Conference

New Trends in Political Communication

Evidence, theories, implications, opportunities

19-20 September 2013
Milano (Italy)

Call for papers

The 2013 conference of the ECREA Political Communication Section aims to explore new trends in the way politics is communicated in the public arena. More than a decade ago, Blumler and Kavanagh (1999) diagnosed a ‘third age of political communication’ characterized by media abundance, a growing pressure on political elites to adopt the media’s rule of the game and an increasingly critical citizenry that challenges both political authority and the opinion leadership of the media. The rise of Web2.0 with its interactive features and social media platforms has brought about new opportunities and new challenges to political communication, which are fundamentally transforming the relationship between rulers and citizens in modern democracy far beyond the emerging ‘third age’ described by Blumler and Kavanagh.

Papers are invited for presentation, which address the current changes in political communication. We are looking for new empirical evidence, but we are also keen to discuss fresh theoretical approaches to conceptualize the new trends and locate them in the wider context of the future quality of democratic life. Papers should engage with the following broad areas of enquiry:

  • How do citizens engage with politics; is there evidence for new forms of political participation and what is the role of the media, both traditional and new, in citizens’ involvement; in what way do new media alter the relationship between citizens and between citizens and political leaders; how do citizens express themselves and communicate their concerns; etc.
  • How do media organizations and journalists respond to the challenges of new communication technologies and wider social and cultural changes; is there evidence for new forms of presenting politics; to what extent has the coverage of political matters travelled away from traditional news formats and with what consequences; how has the changing nature of citizenship and new media affected the power balance between journalists and political elites; etc.
  • How do political actors – parties, political leaders, governments, social movements – communicate in an environment of networked media abundance; how does the rise of populist leaders, identity politics and the ‘politics of outrage’ interact with new journalistic formats and new communication platforms; how do political leaders navigate between transparency and secrecy and between grass root politics and transnational decision making; etc.

    • Paper Proposals

    Paper proposals of about 400-500 words length should consist of a title page stating paper title, author(s) and contact address, and a blind abstract with the title as a running head.
    All paper proposals will be double-blind reviewed.
    The proposal should be submitted to the following address: ecrea-milan@unimi.it

    Deadlines:

    Deadline for the submission of proposals: 30 April 2013
    Paper acceptance will be communicated within 3 June 2013
    Registration deadline: 1 July 2013
    Final paper delivery: 31 August 2013

    Local organizer: Gianpietro Mazzoleni

    Scientific committee:
    María José Canel
    Boguslawa Dobek
    Frank Esser
    Paolo Mancini
    Gianpietro Mazzoleni
    Patricia Moy
    Lars Nord
    Zrinjka Perusko
    Franca Roncarolo
    Katrin Voltmer

    Conference venue:
    Dipartimento di Scienze Sociali e Politiche
    U degli Studi di Milano
    Via Conservatorio, 7
    I-20122 Milano
    www.sps.unimi.it