International Communication Association, Singapore 2010

Preconference on the ‘Chindia’ challenge to global communication

22 June 2010


Conceived and organized by: Daya Thussu, Professor of International
Communication and Director of India Media Centre at the University of
Westminster, London


Supported by:
Mass Communication Division of the ICA and by the Center for Global
Communication Studies, Annenberg School for Communication, University
for Pennsylvania



Call for papers:
The transformation of communication and media in China and India - the
world’s two most populous countries and fastest growing economies - has
profound implications for what constitutes the ‘global’. Jairam Ramesh,
currently India’s Environment Minister, is credited with the notion of
‘Chindia’, representing what has been termed as the ‘rise of the rest’.
Trade between the two Asian neighbours - negligible at the beginning of
the 1990s - grew to $40 billion by 2008, with China becoming India’s
largest single trading partner. Such economic exchanges have coincided
with cracks within the neo-liberal model of US-led Western capitalism.
The combined economic and cultural impact of ‘Chindia’, aided by their
worldwide diasporas, is creating globalization with an Asian accent, a
phenomenon that is likely to influence globalized media and its study.

With more than 70 dedicated news channels, India has one of the world’s
most linguistically diverse media landscapes, while China has emerged as
the planet’s biggest mobile telephone market, having the world’s highest
blogger population and as the largest exporter of IT products. The study
of media and communication is rapidly growing in both countries: more
than 700 communication and media programmes are operational in Chinese
universities, while the opening up of the media and communication sector
in India has led to mushrooming of media institutes. In addition, both
countries provide a considerable number of media and communication
postgraduate and research students to Western universities.

Though both countries have experienced different trajectories of growth
in recent decades and represent two distinct political and media
systems, they also demonstrate interesting similarities. The rise of
‘Chindia’ offers exciting opportunities as well as challenges to media
and communication researchers. This preconference - a pioneering
intellectual venture - aims to bring together scholars from around the
world, especially from China and India, to examine and explore this
phenomenon.

Among the topics we wish to cover are: The rise of ‘Chindia’ and its
impact on international media research; globalization of Indian media
and cultural industries; China’s soft power; communication and cultural
exchange between China and India; re-envisioning diasporic and
developmental communication; Chindia - cooperation or competition?

The Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) of the University
of Westminster, which was officially rated in 2008 as the UK’s top media
research department, is home to both the China Media Centre and the
newly established India Media Centre. This unique combination of
expertise should ensure high-quality international participation,
especially from China and India. A selection of papers presented at the
preconference will be published in a special themed issue of the Sage
journal Global Media and Communication.

Speakers to include: Professor Yuezhi Zhao, Simon Fraser University,
Canada; Professor Daya Thussu, University of Westminster, UK; Professor
Ang Peng Hwa, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; Professor
Bella Mody, University of Colorado in Boulder; Professor Hu Zhengrong,
Communication University of China, Beijing; Professor Vibodh
Parthasarathi, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi; Dr Xin Xin, University
of Westminster; Professor Oliver Boyd-Barrett, Bowling Green State
University, USA and Professor Joseph Chan, Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Registration: Participants are required to pay a fee of $100, which
includes tea, coffee and lunch, and the payment goes through ICA.

Prospective participants should submit an abstract (200-300 words) to
Professor Daya Thussu ([log in to unmask]) and Ranita
Chatterjee ([log in to unmask]) by 7 December 2009.
<http://mobile.msn.com.cn/>