Communication and Conflict: Propaganda, Spin and Lobbying in the Global Age

Propaganda, spin and lobbying are increasingly the topic of public and media debate. From the attempt to construct a ‘threat’ from Weapons of Mass Destruction, through the razzmatazz of political campaigning to the regular scandals about improper corporate influence on policy the relationship between communication, conflict and power is back on the academic research agenda.

The Department of Geography and Sociology is pleased to announce an international conference on Communication and conflict, to be held in Glasgow on 7-9 September 2007.

Highlights include:

Ken Silverstein, founder of Counterpunch, Washington Editor of Harpers Magazine and author of Washington on $10 million a day  

John McArthur (Harpers Magazine and author of The Selling of Free Trade   and Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the Gulf War )

Prof. Stuart Ewen, (New York University, author of PR! A Social History of Spin )

Mark Curtis  (author of Unpeople and Web of Deceit)

Dr. Des Spence (Glasgow GP, spokesperson for  No Free Lunch the campaign against Pharma marketing tactics)

Mike Hughes, (author of a history of the Economic League, Spies at Work ) 

Jeff Blankfort, (a radio producer with KPOO in San Francisco and a longtime commentator on the Israel Lobby)

Col Sam Gardner(US Airforce – Retd, author of Truth from these Podia )

Mark Daly  (BBC, who exposed racism in the police in The Secret Policeman )

Prof. William Carroll (University of Victoria, British Columbia, author of Forging a New Hegemony? The Role of. Transnational Policy Groups in the Network. and Discourses of Global Corporate Governance ).

Eveline Lubbers (Spinwatch, Editor of Battling Big Business )

Andy Rowell (Spinwatch, author of Green Backlash , Don't Worry it's Safe to Eat , and The Next Gulf? )

Prof. Gerry Sussman (University of Oregon, Portland, author of Global Electioneering ), 

Olivier Hoedemann, (Corporate Europe Observatory , Amsterdam),

Muhammed Idrees Ahmad (Spinwatch, blogger at The Fanonite ),

Nick Jones (former BBC journalist, blogger at Spinwatch , whose most recent book is Trading Information ),

Greg Philo (Glasgow Media Group ),

Dave Whyte (University of Stirling, author of Embedded Expertise and the New Terrorism ),

Prof. Sharon Beder(author of  Free-Market Missionaries, Earthscan, London, 2006; Suiting Themselves: How Corporations Drive the Global Agenda, Earthscan, London, 2006.; Global Spin: The Corporate Assault on Environmentalism, Green Books, Devon, UK, 1997)

Diane Farsetta (PR Watch )

William Dinan (Spinwatch, author of Open Scotland? and editor of Thinker, Faker, Spinner, Spy ) 

Registration for the conference, Communication and Conflict: Propaganda, spin and Lobbying in the Global Age is now open. Please click here to register.

The conference webpage lists some of our high profile speakers and the List of speakers and topics  is also online.

We are also pleased to announce our final programme : Conference Programme

Margaret Keoghan

Postgraduate and Research Administrator

Department of Geography and Sociology

Graham Hills Building

50 Richmond Street

Glasgow G1 1XU

Tele: +44 (0) 141 548 2976