Calls for Papers

Zwischen Kunst und Künstlichkeit. Transformation durch kulturelle und politische Medienbildung begleiten. Die Workshops finden jeweils am Samstag, den 16. November 2024 in zwei Slots in Präsenz an der Universität Rostock statt. Voraussichtlich wird es einen Vormittags- und einem Nachmittags-Slot geben. Online-Workshops sind in diesem Jahr nicht vorgesehen.

In the recent past, social media platforms became more open about working alongside academic researchers and crucially, enabling academic access to their data in order to facilitate political communication research (and many other forms of research besides). However, this has been dramatically reversed in recent years in what Axel Bruns (2019) has referred to as the “APIcalyspe”. Both Meta and X (formerly Twitter) have withdrawn or sought to restrict access to their platforms for academic research by making it prohibitively expensive. The discipline now stands at a crossroads (Bruns, 2019). Either accept and adapt to the new access arrangements, most likely to the detriment of the scope, volume, and overall quality of the research, or consider methodological innovations and workarounds to examine these platforms central to our everyday existence. To this end, we would like to invite contributions to a one-day workshop to be held in hybrid format (online and in person, at the University of Liverpool), to discuss how we might continue to research social media platforms under these difficult conditions. Potential topics could include (but are not restricted to): - researching the ‘black box’ (documenting and analysing communication on closed platforms such as WhatsApp/Discord/ etc. - The significance of small-N case studies - Researching dead or declining platforms - The ethics of collaborating with technology companies - Researching content moderation practices - Practical reflections on specific methods - Qualitative approaches

Awarded by the Einstein Forum and the Wittenstein Foundation The Einstein Forum and the Wittenstein Foundation offer a fellowship for outstanding young thinkers who wish to pursue a project in a different field from that of their previous research. The purpose of the fellowship is to support those who, in addition to producing superb work in their area of specialization, are also open to other, interdisciplinary approaches – following the example set by Albert Einstein. The fellowship includes living accommodations for five to six months in the garden cottage of Einstein`s own summerhouse in Caputh, Brandenburg, only a short distance away from the universities and academic institutions of Potsdam and Berlin. The fellow will receive a stipend of EUR 10,000 and reimbursement of travel expenses. Call for Applications Candidates must be under 35 and hold a university degree in the humanities, in the social sciences, or in the natural sciences.

CALL FOR CHAPTERS Digital Transformation(s): Social & Ethical Consequences of Rapid Technological Change Editors Cathrine Edelhard Tømte, Dep. of Information Systems Alex Ruser, Dep.of Sociology and Social Work Jarle Trondal, Dep. of Political Science and Management Book Description Digital transformation is rapidly reshaping modern societies, including public services and business, educational, health and welfare systems. At the same time, digital technologies increase both the demand for and promise of new solutions to challenges of societal, economic, and ecological sustainability, social inclusion, and political participation. Furthermore, advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) raise new questions about the “truth” and trustworthiness of facts, ownership of creative content and growing concerns about discrimination, privacy violations, and job displacement. Critical examination is necessary to assess the social consequences of ubiquitous and increasingly independent digital technologies. However, digital transformation cannot be seen solely as an external force flagged by edtech providers imposing new developments on society and the political system, instead, we suggest moving beyond this dualistic perspective, and address the iterative interplay between technology and societal/political actors in the digital transformation. This edited book brings together a variety of perspectives from across disciplines from the social sciences to critically examine some of the core challenges and opportunities associated with digital transformation. Moreover, the edited book offers both theoretical and empirical contributions that seek to explore and expand concepts of digital transformation. It is organized in four sections including 1) Introduction; 2) Theories to explain change (transformation if it where), conceptual lenses to observe, potential normative theories to assess; 3) Fields of observations - empirical cases of transformation organized into three thematic sections (Sustainable digital societies, Digital Governance, Sustainable digital citizenships, Responsible and ethical digital transformations); 4) conclusions and outlook.

Marjorie Boulton Fellowships The Esperantic Studies Foundation (ESF) announces its 2024 competition for research fellowships in all fields of the humanities and social sciences, particularly as they relate to interlinguistics, linguistic justice, intercultural communication, Esperanto, and related phenomena. Interdisciplinary work is welcome, and primary disciplines might include, but are not limited to, linguistics, sociology, history, anthropology, communication, or media studies. Open to candidates worldwide, with a preference for candidates in North America and the global south, the fellowships may be held concurrently with other awards or fellowships and are non-renewable. These fellowships honor the legacy of the late Marjorie Boulton, a prolific author of plays, poems, and prose in Esperanto, as well as the leading biographer in English of L. L. Zamenhof. ESF, a non-profit organization that works for linguistic justice on a global scale, values inclusion and diversity. ESF does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, language, national origin, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation or gender expression. Awards of $10,000 USD may be given in each of two categories: Doctoral and Post-doctoral research. For further information, see https://www.esperantic.org/en/marjorie-boulton-fellowships/

Individual papers will receive 20 minutes for presentation and 10 minutes for discussion. We also welcome submissions on topics that explore other aspects of intercultural communication, for instance: Intercultural Competence in Educational Settings: Pedagogical strategies for development of intercultural competence Intercultural competence in educational frameworks Digital platforms and technologies enhancing intercultural learning Education to sustainable development in multicultural societies Sustainability Teaching in Worldwide Theology: Eco-theology across different cultures Role of religious institutions in promoting intercultural competence Interculturality and sustainability Cultural narratives and perceptions of the Anthropocene Intercultural competence in addressing the global climate crisis, both in mitigation and adaptation Importance and preservation of bio-cultural diversity Interculturality at front-line professional practice Culturally sensitive service provision at the front-line professional practice Challenges and solutions in delivering intercultural services Intercultural understanding between service providers and diverse communities Sustainable development in social work practices Intercultural management – cross cultural management – diversity management Strategies for enhancing communication and cooperation across cultures at the workplace Cross cultural management at the contemporary workplace – the multiplicity of intercultural encounters Encounters with the Norwegian labor market Inequality regimes and intersectionality Contributions by senior as well as young scholars and doctoral students are welcome. Practitioners are also encouraged to submit their contributions, which can offer new insights into the various aspects of cultural encounters and professional practice. All submissions should be in English and those submitting the abstract should be prepared to attend the conference in person. Note that all personal information will be removed before the peer-review, so authors should ensure that their names are not mentioned in the abstracts.

The 2024 Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA) will host its annual conference this fall as a hybrid conference from Thursday, October 3 – Saturday, October 5. Virtual sessions will take place on Thursday evening and Friday morning via Zoom, and in-person sessions will take place on Friday evening and Saturday morning at Nichols College, Dudley, Massachusetts. Considering the significance of virtual technologies to our contemporary moment, presentations that grapple with the complexities of the digital in our daily lives, such as the use of artificial intelligence technologies, are particularly welcome. For this conference, think about the expansive potential of the concepts of “digital media” as well as “gaming culture”; we want to be able to represent a wide range of projects that fall within these categories. Presentations can consider digital media and gaming culture from a narrative, technological, or analytical perspective and are not limited to traditional papers. We encourage presentations that offer discussion of the applications of gaming; tutorials on digital media and/or gaming practices; and sessions that center gaming, as a practice, for the session itself. Non-digital gaming is also encouraged, as are experiments with gamification in the classroom. Finally, analyses of individual game titles or types are always welcome. Topics that might be covered include, but are not limited to: Analysis of particular game type(s) and/or title(s) through particular analytical lens(es) Discussion of gaming practices and/or digital media practices in daily life and/or education Practice-based reports on the implementation of digital media and/or gaming within one’s own work (art-making, social interaction, the workplace, education, etc.) Workshops on gamification of class activities and/or game-based learning Analysis of practices of play that happen within gaming and/or digital spaces We welcome those who have not previously presented at conferences, especially those new to this field. In your proposal, feel free to center your own experience as a player of games or participant in digital culture, as well as offer scholarly engagement with the material.

Digital Games and gaming are carriers, accelerators and subjects of change in media culture and society. In this capacity they serve as an interlink between media industries, digital technologies, media cultures, and social practices, making them ideal cases to analyze contemporary transformation processes in the context of (deep) mediatization, digitalization, and datafication. This conference call hence builds on the premise that to understand the significance of digital games and gaming in a deeply mediatized society we need to look beyond play, i.e., the contents of games and the interaction with games alone. We call to go beyond reducing games to mere playing, examining their placement and connection within digital media environments as gamevironments to research how our communicative practices and their contexts transform through games, as well as how these games are reshaped through communicative practices. A perspective that goes beyond play indicates that researching games and gaming also allows for insights into the deepening of the mediatization and datafication of society.

Over the last decades, the field of intercultural communication has been committed to promoting knowledge and understanding of intercultural, international, and cross-cultural communication research across many contexts. Scholars across disciplines, including (but not limited to) psychology, sociology, anthropology, and education, have developed theories to describe, explain, and predict how individuals, groups, and cultures communicate within and between one another. Recent socio-cultural, technological, and environmental developments have brought new changes and challenges regarding the use and application of such theories as guiding frameworks. As scholars, we have been adapting to embrace these new dimensions; therefore, we found it fitting to dedicate a special issue to current theorizing in our field. This special issue offers a platform to discuss theories that have shaped the field of intercultural communication and consider how they may need to be adapted to reflect our contemporary needs as scholars, educators, and practitioners. Authors are invited to submit original manuscripts that focus on the development of intercultural communication theorizing that contribute to our understanding of individual-level and societal level phenomena at the international, intercultural, or cross-cultural level. We encourage manuscripts from a wide range of scholarly areas and welcome all methodological approaches. Both empirical research reports and theoretical or conceptual essays are welcomed. In addition to our emphasis on methodological pluralism, we encourage submissions that reflect global, underrepresented, and/or marginalized experiences. Goals and Scope of the Issue We leave it up to contributors to identify what they see as key theories, in order to gather a wide range of perspectives on what is perceived as central theoretical developments in intercultural communication. Topics could include (but are not limited to) empirical inquiries or theoretical essays on (a) the development of intercultural communication as a flourishing area of inquiry; (b) the evolution and/or refinement of foundational theories in light of recent social, technological, and environmental changes; (c) the role of intercultural communication theorizing in applied settings (e.g., academic, organizational, health contexts); (d) the replication (and comparison) of previous studies in contemporary settings; or (e) the intersection of intercultural communication theorizing, power, and ideology as agents and catalysts for change. Specifically, we invite articles engaging with the following questions and areas of inquiry: • How have theories in intercultural communication contributed to delineating the conceptual and methodological scope of the discipline and positioned it within the global academic community? • How do key theories in intercultural communication resonate in today’s world and what revisions might be necessary to move these theories —and the field— forward? • How have key theories in intercultural communication been applied to empirical contexts and how can these findings contribute to current theorizing? • What theories in intercultural communication have remained at the periphery and at what costs? How can these marginalized forms of knowledge be reclaimed today and applied to clarify contemporary challenges? • What gaps can still be identified and addressed to reflect major contemporary technological, cultural, and social issues?

We invite submissions addressing one of the three main topic-areas. In your abstracts, please also share your thoughts on one of the postulated statements, as we are encouraging an open discussion including participants’ own experiences and opinions. Topic 1: Autonomy How autonomous are we, or do we want to be, in dealing with data and technologies? What choices do individuals, companies and institutions have in the face of BigTech players? Is more security in the digital world bound to trade-off with individual freedom? Regarding freedom of research in particular – ff will artificial intelligence increase our freedom to use and leverage data, tools and networks? Or will their costs and access restrictions have an inhibiting effect on research or benefit only a small subset of researchers? Statement 1: The more autonomy the better. Statement 2: Digital autonomy fosters freedom of research. Topic 2: Wellbeing Do we have more freedom (e.g. for other activities, leisure time, empowerment) through digital solutions/AI in the world of work and private life – or less? How do we measure digital freedom in terms of wellbeing or happiness? Do we still have the choice to live an analogue/digital autonomous life? Statement 1: Digital freedom enhances our personal well-being. Statement 2: Digitalisation saves time. Topic 3: Participation Which means do we have to shape digital infrastructures through active participation? How can civil society’s role as active, self-determined power be supported in different political systems and market contexts? What impact does (a) restricted access to media and technologies have on democratic processes and opinion forming/building, either on a local or on an international scale? Is free access to digital space for everyone a goal that can and should be achieved? Statement 1: Digitalisation promotes democratisation. Statement 2: Participation should not require digital access. Format Accepted submissions will be presented orally (approx. 20 min slots including Q&A) within a session. Presentations will be followed by a joint discussion of the session participants focusing on the statements postulated above.

The 18th Vienna Games Conference – FROG 2024 – is dedicated to connections between play & games, crisis and hope, and invites game scholars, creators, educators, students, activists and enthusiasts from around the globe to come together and reflect on the apocalypse through a lens of games & play. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: Games about the apocalypse: what fascinates us about doom, and how is the (post-)apocalypse “modeled” in games? What makes the end of the world such a fruitful premise for computer games and other media? Games for a sustainable future: in what ways can games help understand the problems we face today, and how can they assist us develop strategies to save it? Apocalyptic visions in games: how do games change the ways we think about our world and the threats to it? Is there something specific about the dystopian futures presented in computer games, and what can games help us see about the future (and what do they obscure?) that other media don’t? Gamers against doom: what are the skills games teach us that can help us face the future together? Are gamers better equipped to face the challenges of a world in crisis? And can gamification help to bring humankind together across ideological divides to avoid its downfall? Games in education for crisis awareness: How can game-based education approaches help to inform and educate about current or imminent crises? What potential do games have to simulate crisis scenarios and develop critical thinking? And how can they foster resilience, not only during times of crisis, but also against the disconcerting effects of (fake) news and conspiracy narratives that herald impending doom? Games for hope: what are the visions for a better future that games can promote? Can games instill hope differently than other media, and in what way? And how can we avoid that such hopes end up in mere escapism, but foster real life action instead?

The priority program conducts interdisciplinary and multi-perspective research into the developments of both the social and cultural-political significance and the handling of Jewish cultural heritage in Europe and its global connections. The overarching goal of the program is the (re-)discursification of the cultural heritage of Jews with reference to Critical Heritage Studies. The latter show how the cultural heritage of the past is activated in the present and how it is socially constructed and linked to a range of social, economic, cultural and political processes. In the first phase of the program, desiderata in the scientific research, cultural-political representation and social use of Jewish heritage were identified and translated into questions on the basis of interdisciplinary research. The second phase focuses on empirically based and contemporary basic research, which shows potential for practical implementation through the development of concrete models and concepts for the vitality and sustainability of Jewish heritage. If, for example, Jewish cultural heritage, in its material and immaterial form, is integrated into the contemporary lifeworlds of Jews and non-Jews, the question arises as to whether and to what extent empirical research into those lifeworlds provides important insights into the contemporary, often transformed forms, echoes, provides meanings and contexts of Jewish heritage. How does knowledge of the social embedding of Jewish cultural heritage require concrete measures to preserve and pass on it? To what extent can empirically collected data on society's handling of Jewish heritage cause a reorientation of the discourse on cultural sustainability and ultimately lead to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals being reconsidered? Target group and methodological framework The priority program is aimed at scientists from all disciplines who deal with objects and concepts of contemporary Jewish cultural heritage in an interdisciplinary manner, with critical consideration of questions of cultural sustainability. The prerequisites for participation in the priority program are, in addition to the content orientation in the sense of the above-mentioned scientific objective - formally, the interdisciplinary structure of the individual projects as a tandem (involvement of at least two disciplines); - methodologically, the integration of social constructivist perspectives in the sense of critical heritage studies, which clearly go beyond purely affirmative and documentary approaches to Jewish cultural heritage; - and an empirical approach as a basis for developing transfer concepts between science and society. Participatory or dialogic integration is also desirable - Jewish actors and institutions in the sphere of influence of local and/or global cultural heritage policy; - citizen science approaches, for example at the interface between academic and practice-oriented areas of cultural heritage; or - Actors of cultural work at the levels of education, cultural mediation, cultural/minority policy, community work, museum practice, remembrance policy or civil protection. Against this background, the following can and should be critically questioned and reflected: - the multidimensional relationships between Jewish cultural heritage and society; - the heterogeneous publics of Jewish heritage, taking into account the current status of Jewish cultural heritage in contemporary Jewish living environments, which are largely determined by current social developments in the world; - Transformations of Jewish heritage in the present, or in a (well-founded) historical perspective. The project applications should therefore provide information about the project's internal understanding of transfer-oriented research and its theoretical premises, as well as the intended form of the application potential developed from the projects.

Embracing a Relational Paradigm to Navigate Cultural Complexity. We invite scholars from diverse disciplines, including but not limited to cultural studies, communication studies, organizational theory, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and philosophy, to contribute conceptual contributions, empirical studies, interviews and reviews that explore a relational view on cultural complexity and its conceptual and practical implications. Topics of interest include but are not limited to: • Mapping the current developments and trends in intercultural communication under the lens of a relational paradigm • Overview of relational concepts in the field of intercultural communication (e.g. Bolten 2020, etc.) • Theoretical frameworks for understanding the creation of shared meaning and action • The role of relational processes in shaping culturally complex events and practices • Strategies for navigating cultural complexity in organizational contexts • Innovative approaches to cross-cultural communication, management and cooperation • Implications of cultural complexity for inter- and transcultural competence and training • The impact of globalization and digitalization on inter-, cross- and transcultural practices • Methodological approaches for studying relational aspects of cultural complexity • Teaching and learning concepts building on a relational view on cultural complexity Submissions should engage with contemporary debates and offer insights into the potentials of a relational paradigm for the fields of intercultural communication, multicultural teamwork or transcultural cooperation. 2024-12-31 Submission of papers 2025-03-31 Feedback based on peer-reviews 2025-05-31 Submission of revised papers 2025-09-30 Publication of the special issue Submission information In the scheduled issue, articles may be published in English, German, French, Spanish or Portuguese as well as in more than one of these languages. The editorial team is therefore accepting abstracts in these languages. Please e-mail abstracts no longer than 300 words to the co-editor Julika Baumann Montecinos, and reach out to her for inquiries or further information, too: julika.montecinos@hs-furtwangen.de

This initiative aims to bring together relevant and competitive researchers from Germany and Costa Rica to design and carry out jointly organised research projects of outstanding scientific quality. Funding within this initiative will be available for collaborative research projects consisting of researchers from Germany and Costa Rica. Within these research teams, each national funding organisation will generally only fund those project components that are carried out within its own country (DFG in Germany and CONARE in Costa Rica). The collaborative research projects should involve active communication and cooperation between the participating researchers. (...)