wake of Decolonization,” on Thursday, June 12. You can browse the program to find all of the information about the conference, but we’ve provided a summary below:
JUNE 12, THURSDAY
- 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM; Capitol 3 (Regency 4): Preconference: Non-Aligned Disruptions: Global Media Histories in the Wake of Decolonization. Organizer(s): Aswin Punathambekar (University of Pennsylvania), Sima Kokotovic (University of Pennsylvania), Ignatius Suglo (University of Pennsylvania), Usha Raman (University of Hyderabad), Jing Wang (U of Wisconsin - Madison), Emily Keightley (Loughborough University) and Simone Natale (Loughborough U)
- 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM; Centennial E (Regency 3): ICA’s 75Th Anniversary Opening Reception
JUNE 13, FRIDAY
- 7:30 AM – 8:45 AM (Remote presentation with two presentations from CHD): Panel Communication and History: Memory, Creditability, and Longtermism. Chair(s): Alison Hearn
- 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM; Agate A (Regency 3): Welcome Session: Communication History PhD Students and Early-Career Scholars. Chairs(s): Deborah Barcella (USI Università della Svizzera italiana). An informal gathering to meet, chat, and connect while having a mug of coffee. All Division members, including senior scholars, are warmly invited.
- 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM; Capitol 1 (Regency 4): Panel Resurrecting Platform Pasts: Learning From Research on Defunct, Dead, or Obsolete Social Media Platforms. Moderator(s): Chelsea Butkowski (American U) and Frances Corry (University of Pittsburgh)
- 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM; REGISTRATION 70 Centennial Foyer (Regency 3): Communication History Poster Session
- 3:00 PM - 4:15 PM; Mineral F (Regency 3): High-Density Panel Old and New Frontiers of Media and Communication. Chairs(s): Deborah Barcella (USI)
- 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM; Mineral F (Regency 3): Communication History Business Meeting
JUNE 14, SATURDAY
- 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM: Panel Histories of Alternative Media Objects. Chairs(s): Jaime Kirtz (Arizona State U)
- 10:30 AM - 11:45 AM; Capitol 4 (Regency 4). High-Density Panel Media, Technologies, and Cultures, From the 1960s to the 2000s. Chairs(s): Gabriele Balbi (USI Università della Svizzera italiana)
- 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM; Mineral C (Regency 3): Panel Histories of the Black Press and Television. Chairs(s): Kathryn Montalbano (University of Kentucky)
- 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM; Mineral C (Regency 3): Panel The Borderlands of Communication Research: Disrupting Historiographies Through a Gendered Look Towards the Ibero-Americas. Chairs(s): Jefferson Pooley (University of Pennsylvania)
JUNE 15, SUNDAY
- 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM; Mt. Oxford (Grand 3): Panel Histories of Media and Communication Studies and Theories. Chairs(s): Dominique Trudel (Audencia Business School)
- 3:00 PM - 4:15 PM; Princeton (Grand 3): Panel The Changing Landscape of the State and Public Institutions. Chairs(s): Mandy Troeger (University of Tuebingen)
- 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM; Mt. Oxford (Grand 3) Panel Media as Agents of War, Peace, and Subjectivation. Chairs(s): Carlos Scolari (U Pompeu Fabra)
- 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Earl’s Kitchen and Bar CHD Reception
INSTRUCTIONS TO PRESENTERS/PANELISTS
As you have seen, all panels listed above include scheduling information and the name of the session’s chair. Please consult the program for a complete list of presentations, including titles and the list of author(s). Panel chairs will soon receive more detailed information about chairing panels. Traditional panels have 5 presentations and allow for 12 minutes for each presentation plus 15 minutes of final discussion. We also organized two “high-density sessions” with 6 presentations, in which case each presenter will have 10 minutes. Some panels also include respondents. Please make sure to confirm the specifics of your presentation with your panel chair if needed. Your chair should get in touch soon to give you the latest information.
WELCOME SESSION: PHD STUDENTS AND EARLY-CAREER SCHOLARS
Join us for an informal gathering open to all members of the Communication History Division! This session is especially meant to welcome PhD students and early-career scholars, giving them a relaxed space to meet senior members, share interests, and start conversations about their research, if they wish to. No presentations or preparation required. Just come as you are and enjoy the chance to connect before the official sessions begin. Bonus: Breakfast will be provided by the Division.
BUSINESS MEETING
The Communication History Division business meeting is scheduled for June 13 from 4.30 to 5.45 PM at Mineral F (Regency 3). Please consider attending the meeting, as we will discuss current and future projects, assign awards, and listen to input from the community’s members.
RECEPTION
Our reception, jointly organized with Media Industries Studies and Communication, Law, and Policy, will be taking place on June 15 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at Earl’s Kitchen and Bar, 1600 Glenarm Place, a 5-minute walk from the conference hotel. Please join us to meet with friends and colleagues in a relaxed setting. Free food and free drinks will be available to members (in limited quantity).
AWARDS
Last but not least, we are delighted to announce the Communication History Division 2025 Awardees. Winners will receive a certificate at the business meeting, and you are all welcome to join us in celebrating this year’s finest work in media and communication history.
Top Paper Award:
- Miira Hill and Cornelius Puschmann, “Nostalgic for a Better Democracy? How German Right-Wing Social Media Commentators (Mis)remember the Past”
Most Promising Research (best extended abstract). Ex Aequo:
- Esperanza Herrero, “Marjorie Fiske (1914-1992) as a Trans-Paradigmatic Figure in Communication Research: Recovering Women to Disrupt Our Mainstream Historiographies”
- Kathryn Montalbano, “Safe Harbor Protections: Shielding Ships and Speech in the United States from Nineteenth-Century Maritime Law to Contemporary Internet Policy”
Top Student Paper:
- Tahereh Rahimi, “The Institutionalization of Press Control in Iran During the Qajar Era”
Congratulations to all the awardees for their work. Excellent work has been submitted to the division once again this year, and the competition was fierce. Thank you to those of you who submitted their work or reviewed submissions.
Looking forward to seeing you all in Denver!
All the best,
Gabriele Balbi (on behalf of the CHD management team)