Call for Papers
Affective Audiences: Analysing Media Users, Consumers and Fans
Preconference sponsored by the Popular Communication Division
Date: 20th – 21st May 2009
Venue: Marriott Downtown Chicago, Magnificent Mile Hotel
The study of audiences constitutes a central concern of contemporary
(popular) communication research. As Democratic presidential nominee Barack
Obama fills football stadia addressing enthusiastic supporters and political
commentators frequently refer to “Obama fans” and “Palin fans”, evidence of
the centrality of notions of affect and participation in contemporary mediated
communication within and beyond the realm of traditional popular culture is
abundant. This preconference aims to explore the social, cultural, textual and
psychological conditions through which readers engage with, and attach
meaning and emotional significance to the texts they privilege in their
everyday life media consumption.
Corresponding with the theme of the 58th International Communication
Association’s conference Keywords in Communication (21st-25th May 2009 in
Chicago, Illinois, USA) the field of audience studies constitutes a key
conceptual battleground that has witnessed a number of paradigm changes
over the past half century which have both reflected and contributed to the
wider discourses of Social and Cultural Theory.
“Affective Audiences” explores these recent paradigm changes by offering a
dedicated space within the ICA conference programme that combines empirical
audience research with a thorough examination of the field’s canon and a
discussion of its conceptual challenges vis-à-vis convergence and
globalization. The preconference will therefore include, but not be limited to,
the following themes at the heart of contemporary audience studies:
• The impact of cultural globalization and the formation of transnational
audiences on (fan) communities
• Affective media consumption and identity (including race, ethnicity, gender
and sexuality)
• Affective engagements of readers beyond the realm of popular culture
• onvergence and audience participation
• Fan Democracy and the role of affective media consumption in the public
sphere
• Aesthetics and politics of transformative audience responses
• Teen and childhood media consumption
We would like to invite contributions in form of 10-15 minute paper
presentations and discussion papers. The organisers in particular encourage
submissions focusing on new empirical fields of audience studies as well as
those that critically examine its conceptual and methodological canon.
The following submission formats are permissible: full papers and extended
abstracts (approx. 1000 words).
Please send papers or paper proposals to Cornel Sandvoss,
([log in to unmask]) by 20th October 2008 including the following
information:
1. Title
2. If submitting a full paper, a 200-word abstract
3. Author(s)’ name and contact information
For full details of the 2009 ICA conference please visit
http://www.icahdq.org/conferences/2009/2009CFP.pdf
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