CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS: Presenters for University of China Conference on Convergence, Diversity, and Development
Stephen Hartnett, Stephen.Hartnett@ucdenver.edu
The Minzu (Ethnicities) University of China Announces an International Communication Conference on “Convergence, Diversity, and Development.”
Working in collaboration with members of the National Communication Association (NCA), leaders from the Communication University of China (CUC), and colleagues in the Association for Chinese Communication Studies (ACCS), the Minzu University of China (MUC) announces an international conference addressing “Convergence, Diversity, and Development.” The conference will convene at Minzu University, in Beijing, China, on June 14-16, 2024.
In Mandarin, minzu translates as ethnicities. This means that Minzu University—a campus dedicated to studying, implementing, and advancing the cause of Diversity, Excellence, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA)—is the ideal partner for hosting this event. As indicated in the conference title, we will work along three lines of inquiry:
“Convergence” suggests the overlapping and intersecting of different communication infrastructures, platforms, and genres. The term can imply consolidation and homogenization, yet it also leads to communication fractures, feedback, and realignment. How does this convergence impact DEIA in China, the U.S., and internationally? This track is chaired by Dr. Guobin Yang, the Grace Lee Boggs Professor of Communication and Sociology at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, guobin.yang@asc.upenn.edu.
“Development” points to the geopolitics of modernization, including the ways U.S., Chinese, and international forces seek to spread political power by engaging in development projects in the Global South. The process can be empowering and uplifting, yet it can also echo forms of colonialism, particularly when development appears to conflict with local forms of diversity. This track will focus on how these patterns of development impact DEIA issues in and between China, the U.S., and Africa. This track is co-chaired by Dr. Eddah Mutua, Professor of Communication Studies at St. Cloud University, emmutua@stcloudstate.edu, and Dr. Kundai Chirindo, Chair of the Department of Rhetoric & Media Studies at Lewis & Clark College, kundai@lclark.edu.
“Diversity”—and its expansion into the acronym DEIA—can suggest the intentional process of expanding the range of voices included in civil society, or it can be a catch phrase that leads to appropriation and cooptation. How are questions of convergence and development affecting how the U.S., China, and international groups embody, empower, advance and/or silence the promises of DEIA? This track is chaired by Dr. Tina M. Harris, the Douglas L. Manship Sr.-Dori Maynard Endowed Chair of Race, Media, and Cultural Literacy at Louisiana State University, tharris4@lsu.edu.
We seek research presentations rooted in the Communication discipline broadly configured among and across the lines of inquiry described above. Presentations will be limited to 10 minutes so that conference sessions can prioritize collaborative brainstorming, constructive feedback, and idea testing. We strongly discourage the reading of prepared papers and encourage extemporaneous presentations with visuals or other forms of communication evidence. Each panel session will include an equal number of Chinese and international presenters. Presentations and discussion will take place in English. Above all, we seek to facilitate dialogue and the fair and rigorous exchange of ideas representing international perspectives and diverse understandings.
Outcomes: Presenters will be encouraged to expand and revise their presentations for consideration for publication. The conference organizers and hosts are working with the journal Online Media and Global Communication, where Editor-in-Chief Louisa Ha (Bowling Green State University) would be delighted to consider manuscripts generated from the conference. We are also working closely with the Michigan State University Press book series, “U.S.-China Relations in the Age of Globalization,” where Editor Stephen Hartnett (University of Colorado Denver) hopes to publish edited collections produced in conjunction with the conference. Regardless of each presenter’s chosen publication outlet, the conference organizers commit to workshopping presentations, editing drafts, and otherwise mentoring junior and international scholars, as needed, hence building a pipeline of academic production that is collaborative, team-based, and empowering.
Travel Logistics: Conference presenters are responsible for securing visas to enter China; this can be a time-consuming process, so presenters must begin that work immediately upon acceptance to the conference. All international conference participants are responsible for their own airfare to-and-from China. CUC and MUC will arrange local transportation from the airport to campus. All accepted presenters will receive free conference registration and three free nights of housing on the Minzu University of China campus, which is located in the Haidian district of Beijing.
Applying: Successful conference applications will include 1) the working title of your project; 2) all contact information for the author, including your institutional affiliation; and 3) a 500-word description of your project, highlighting how it fits within the “track” to which you are applying. Applications are due by 8 pm, U.S. Mountain Standard Time, on April 1, 2024. Submit your application via email to the “track leader” whose session you seek to join. In the subject line of your application email, please write “US-CHINA CONFERENCE APPLICATION.” Applicants will be notified of their acceptance with two weeks.
If you have questions about this conference, please email stephen.hartnett@ucdenver.edu.