CALL FOR PAPERS 2025

CALL FOR PAPERS

INTERNATIONAL ONLINE CONFERENCE

Media in America, America in Media

27-28 March 2025

Rhetoric of the borders

We invite the submission of abstracts for the Media in America, America in Media international conference to be held online on 27-28 March 2025. This is the fifth edition of a joint effort of American Studies and Communication and Journalism scholars from Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, Poland, who aim to generate a cross-disciplinary debate that brings together divergent yet complementary voices reflecting on American media environment and America’s portrayals in media across the globe. The 5th edition of our interdisciplinary conference will be held in conjunction with the Erasmus+ project MigraMedia, which connects a consortium of seven European universities dedicated to exploring the representation of migration in visual media within social and transnational contexts.

Conference Theme: This year’s conference delves into the multifaceted concept of “borders”—geographical, cultural, social, ideological and metaphorical. We aim to explore how borders are constructed, represented, and contested in media, and how these representations impact and reflect societal attitudes towards migration, inclusion, and diversity.

Topics of Interest: Apart from exploring the theme of Rhetoric of the Borders, the conference Media in America, America in Media addresses a wide variety of topics across the disciplines of media, political science, language and cultural studies. They may include the following themes, among others:

1. Media Representations of Geographical Borders:

Depictions of national and regional borders in film, television, and digital media
The role of media in shaping public perceptions of border security and immigration policies

2. Cultural and Social Borders:

Media narratives that highlight cultural differences, multiculturalism and integration/division
The portrayal of migrant identities and communities in visual media
Representation of social divides, such as race, ethnicity, gender, and class, in media

3. Political and Ideological Borders:

Media’s role in shaping and reflecting political divisions, such as partisan divides and ideological conflicts
Analysis of media rhetoric in political campaigns, movements, and discourse

4. Economic Borders:

Representation of economic disparities and class divides in media
Media coverage of issues like poverty, wealth inequality, and labor migration

5. Virtual and Digital Borders:

The impact of social media on the perception and experience of various types of borders / boundaries / limits
Digital divides and access to media among various types of populations
Cybersecurity, digital privacy, and the First Amendment in the context of media consumption and production

6. Metaphorical Borders:

Exploration of metaphorical borders such as the boundaries between public and private spheres, reality and fiction, and traditional and new media
The use of metaphorical language in media to describe and navigate societal issues

7. Historical Perspectives:

Comparative studies of border rhetoric across different historical periods and media forms
The evolution of border rhetoric in American and global media

8. Interdisciplinary Approaches:

The intersection of media studies with sociology, anthropology, and political science in understanding migration and borders
Innovative teaching methods and their role in enhancing media literacy and critical thinking regarding border/divisive/inclusive discourses among students

9. Case Studies and Comparative Analyses:

In-depth examinations of specific migration films and border representations
Comparative analyses between American and European media portrayals of social, political, and cultural divides

The conference is being held under the patronage of the Polish Rhetoric Society.

Abstracts (150-250 words) in English + a short bio should be sent by February 15th, 2025 through an online form. There is no registration fee. The details can be found on the conference website https://mediaameryka.wixsite.com/umcs

For the 2025 edition of Media in America, America in Media conference publication we are pleased to announce the cooperation with two peer-reviewed open access academic journals: Res Rhetorica and New Horizons in English Studies. Full article submission deadline is May 31, 2025. The post-conference volumes are scheduled for publication in 2025 (NHES) and 2026 (RR).

Due to the interdisciplinary character of the conference, the invitation is addressed to representatives of all scientific disciplines dealing with the topic of media.

We look forward to seeing you at our online event,

The Organizing Committee

Anna Bendrat, Ph.D.

Elżbieta Pawlak-Hejno, Ph.D.

Lidia Kniaź-Hunek, Ph.D.

Ewa Antoszek, Ph.D.

Zbigniew Mazur, Ph.D., habil.

Patrycja Winiarczyk, MA

Submission Form