Media and communication studies are in the process of transformation: Transnational communication infrastructures, satellites and the Internet in particular, deliver new content "flows" that challenge conventional concepts of "the media." Increasingly fragmented supra- and subnational audiences require a reorientation of communication research that - while retaining what was useful about older vocabularies of mass audience, gate-keeping, agenda-setting, and power and communication - seeks to both accommodate and go beyond these in dealing with significant changes in the global communications environment. Transnational media, for example, are arguably becoming complex platforms of "softpower" of "public diplomacy," mediating political conflicts and shaping worldviews in a globalized political sphere.
Within this framework of transformation, transnational media research is needed which helps to detect new phenomena, reflect worldwide "flows" in view of different cultural and societal parameters, and define new structures of "power," of participation and democratic discourse.
This preconference will provide a broad platform for the discussion of new emerging paradigms, approaches, and parameters relevant to today's globalized research terrains. The preconference provides a platform for discussing methodological frameworks and the meaning of 'comparison,' but also for sharing research experience in a transnational setting.
In addition to introductory papers, which set the agenda of the conference, five panels such as "Journalism and Political Communication," "Comparative Research and New Media Cultures," and "Difference in Comparative Research" will debate the role of comparative research.
But the preconference is not only a platform for academic debate. Research funding in our discipline is a key aspect for successfully building a new transnational research environment. The preconference will also discuss the funding policies of major research foundations. Among invited speakers are representatives of the Markle Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council. In addition, industry representatives will present their approaches to international media research.
The preconference is cosponsored by the Philosophy of Communication Division; the Intercultural, International, and Development Communication Division; and the Public Relations Division. The conference is also sponsored by The Center for Global Communication Studies, Annenberg School for Communication, U of Pennsylvania.
For the organizing team:
Ingrid Volkmer, Vice-Chair
Philosophy of Communication Division
