CALL FOR PAPERS 2023

CALL FOR PAPERS

INTERNATIONAL ONLINE CONFERENCE

Media in America, America in Media

23-24 March 2023

Mind, Body and Earth

We invite the submission of abstracts for the Media in America, America in Media international conference to be held online on 23-24 March 2023. This is the fourth edition of a joint effort of American Studies and Political Science 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.

In November 2022 the word permacrisis has been chosen as Collins Dictionary’s word of the year. The shortened version of “permanent crisis” describes the feeling of living through a period of war, inflation and political instability. The challenges of rapid climate change and other threats of sustainable development are also among the destabilizing factors which affect our sense of security. All types of crises contribute to the development of a consistent sense of feeling pressured and overwhelmed. Acute stress seems to be a chronic condition of the 21st century. “We are wired to respond to stress and remove it, sometimes even automatically,” says Rajita Sinha, director of Yale Medicine’s Interdisciplinary Stress Center. Yet, she also observes that “life has become more complex, and many situations do not have easy answers.” Therefore, we would like to invite you to share your perspective on how contemporary media conceptualize the human condition in 21st century and how media rethink traditional attitudes to cognitive, mental, physical and emotional responses to rapidly changing human environments.

We are honoured to present our Keynote Speaker, Alexa Weik von Mossner (University of Klagenfurt), a pioneer in the area of affect studies in environmental culture.

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

Apart from exploring the theme of Mind, Body and Earth, 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 representing complex relationships: mind / body / Earth

(In)equity: media on interdependence, sustainability, poverty vs. climate emergency
Balance: ecology of nature vs. ecology of self

Care: Earth care and self care practices in media
Affect: emotionalizing strategies in media

2. Media representing global challenges – past and present

(Perma)crisis: media – crisis managers or crisis instigators?

War/Economy: media on instability and human insecurity
Politics: exploring issues vs. imposing positions
Echo chambers: media for critical thinking or forum for manipulation

3. Media as a tool in identity formation

Representations: majority and the minorities – ideological, feminist, religious, racial, ethnic, LGBTQ+ and other
New phenomena, new audiences: America in TV series, podcasts, games, hashtags, infographics, tweets, pins...
Adaptations: history, literature and art in a new form
Exposure: social media, ingroup affect and virtual ties

Abstracts (150-250 words) in English + a short bio should be sent by February 15th, 2023 through an online form (here).

There is no registration fee. The details can be found on the conference website https://mediaameryka.wixsite.com/umcs

For the 2023 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, 2023. The post-conference volumes are scheduled for publication in 2023 (NHES) and 2024 (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.

Patrycja Winiarczyk, MA