第七届国际联合暑期班“新媒介、全球传播与地方知识”（2015）公告

Callfor Participants

7thAnnual International Joint Summer School (2015)

New Media, GlobalCommunication and Local Knowledge

Hohhot, InnerMongolia, China

July 20 - August 3, 2015

Organizedby:

The National Centre for Radio andTelevision Studies, Communication University of China

The Communication and Media ResearchInstitute, University of Westminster

School of Journalism andCommunication, Chinese University of Hong Kong

School of Communication, Simon FraserUniversity

Hostedby:

School of Media andCommunication, Inner Mongolia Normal University

Introduction

The 7^thAnnualInternationalJoint Summer School (IJSS) will be hosted by Inner Mongolia Normal UniversityfromJuly20^thto August 3^rd2015 in the historic city of Hohhot,China. Previously held in Beijing, Vancouver and Bangkok, this annual event hasbecome an enriching and empowering platform for young scholarsfrom around theworld to advance debates on critical issues in media and communication.

Theme: New Media, Global Communication and Local Knowledge

What is new inmedia and communication is always a matter of comparative socialand geographic position. However, in today’s networked society, accelerating innovationsin and applications of information and communication technologies (ICTs)aroundthe world has put ‘new’at the centerof allpublic and academic discussionsof everyday life.New mediahas become an encompassing concept with the pretense ofdefining a new era. This discourse is premised on a notion ofirreversible technologicaland even institutionalconvergence,and driven by mechanisms of innovation and obsolescence.Something new is happening but that does notmean that it is occurring the same way everywhere or for the same ends.

By critiquingthe connotations of‘new media’ with the term ‘new platform’,we can formbetterinterpretations ofthe blurring communicative differences between the pastand the present. This, in turn, destabilizes the linear narrative of teleologicalconvergence,which has long shaped the studies of media history and development.It is fair to say that calling for a non-linear perspective of media studies isnot only possiblebut also necessary.

Despitewidely circulatedtheoreticalclaims of both political-economic integration and cultural homogenization,experiencesof globalization have provento be far morediversein theirtrajectories. Appadurai’s(1990) concept of “asymmetrical interdependence”underlines the dynamics of thishistorical process in terms ofthe separate and inconsistent logics underlyingthe scope and interactionsof: finance, technology, ethno/migration, media andideology.Rather than thinking of the world as an increasingly globalizedentity, we are made to recognize inconsistencies, tensions,frictions or even conflicts,and tasked to account for them.

A powerful example of this is theinternational expansion of social media platforms such as Facebook andWeChat. Despitethe rapid and hegemonic growth of each of these platforms, neither are merelyfollowing the techno-deterministic routelaid out in theneoliberal imaginationof the linear narrative, but are developing throughdynamic power relationsembedded in particular social-historical contexts. While Facebook is dominantin most Western countries, WeChat’s growth is almost exclusively based in Chinesecommunities. The “global” expansion of WeChat is thereforelimited to countriesthat are comparatively more connected to China through flows ofpeople andgoods. Simply put, it is hard to draw aunifiedpicture of global media,instigatingthe need formore research based on comparative analysis and providing theimperativefor local knowledge to inform media and communication studies.

From the global to the local, a newchallenge is emerging.Thisdemands not only “global cognitive justice” (Boaventurade Sousa Santos, 2006)by“Looking East and Going South” (Zhao Yuezhi, 2010),respect forlocal cultural tradition and the recognitionof local knowledge and interpretativecommunities, but also amethodological shift to more solid empirical studies ofthe dynamic communicative practices occurring in particular social andhistorical spaces.

With the afore-mentioned concerns inmind, this year’s IJSS is bringing together speakersrepresenting a variety ofdisciplinary backgrounds to address the importance of local knowledge forinforming the processes of globalization and recognizing the diversity emergingout of ‘new’ media.This 15-day summer school will be structured as a series ofacademic activities, ranging from lectures, group work, to conference experienceand a field trip in Hohhot. We are now inviting students and scholars who haveinterest or research experience in this broad area to enroll in our excitingprogram. Please see below to find the details for application and an interimschedule.

An Interim Schedule (July 20 - August 3, 2015)

Confirmed speakers(to be updated):

Zhao Yuezhi, Simon Fraser University,Communication University of China

Hu Zhengrong, Communication Universityof China

XinXin, University of Westminster

Jesse Hearns-Branaman, NationalInstitute of Development Administration, Thailand

Byron Hauck, Simon Fraser University

Application:

Prospective participants are requiredto have a working capacity in English and a relevant academic background. The applicationform and other supporting documents (such as a CV, a personal statement, adetailed research proposal or selected publications) should be submitted to ijss2009@qq.comnolater than May15^th 2015. It is strongly encouraged that you applyearly as acceptance will be made on a first come first served basis.

The IJSS is free of charge but allparticipants are responsible for their individualtravel costs and otherrelevant expenses.

Important Dates:

Application Submission Deadline: 15May 2015

Acceptance Notification Deadline: 1 June 2015

Confirmation of Attendance Deadline: June 16 to July 1 2015

ApplicationForm

If you have any questions or requests,please contact Dr. Ji Deqiang via ijss2009@qq.com。