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Call for Papers "Ethnicity, Race and Nationalism in European Media and Film: Rights, Responsibilities, Representations"
Conference venue: Manchester (UK)
Period: May 23-25, 2013
Deadline for submitting abstracts: Sep. 20, 2012
Description of the Conference
Ethnicity, race and nationalism have become prominent issues in Europe because of recent social and political developments. Among these, higher migration flows, the rise of intolerance and racism, the crisis of multiculturalism and critical economic conditions. These phenomena became apparent with the expulsion policies put into practice against the gypsies, the strict French legislation on religious clothing, speeches by Angela Merkel and David Cameron in 2011. The European continent is proving to be unready to face massive population movements.
Together with their relevance, the visibility of issues related to ethnicity, race and nationalism has also grown. European media frequently address these topics. They can either exacerbate the tensions provoked, by inter-ethnic contact by spreading hate langugage and stereotyping foreigners when reporting crimes, or promote inter-ethnic tolerance and reconciliation though the representation of diversitity and equality broadcasting policies.
The aim of this conference is to facilitate a cross-cultural, comparative study of the impact of media and film in representing the "crisis of multiculturalism" in Western and Eastern Europe. Papers will also address the different approaches to media representation of ethnicity, race and nationalism throughout Europe.
Selected papers from the conference will be published in a dedicated issue of Europe-Asia Studies.
Eligible topics for the conference
The conference will address questions such as:
- In what senses are various types of media, including those reliant on new communication technologies, aggravating inter-ethnic tensions in Europe?
- How serious a threat to social cohesion in European societies are extremist websites, blogs and other new media forms of global and national provenance?
- Are ethnic and racial minorities accorded appropriate rights to representation in national broadcasting systems?
- To what extent are representations of ethnicity, race and nationhood, and the coverage of issues pertaining to ethnic cohesion, dependent on national context?
- What are the conceptual frames to which journalists and film-makers in various European societies resort when covering this area and what are their origins and consequences?
- How are European broadcasters with national responsibility dealing with the rise of the antiimmigration, Islamophobic right on one hand, and with the loss of faith in official multicultural policies on the other?
- What role does non-news broadcasting (drama serials; documentary programming; situation comedy; light entertainment genres) play in the representational process?
- How have cinematic imaginations of national and European identity refracted the shifting consensus on values of ethnic diversity?
Guidelines for submission
Paper proposals of 250 words should be emailed together with a one-page CV to the conference organizers at RRRMediaConference@manchester.ac.uk by 30 September 2012.
Organizer
Information & contacts
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PECOB: Portal on Central Eastern and Balkan Europe - University of Bologna - 117, c.so della Repubblica - Italy
