Call for Papers
Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association (MeCCSA) Postgraduate Network (PGN)
MeCCSA PGN Conference 2015
‘Transformative Practice and Theory: Where we stand today’
Coventry University in Coventry, United Kingdom
2-3 July 2015
Deadline: Monday 23rd of March 2015
Pre-Conference Screening of Oscar Award Winning Documentary CitizenFour on the 1st of July
Confirmed speakers: Dr. Clare Birchall (King’s College), Prof. Lisa Blackman (Goldsmiths), Dr. Rebecca Coleman (Goldsmiths), Prof. Gary Hall (Coventry University) and Associate Prof. Mandy Rose (University of West England/Digital Cultures Research Centre)
The multidisciplinary fields of media, communication and culture face the challenge of constantly responding to the changing landscape which they study. In recent years, these fields have shifted considerably due to the rise in digital and open media, which have opened up new spaces for debate. Our negotiation with, and use of, theory has been transformed through the turn to affect, and the ways in which we are now articulating the relationship between bodies, images and environments as permeable and interconnected. Practice has also been transformed, as engagement with what were traditionally more “static” objects has been affected due to the disrupted power relations between producer and consumer, allowing for further engagement beyond production.
In response to these changes our conference focuses on unique approaches to review the way pre-existing notions, ideas and practices in research can be reimagined. We want to promote how the use of creative and original ways of research enables the reframing of traditional ideas to fit with the needs of today. Invited speakers will contribute by sharing how their own work pushes the potentials of theory and practice in the contexts of visual and sensory culture, data subjects and open access scholarship.
We invite early career academics, Masters and PhD students to share their work and contribute to the MeCCSA PGN 2015 conference. All contributions which fall within the theme of ‘Transformative Practice and Theory: where we stand today’ will be considered; topics for presentations might include (but are not limited to):
- Race, Gender and Sexuality in Networked Societies
- Material/Virtual Embodiment
- Open Media
- Rethinking Space, Place and Time
- Open Pedagogies
- Digital Cultures/Communities
- Digital Films and Visual Cultures
- Immersive, Mobile & Interactive Communications
- Evolving Methods and Methodologies
- Digital Research Ethics
- Gaming/Game Culture
- Posthumanism
- Disrupted Privacy and Transparency
- Visual and Sensory Cultures
Abstracts of up to 250 words, plus the title of your paper and up to four key words, should be submitted by 23rd March 2015 to team@meccsapgn2015.co.uk . Alternatively, you may submit a link to a publicly accessible video abstract of no more than 1 minute in length. Please also include your name, contact details, and institutional affiliation.
The fee for the conference will be £40 with an early bird price of £30. We are able to provide a limited number of bursaries. If you would like to be considered for financial assistance please provide a personal statement and a letter from your department indicating their inability to fund your participation when submitting your abstract.
For further information about the conference please visit www.meccsapgn2015.co.uk and follow us on twitter @MeCCSAPGN2015 or contact the organising committee at team@meccsapgn2015.co.uk.
About MeCCSA PGN:
MeCCSA is the Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Association, and represents those who teach or research within those fields in Higher Education. The aim of the Postgraduate Network (MeCCSA-PGN) is to bring together postgraduate students in media, communication and cultural studies from different intellectual traditions and cultural backgrounds in order to form research, and teaching and learning networks and also ensure peer support.
MeCCSA-PGN is supported by the Art Design Media Higher Education Academy Subject Centre (ADM-HEA). ADM-HEA works to support and enhance learning and teaching in higher education art, design, media theory and practice, the history of art and design and cultural studies subjects.