ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE AND RISK COMMUNICATION WORKING GROUP - CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2022

The Environment, Science & Risk Communication (ESR) Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites the submission of proposals for papers and panels for IAMCR 2022, which will be held online from 11 to 15 July 2022. The conference will also have a national hub at Tsinghua University in Beijing. The deadline for submission is 9 February 2022, at 23.59 UTC.

See the CfPs of all sections and working groups >

Conference Themes

IAMCR conferences have a main conference theme (with several sub-themes) that is explored from multiple perspectives throughout the conference in plenaries, in the programmes of our sections and working groups, and in the Flow34 virtual cinema and podcasts stream. They also have many themes defined by our 33 thematic sections and working groups. Proposals submitted to sections and working groups may be centered on an aspect of the main conference theme as it relates to the central concerns of the section or working group, or they may address the additional themes identified by the section or working group in their individual calls for proposals.

The main theme for IAMCR 2022, “Communication Research in the Era of Neo-Globalisation: Reorientations, Challenges and Changing Contexts,” is concerned with possibilities for rethinking communication research agendas in the post-pandemic world, which has seen dramatic shifts in the way we interact and understand our physical, social, cultural, political and material environments.

Eight sub-themes of this central theme have been identified: Reorienting Media and Communication Research in the Era of Neo-Globalisation; Artificial Intelligence in Global Communication Contexts; Cultural Identities and Dis-Identities in the Era of Neo-Globalisation; Communication for Sustainability: Climate Change, Environment, and Health; Media Ethics and Principles in the Digital Age; Media, Communication, and the Construction of Global Public Health; Data/Digital Science and Intercultural Communication; Digital Platforms and Public Service: Science, Technology and Sustainability. See the complete theme description and rationale here.

As environmental and climate challenges intensify worldwide, and in the wake of changes in global cooperation (and not) heralded by the COVID-19 pandemic, we focus on the communication of environmental concerns and its complexities, including those of inequality and environmental (in)justice. The deep synergies and connections between environmental and health crises are evident in many of the subthemes for IAMCR Beijing 2022, especially so where climate changes impact population and planetary health. What might we observe from COVID-19 global pandemic responses, its actions, and consequences? What insights might Environment, Science, and Risk Communication scholars glean from the pandemic?  

While we welcome papers on the main theme and subthemes for IAMCR Beijing 2022, papers from the full range of Environment, Science, and Risk Communication topics and perspectives are of course also welcomed and considered.

Key conference themes for ESR WG in 2022 will include:

• Science, media, and society in the era of (neo)globalisation
• Science, the environment, and climate change in popular culture
• Media, advocacy, and local/global environmental change
• Environmental and science activism and new media 
• Feminist and postcolonial political ecology
• Smart technologies and everyday life
• Public/political engagement in science and environment communication
• Social and political uses/constructions of science, nature, and the environment
• Science/environmental journalism
• Visual environmental communication
• Science and health-related media panics
• Scientific controversies/environmental crises, spin and news management
• Media-communication roles in environmental crises and disasters
• Media and public understanding of science/environment issues

Guidelines for abstracts

Abstracts are requested for the Online Conference Papers component. Abstracts submitted to the Environment, Science & Risk Communication (ESR) Working Group should have between 300 and 500 words and must be submitted online at https://iamcr.org/beijing2022/submit. Abstracts submitted by email will not be accepted.

The deadline to submit abstracts is 9 February 2022 at 23h59 UTC.

See important dates and deadlines to keep in mind

It is expected that authors will submit only one (1) abstract. However, under no circumstances should there be more than two (2) abstracts bearing the name of the same author, either individually or as first author. No more than one 1 abstract can be submitted by an author to the Environment, Science & Risk Communication (ESR) Working Group. Please note also that the same abstract or another version with minor variations in title or content must not be submitted to more than one section or working group. Any such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be rejected.

Proposals are accepted for both single Papers and for Panels with several papers (in which you propose multiple papers that address a single theme). Please note that there are special procedures for submitting panel proposals. You can find the detailed procedures when submitting your abstract online in the abstract submission system.

Abstracts will generally be evaluated on the basis of: 

1. Theoretical contribution
2. Methods
3. Quality of writing
4. Literature review
5. Relevance of the proposal to the work of the Environment, Science & Risk Communication (ESR) Working Group
6. Originality and/or significance

Each proposal must include a clear title, name(s), affiliation, institutional address, and email address of the author(s). Bibliographies and author profiles are not required.

Languages

The ESR Working Group accepts abstracts in English, French, and Spanish.

For further information about the conference contact beijing2022 [at] iamcr.org

For further information about the Environment, Science & Risk Communication (ESR) Working Group, its themes, submissions, and multi-paper sessions please contact:

Kerrie Foxwell-Norton
K.Foxwell [at] griffith.edu.au

Maitreyee Mishra
maitreyee.mishra [at] manipal.edu

Joana Diaz-Pont
Joana.Diaz [at] uab.cat

Pieter Maeseele
pieter.maeseele [at] uantwerpen.be