Autor: BVS

Dezbatere: Acces deschis la datele din cercetare, 2019

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Săptămâna Guvernării Deschise (Open Government Week) este o acțiune anuală ce are loc la nivel global, fiind inițiată și promovată de Parteneriatul pentru Guvernare Deschisă. Timp de o săptămână, în perioada 11-17 martie 2019, reprezentanți ai guvernelor, lideri politici și experți din întreaga lume se vor întâlni pentru a face schimb de idei, a găsi soluții și a se angaja la acțiuni de creștere a nivelului de implicare a publicului în procesul de guvernare. Ca parte a acestui eveniment, Secretariatul General al Guvernului, în parteneriat cu Institutul de Cercetare a Calității Vieții și Centrul pentru Inovare Civică organizează întâlnirea cu tema Acces deschis la datele de cercetare.

Întâlnirea va avea loc la sediul Institutului ce Cercetare a Calității Vieții, Calea 13 Septembrie nr.13, începând cu ora 10:30, în sala 2374.

Pentru participare, vă rugăm ca, până la data de 10 martie 2019, să completați formularul de participare sau să ne contactați la ogp@gov.ro.

Agendă eveniment:

10:30 – 10:40
Cuvânt de deschidere
Cătălin Zamfir, Director ICCV
Ovidiu Voicu, Centrul pentru Inovare Publică, moderator

10:40 – 10:50
Prezentarea angajamentului Acces deschis la datele din cercetare în contextul Planului Național de Acțiune pentru implementarea Parteneriatului pentru Guvernare Deschisă (OGP)
Larisa Panait – Secretariatul General al Guvernului, Punct de contact OGP;
Ministerul Cercetării și Inovării (to be confirmed)

10:50 – 11:10
Planul S – suntem pregătiți?
Nicolaie Constantinescu, Kosson

11:10 – 11:25
Proiectul OpenAIRE și rezultatele obținute
UEFISCDI (Alina Eremia)

11:25 – 11:45
Experiența ICCV în procesul de deschidere a datelor din cercetare – bune practici
Eugen Glăvan, Bogdan Voicu, Mălina Voicu, Institutul de Cercetare a Calității Vieții

11:45 – 12:30
Discuții libere

  • Oportunitatea ca ICCV să devină instituție pilot în cadrul angajamentului MCI din PNA 2018-2020;
  • modalități de îmbunătățire și replicare a bunelor practici ICCV;
  • utilizarea experienței OpenAIRE în demersurile ICCV;
  • identificarea pașilor ce ar trebui urmați pentru definirea și adoptarea unei strategii naționale privind accesul liber la rezultatele programelor de cercetare finanțate din fonduri publice, în contextul tendințelor de la nivelul Uniunii Europene.

CfP White-Collar Education in Central and Eastern Europe’s Socialist Systems, Bucharest, 2019

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International Conference White-Collar Education in Central and Eastern Europe’s Socialist Systems , Bucharest, July 4-6, 2019

The fate of universities, higher education and the related knowledge production during Eastern Europe’s communist regimes has only discontinuously come under scrutiny by historians and other social scientists, for reasons having to do, among other things, with the marginal role of higher education in the functioning of socialist systems, the scarcity of theoretical frameworks for their examination, and the meager access to relevant sources and evidence. Existing studies have aimed to provide economic models of higher education policies or demographic trends, and stressed the connection between higher education and production policies in countries of the region, e.g., during the 1960s and 1970s. This conference aims to bring together scholars interested in studying the various ways the communist policies and social change impacted on the functioning of universities,  the professionalization of the faculty and their students, and related networks, inside or outside universities, with other research or cultural institutions of the regimes, such as academies, research institutes, library systems, publishing houses, journalism schools or other cultural institutions, however lop-sided, responsible for knowledge production and mobilization. 

The conference is a follow-up of the research project Economic Planning, Higher Education, and the Accumulation of Human Capital in Romania during Communism (1948-1989)  http://ephe-ro1948-1989.blogspot.ro financed by the National Research Council (ID_PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0476), and in connection with the project Confounding Freedoms: Academic Autonomy at a Sovietized University, financed by the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities  Research Council through an Insight Development Grant (2018-2020).

The main topics on which we expect contributions are:

  1. Ups and Downs of Massification
  2. Faculty Recruitment, Professionalization and Agency
  3. Forms of Student Agency
  4. Ideological Uniformization Against Divergence in Educational Attainment
  5. Workers versus Higher Education Graduates in Socialist Enterprises and Institutions

Any other topic considered appropriate will be welcomed. Presentations based on a comparative approach are encouraged. We are very much interested in analyses focusing on national and/or local case-studies.

The submission of paper proposal will consist of filling in a proposal form (see infra) and of attaching a short CV (no more than one page) to epherom@gmail.com

Deadline for submission: April 15, 2019

The official language of the conference will be English.

Organisers:

Hosting institution

Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, in cooperation with the Interdisciplinary School for Doctoral Studies, University of Bucharest, and with the Museum of the University of Bucharest

Scientific Committee

  • Peter Apor (Central European University, Budapest/Vienna)
  • Ulf Brunnbauer (Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, Regensburg)
  • Romiţă Iucu (University of Bucharest)
  • Brigitte LeNormand (University of British Columbia – Okanagan)
  • Bogdan Murgescu (University of Bucharest)
  • Florentina Nițu (University of Bucharest)
  • Robert Reisz (Western University Timişoara)
  • Jan Sadlak (IREG Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence)
  • Manfred Stock (Martin Luther Universität Halle-Wittenberg)
  • Manuela Ungureanu (University of British Columbia – Okanagan)

Organising Committee

  • Drd. Marius Ștefan Deaconu
  • Drd. Diana Alexandra Dumitrescu
  • Dr. Matei Gheboianu
  • Dr. Valentin Maier

Dates and deadlines

April 15, 2019 Deadline for paper proposals submission
April 30, 2019 Notification of paper acceptance
June 15, 2019 Notification of the draft program of the conference
July 4-6, 2019 Days of the conference
July 7, 2019 Departure

Practical aspects

The participants are expected to arrive in Bucharest on Thursday, July 4, 2019, before noon (afternoon we plan the first meeting), and to depart on Sunday, July 7, 2019. Accordingly, the organizers will provide accommodation for 3 nights, as well as conference materials, refreshments for coffee breaks, lunches and dinners. The participants are expected to fund from other sources their travel costs, but, in case of need, the organizers will assist them in their fundraising efforts.

CfP De l’Ouest à l’Est: Métamorphoses des Discours en Europe

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APPEL À COMMUNICATIONS COLLOQUE INTERNATIONAL Bucarest, les 24 & 25 octobre 2019

De l’Ouest à l’Est : Métamorphoses des Discours en Europe

Cet événement est organisé sous l`égide de l`Observatoire des discours et contre-discours relatifs à la construction européenne (France) et bénéficie de l`aimable support du Centre Régional Francophone de Recherches Avancées en Sciences Sociales (CEREFREA) à Bucarest

Dans un contexte européen marqué par l`essor des positionnements, des acteurs, des stratégies et des discours antagonistes, où nos interactions se sont transférées de plus en plus en milieu virtuel, notre colloque propose d`interroger les significations actuelles des discours visant la relation Ouest-Est en Union européenne, ainsi que leurs transformations émergentes, vu les contextes et les provocations locales, régionales et européennes. L`intérêt scientifique de notre colloque vise à revisiter la thématique centrale de l`idée européenne qui a réuni et divisé à la fois, et cela pendant plusieurs siècles, les différentes régions de l`Europe, rendant possible la construction européenne d`aujourd`hui. Cette dernière semble avoir assumé une mission sensible de transformation discursive perpétuelle, de nouveau remise en question sous l`emprise des nouveaux médias – un facteur exogène qui provoque de véritables métamorphoses des discours européens circulant de l`Ouest à l`Est, du Nord au Sud et vice versa. Un discours émergeant, prenant des formes variées, souvent traduites en contre-discours, semble dominer l`espace public européen en construction et le remettre en cause. Son examen scientifique reste difficile à cerner, si on l`étudie du point de vue d`une seule discipline. C`est la raison pour laquelle l`ouverture interdisciplinaire en sciences humaines et sociales reste le pari scientifique de notre colloque.

Nous proposons trois axes afin d’approfondir toutes ces problématiques :

Axe 1 : Métamorphoses actuelles des discours en Europe : transformations des discours européens ; politique européenne de communication et enjeux actuels ; stratégies discursives des acteurs européens ; nouvelles formes des discours de confrontation en relation avec des processus en œuvre (migration et libre circulation, accueil des réfugiés, populisme, etc.) ou avec les thématiques européennes de tradition (l`avenir de l`Europe, les élections européennes, l`espace public européen, l`opinion publique européenne, les valeurs européennes, la démocratie européenne, les droits de l`homme en Europe, la monnaie unique, les politiques communes de l`Union européenne etc.)

Axe 2 : La relation Est-Ouest en Europe : définitions historiques, sociales, sociétales, anthropologiques, politiques et communicationnelles de la relation Est-Ouest en Union européenne ; la « division Est – Ouest » à l`ère des nouveaux medias ; une Europe ou plusieurs ? ; citoyenneté et identité européennes à deux vitesses ? ; l`exploration de la relation entre discours d`Europe et géographie de l`Europe.

Axe 3 : L`Europe en ligne : de la domination symbolique à l`hyperréalité et vice versa ; l`Europe et le débat européen en ligne ; thématiques privilégiées du débat européen sur les réseaux sociaux ; opinion publique européenne en ligne – ses choix et ses discours ; médias traditionnels vs. médias numériques interrogeant l`Europe et ses discours.

Informations pratiques concernant la participation

Les contributions attendues doivent s`inscrire dans l’un des axes thématiques proposés, et consister en approches empiriques, études de cas ou études comparatives entre différents discours, supports, plateformes, dispositifs, idéologies, stratégies, comportements, régions etc. au travers l`Europe géographique et/ou virtuelle. Les approches interdisciplinaires en sciences humaines et sociales seront vivement appréciées. Les propositions de communication de maximum 500 mots vont indiquer le titre de la communication, l`axe choisi, le nom de l`auteur, son affiliation académique et son adresse mail, le résumé comprenant la relevance du sujet proposé dans le contexte thématique du colloque, l`approche méthodologique et l`indication précise du corpus utilisé/étude de terrain réalisée, ainsi que 3-4 références bibliographiques.

Les langues du colloque sont le Français et l`Anglais.

Les propositions feront l’objet d’une évaluation en double aveugle par les membres du comité scientifique de notre colloque international. La date limite de soumission des propositions par mail colloquebucarest2019@gmail.com est fixée au 30 Avril 2019. Les notifications d`acceptation seront envoyées le 31 Mai 2019. Suite au colloque, des possibilités de publication sont proposées par les organisateurs, les deux faisant l`objet d`une nouvelle évaluation en double aveugle par les membres du comité scientifique du colloque : un numéro spécial de la revue Romanian Journal of Sociological Studies (indexée ERIH PLUS, EBSCO et CEEOL), éditée par l`Institut de Sociologie de l`Académie Roumaine (normes ici : http://journalofsociology.ro/category/rjs/), et les Actes du colloque (en Français), aux Editions Ars Docendi de l`Université de Bucarest. La date limite pour l`envoi des textes est fixée au 1er Décembre 2019.

Invités en conférence plénière :

Prof. Diana MISHKOVA (Centre for Advanced Study Sofia)

Prof. Émérite Jean-François TÉTU (IEP Lyon)

Prof. Ioan PÂNZARU (CEREFREA, Université de Bucarest)

Comité d’organisation :

Valentina PRICOPIE (Institut de Sociologie de l`Académie Roumaine)

Mădălina BĂLĂȘESCU (Université de Bucarest)

Oana BĂLUȚĂ (Université de Bucarest)

Andreea NICOLAESCU (Institut de Sociologie de l`Académie Roumaine)

Adriana ȘTEFĂNEL (Université de Bucarest)

Comite scientifique :

Luminița ROȘCA (Université de Bucarest)

Pompiliu ALEXANDRU (Université Valahia de Târgoviște)

Vyara ANGELOVA (Université Kliment Ohridsky, Sofia)

Julien AUBOUSSIER (Université Lumière Lyon 2)

Ecaterina BALICA (Institut de Sociologie de l`Académie Roumaine)

Laura BĂDESCU (Institut de Théorie Littéraire « G. Călinescu » de l`Académie Roumaine)

Ionela BĂLUȚĂ (Université de Bucarest)

Ozana CUCU-OANCEA (Institut de Sociologie de l`Académie Roumaine)

Cristina DÂMBOEANU (Institut de Sociologie de l`Académie Roumaine)

Ligia Stela FLOREA (Université Babes Bolyai, Cluj)

Nicu GAVRILUȚĂ (Université Alexandru Ioan Cuza, Iași)

Ion GLODEANU (Institut de Sociologie de l`Académie Roumaine)

Corinne GOBIN (Université Libre de Bruxelles)

Claudiu MARIAN (Université Babes Bolyai, Cluj)

Ioan PÂNZARU (CEREFREA, Bucarest)

Rachele RAUS (Université de Turin)

Alina ROMAȘCU (Université Pasquale Paoli, Corte)

Cosima RUGHINIS (Université de Bucarest)

Horațiu RUSU (Université Lucian Blaga de Sibiu)

Antonio SANDU (Université de Suceava)

Romina SURUGIU (Université de Bucarest)

Dimitris TRIMITHIOTIS (Université de Chypre)

Vous pouvez télécharger l’annonce en format pdf ici. Version anglaise ici.

ESA Conference 2019 – Deadline extension

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EUROPE AND BEYOND: BOUNDARIES, BARRIERS AND BELONGING

The new and final deadline for abstract submission for the ESA 2019 conference is 15 February 2019. You can submit your abstract for the 14th ESA Conference in Manchester, 20-23 August 2019, for two more weeks, until 15 February 2019(including the day of the 15th, until midnight UK time).

Submit your abstract here: www.conftool.pro/esa2019

Read the Notes for Authors here: https://www.europeansociology.org/conftool/abstract-submission

Check the conference FAQs here: https://www.europeansociology.org/faq

Remember that you can submit to 5 Semi-Plenaries, 37 Research Networks, 33 Joint Sessions, 19 Research Streams, or the pre-conference PhD Summer School.

The Call for Papers is here: https://www.europeansociology.org/sites/default/files/public/PDFs/ESA_20…

We look forward to your abstract!

In encouraging presenters and other conference participants to think Beyond Europe we wish to consider contemporary developments, processes, practices and subjectivities not only through the lens of Europe and European sociology, but also as central to the development of sociology, or sociologies, for the present and the future. We cannot and should not ignore the factors which are re-shaping Europe from within, such as the effects of globalization, nationalism, populism and migration and, of course, ‘Brexit’. However, it is also crucial that we continue to look towards the possibilities of a global sociology which also takes account of the local without being parochial.

Boundaries and boundary making spans the sociological spectrum, from how we create and reinforce the markers of distance and difference in social interaction, through the ways in which communities and groups are divided from each other by ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation and other dimensions of inequality. Boundaries are underlined through the extreme divisions of our living conditions: homelessness, ghettos and gated communities. Divisions are being reinforced between citizens and non-citizens as well as between Europe and the rest of the world. Social, symbolic and material boundaries affect us all.

We will also explore the Barriers which reinforce these boundaries: barriers to movement, whether for asylum, migration, work or education; barriers to reflection and understanding; barriers to better living conditions; barriers to cooperation and empathy; barriers created through politics and policy – intended and unintended.

Belonging is an increasingly contested idea, reinforced as nationality through populism and the far right, disrupted by war, violence, racism and other forms of rejection. It is also created and re-created in communities of necessity and choice and through intimacies, transformations of the self, and our understandings of home. New types of belonging are emerging through virtual networks and communities which challenge both traditional and sociological thinking.

The 14th ESA conference will offer opportunities to engage not only with the content of sociological research and theorizing, but also with the ways in which our discipline has been and is being shaped, both in and beyond Europe. Where are the boundaries of the discipline? How can we address barriers to its development both inside and outside of academia? What does it mean to belong to the community of sociologists?

We are sure that the conference will give a wide range of sociologists, other academics, practitioners and fellow travellers, an excellent opportunity to present and engage with research and scholarship and also to explore the potential influence of sociology in the public sphere. The conference theme calls for thinking in new ways about persistent inequalities, for challenging dominant discourses and for taking a fresh look at abstract concepts in order to better understand how sociology can contribute, both in theory and practice, to the unmaking and rethinking of ‘boundaries’ and ‘barriers’ and to understanding ‘belonging’.

CfP DIPRC2019, London

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DIPRC2019: Digital Inclusion Policy and Research Conference 2019

University of Liverpool in London, Finsbury Square

London, UK, June 18-19, 2019

As more of our everyday lives become digital, from paying bills, to contacting companies and services and keeping in touch with your friends and family – it has become crucial to include everyone in the online world. What type of skills do people need to ‘be digital’? Do different people from different ages and abilities need different types of skills and training? And how can we foresee what skills will be needed for future work? While these questions have been occupying the private sector and policy makers, as more tasks become automated and digitalised they become ever more crucial.

Evidence shows that inequalities in access to and use of digital media have measurable impacts on the life chances, health and economic wellbeing of citizens. The GoodThings Foundation published a reporton September 2018 which identified that over 11 million UK citizens lack the basic digital skills they need to participate fully in our digital economy. As the Foundation predicts, by 2028 the UK will lose over £22 billion of value as a direct result of digital exclusion.

Since the introduction of machine learning and artificial intelligence research has shifted to understanding inequalities in complex skills and use. In addition, as ‘fake news’ and misinformation have become common practice by various entities it has introduced new avenues to include in digital literacies. This shift has become key to some governmental digital strategies, such as those of the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and their equivalents around the globe. This conference will bring together academic research with policy makers and stakeholders to review the current state for the art in digital inclusion policy and practice.

The conference will draw upon over two decades of research, policy, and practice. Over this time digital inequalities, digital inclusion and digital literacies have changed in response to developments in digital technologies and media. Though key themes have remained, such as: material and financial access; skills and digital literacy; effective use by citizens and communities; the impact of socio-economic factors; motivation and attitudes; and, more recently socio-economic and socio-cultural variations in patterns of usage. Digital inequities therefore have become an important part of broader persistent issues of social equity and justice.

The primary aim of this conference is to link up international policy efforts to address digital inequalities, access and skills with the outcomes of recent research at from around the globe. The intention being to support sharing best practice and research insights.

The conference will be a mix of invited presentations from policy and research colleagues, along with open paper sessions. For the open sessions we seek presentations that cover empirical research as well as policy and practice interventions, such as:

  • Data analysis of levels of digital inclusion/exclusion and engagement
  • Studies on the link between misinformation and data literacies
  • Studies of the impacts of digital exclusion
  • Policy interventions
  • Case studies of initiatives and programmes
  • Case studies of community impact

Submission and Registration Guidelines

The conference is FREE of charge. To register go to the Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/diprc2019-digital-inclusion-policy-and-research-conference-2019-tickets-55022589045.

If you wish to present a paper or case study please submit a 300 word abstract by 31st March 2019 to: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=diprc2019.

Acceptance notification will be sent by 25th April 2019.

Contact

The conference is organised by Professor Simeon Yates and Dr. Elinor Carmi, Department of Communication and Media, Faculty of the Humanities and Social Sciences, School of the Arts, Liverpool University, UK

For questions and other inquiries please email Dr. Elinor Carmi – Elinor.Carmi@liverpool.ac.uk.

We look forward to seeing you in June!

Venue

The conference will run from 18 June to 19 June at the London Campus of the University of Liverpool, University of Liverpool in London, 33 Finsbury Square, London, EC2A 1AG: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/london/  – just off London’s “Silicon Roundabout” district: http://www.siliconroundabout.org.uk/ .
Do you have questions about DIPRC2019: Digital Inclusion Policy and Research Conference 2019? Contact School of the Arts – University of Liverpool                  

CfP UAF, Lisbon, 2019

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“Please mind the gap between the train and the platform”

Surely, if you heard that phrase with your eyes closed, you would know you are in the London Underground. That iconic phrase has inspired many artists in recent years and is infiltrated in thousands of films and TV series having the city as a scenario. It is not the only phrase we can find in different modes of transport, both public and private, and often accompanied by colorful characters such as the Paris metro bunny, who asks us to respect other users.

Public transportation is a reflection of contemporary societies, postindustrial cities and the high need to travel long distances in the shortest time possible, commute from the center to the periphery, or simply visit a city in a tourist way. There are many types of transport available today, but it seems that we could concentrate on private and public transport, individual and collective (motorized and não motorized). Each transport is associated with a different type of user, of practice, of social class … and each one also hides a history and its own dynamics.

Without a doubt, moving means time; but at the same time, space. But we must not forget that it also means big companies, monopolies of transport systems, privatizations of public transport companies, conflicts between operators and concessionaires, strikes, delays, stress … A whole conglomerate of hostile situations, which are not framed at any land design nor any architecture concept: sometimes dark places, soulless, a non-place as Augé would call it. On the other hand, we can see it as meeting points, who has not given an appointment to a beloved person in a metro station?

In recent years new forms of transport have emerged: some reinvent themselves, others take advantage of opportunities to complete a salary. Companies of the circular economy grow to the detriment of taxi drivers, generating conflict for their permanence. The cobbled streets of Lisbon are filled with tuk tuks, and Amsterdam increases its bicycle rental park every year. Sharing is moving in the city, but nothing like moving alone, “get going” and get lost in the streets of Buenos Aires. Although … walking alone can also be dangerous, depending on where we walk and more if we have a problem that limits our mobility. Cities were not always thought for all people.

Smart transports promise to reduce accidents, the main cause of death in many Western societies. Accidents and traffic are the subjects of the news, they are tragic, and rethinking transportation is an important need. The monitoring and control of traffic is necessary for the balance on the road, can we get to mechanize this?

Transport infrastructures are important and they are very different, from bridges to roads, roads, highways, airways, water … the human being has designed a map of routes to get from one place to another. People, objects, goods travel constantly in a non-stop, often locatable through applications, websites, and GPS services.

The way to navigate the city, the world has changed with new technologies. The maps fit in the palm of our hand and they even talk to us and tell us how to avoid radars. New technologies allow us to pay tolls quickly, to find a flight for little money, and have infiltrated our daily lives without hardly realizing it.

Going home to school, from work to the supermarket … we usually think about doing this with our own vehicle (who has it, because it is necessary to have licenses and considerable capital to keep it). But … who has not ordered food at home? New services of fast transport arise to help us with small and big daily tasks, they change us the daily life.

Driving and feeling the wind on your face is, perhaps, one of the best-known ideas of those who love automobiles. High speed and dynamism, coupled with sports adrenaline are things that captivate bikers. It is common to find groups and associations of friends that gather around these machines. But is it the same for everyone? Recently the veto on women to drive was lifted in the countries of the Middle East, generating much controversy and putting the issue of gender in transport. Even today, in some countries, it is surprising to get on a bus and find a female driver. There are also many prejudices about women at the wheel and even more so when they are transport-professionals.

Although many people travel, frequently for reasons of work or pleasure, others prefer to stay at home, even reaching the point of the so-called hikikomori (hermit) who never leave their rooms. Sedentary presents the other side of a mobile society.

We invite all the authors to submit your work thru our platform here.

Have a look at the important dates.

And drive safely.

CfP IAMCR, Madrid, 2019

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The International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites the submission of abstracts of papers and proposals for panels for the 2019 Congress of the Association, which will be held from 7 to 11 July, 2019 at the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. The deadline for submission is 8 February 2019, at 23.59 UTC.

IAMCR conferences address a wide diversity of topics defined by our 32 thematic sections and working groups. We also propose a single central theme to be explored throughout the conference with the aim of generating and exploring multiple perspectives. This is accomplished through plenary and special sessions, and in some of the sessions of the sections and working groups. The central theme for 2019 focuses on communication, technology, and human dignity.

Download this call for proposals as a PDF file

Consult the calls for proposals of IAMCR’s 32 thematic sections and working groups

Submit your proposal

Communication, Technology, and Human Dignity: Disputed Rights, Contested Truths

The year 2018 saw the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At its heart was the premise that everyone had the right to live in dignity. In the intervening years, with the successive growth of television, the explosion of digital media, and the emergence of artificial intelligence, communication systems have become ever more central to organizing every aspect of daily life, prompting renewed attention to questions around their role in both supporting and subverting the exercise of rights and the achievement of universal dignity.

The right to voice and visibility, to have one’s experiences and ideas fairly represented in the heartlands of public culture is now established as a basic human right alongside rights of access to the comprehensive information and analysis that supports individual expression and social participation on a basis of equality, dignity and mutual respect.

Under current conditions these fundamental communication-related rights are under increasing pressure and threat. Control over the organisation of innovations in communication and their applications has increasing passed from governments to corporations. Concern with the public interest and the common good has been increasing displaced by business models designed to maximise revenues. These models are bolstering appeals to consumption while weakening the social contract of citizenship, providing new and largely unregulated platforms for the dissemination of rumour, misinformation and ‘fake’ news, ushering in the era of so called ‘post truth’ and reinforcing social and political polarization

These developments are taking place against a backdrop of rapidly widening inequalities of income and wealth both within countries and between different areas of the world. One visible manifestation of these changes is the escalating volume of migrations driven by political and environmental as well as economic pressures. The resulting expansion in the numbers of refugees and displaced persons poses new challenges for the rights of minorities and for guarantees of personal freedom and full access to citizens’ rights

With Communication, Technology and Human Dignity as the principal themes, the 2019 Madrid Congress aims to generate a cross-disciplinary debate that brings differing but interacting perspectives to bear on the urgent issues raised by present developments. This objective will be the primary focus of the plenary sessions and special sessions and as in previous years we encourage sections and the working groups to pay particular attention to the core themes in organizing their programs, while not precluding presentations based on recent research and theorizing in other areas covered by their remits.

The objective should not simply be to present new evidence and theorizing on key issues, but to reflect on the situation today in order to suggest how present developments may unfold in future and to engage with the challenges they present for research, policy and action.

At IAMCR Madrid 2019, we aim to analyse the impact of the latest advances in communication technology on society, culture and human rights, giving special importance to the quality and authenticity of sources and messages in view of increased mechanization and artificial intelligence. The context of these problems is how the advance of technology affects the quality of human life, how communication technology affects the objectivity of facts, and how the geopolitical and socioeconomic contexts are affected by the most recent changes in the structure and modes adopted by communication processes.

Present tendencies and scenarios pose urgent questions for individual and social rights. How can communication continue to facilitate human connection ,understanding and mutual respect in the face of the ever-increasing technological nature of the media and geopolitical turbulence? How can we define and reflect on our personal and social identities at a time when the emerging technologies and other factors call into question the established notion of “belonging to a nation”?

We are faced then with clear challenges in respect of the quality of communication, the quality of life and human dignity.

We encourage participants to address these issues both from the viewpoint of the predominant communication systems and from those which are arising from the use of the new technologies – artificial intelligence, the growth of automation and robotics, Big Data and the Internet of Things. We also welcome analyses which re-evaluate and take a fresh look at human dignity in respect of geopolitics, the present-day socio-economic context, religion, transparency, accessibility and discrimination, and the re-composition of power, in the overall context of the implications of technology and communication in an interconnected world.

Topics addressing the central theme could include the following, among others:

  • Process automation and its relevance in respect of journalism
  • Big Data and its implications regarding privacy
  • The massive use of control systems in political and legal decision making
  • The organization of international political and economic systems at the service of individuals and groups in society
  • The basis of human rights in a society which is becoming ever more technological and turbulent
  • Equality and discrimination from the point of view of migration, membership, citizenship and the “right to belong”
  • Theoretical and applied research in Communication, Human Dignity and Communication
  • “Post-truth” from linguistic and other viewpoints
  • Fake news and social network bots
  • Digital journalism and today’s challenges in writing and publishing news
  • Open source apps for news and journalism
  • Journalism and computer programming
  • International law and its effective application in different regions
  • The value of texts such as Article 1 of the European Charter of Fundamental Rights
  • Online advertising and its implications for consumers and their privacy
  • D&A (Data & Analysis) and confidence in senior management
  • Social impact of investments and divestments
  • Machines and robots in audiovisual imagination (their depiction in cinema and literature)
  • Artificial intelligence and games
  • Under-age and young audiences and new mediations
  • Ethics in automated media
  • Communication to empower citizens and reinforce their rights
  • Big Data to generate trust in media
  • How technology threatens and enables communication processes
  • How communication and technology challenge copyright and intellectual property
  • Human dignity, health communication and solidarity
  • Poverty, inequality and the throw-away society
  • The challenges of iHealth (telemedicine, etc.)
  • Cultural studies
  • Human dignity and religion

Not all submissions have to address the central theme. See the individual calls for proposals of the sections and working groups for other themes.

Sections and Working Groups may use additional criteria and may assign different weights to the above criteria. Consult the specific CFP or contact the head of the Section and Working Group you want to submit to if you have questions. Abstracts must be submitted from 3 December 2018 through 8 February 2019. We welcome both individual abstracts and panel presentations. We ask you to kindly submit proposals in good time at the abstract submission site – https://iamcr-ocs.org.

Deadlines and important dates

The deadline to submit abstracts is 8 February 2019, at 23.59 UTC.

  • 3 December 2018 – Abstract submission system opens at https://iamcr-ocs.org
  • 8 February 2019 – Deadline to submit abstracts
  • 28 March 2019 – Abstract decisions announced by sections and working groups
  • 7 April 2019 – Deadline to apply for travel grants and awards
  • 11 April 2019 – Deadline to confirm participation
  • 7 May 2019 – Draft conference programme schedule released
  • 14 May 2019 – Last day for Early bird registration
  • 7 June 2019 – Deadline for full paper submission
  • 17 June 2019 – Last day for changes to be made in the print version of the programme
  • 7-11 July 2019 – IAMCR Conference

Languages

Different sections and working groups have different policies regarding languages. Some accept abstract and programme sessions in English, French and Spanish while others conduct their programmes in only one or two languages. Consult the individual CfPs for details on the language policy of each section.

Guidelines for abstracts

Abstracts should be between 300 and 500 words, unless a particular Section or Working Group establishes their own criterion in this respect. All abstracts must be submitted through the IAMCR Open Conference System. Abstracts sent by email will not be accepted.

It is expected that each person will submit only one (1) abstract. However, under no circumstances should there be more than two (2) abstracts bearing the name of the same author, either individually or as part of any group of authors. Please note also that the same abstract or another version with minor variations in title or content must not be submitted to more than one Section or Working Group. Such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be rejected by the OCS system, by the relevant Head or by the Conference Programme Reviewer. Authors submitting them risk being removed entirely from the conference programme.

Technical guidelines, if any, are defined by the individual Sections and Working Groups. If you have questions, consult the Section or Working Group’s specific CFP or contact the head of the Section and Working Group that interests you.

For further information, please consult the IAMCR Madrid 2019 web page or contact the Local Organizing Committee by email: madrid2019@iamcr.org or the heads of the section or working group you are interested in.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Submitted abstracts will generally be evaluated on the basis of:
  • Theoretical contribution
  • Methods
  • Quality of writing
  • Literature review
  • Relevance of the proposal to the work of the Section or Working Group
  • Originality and/or significance

Sections and Working Groups may use additional criteria and may assign different weights to the above criteria. Consult the specific CFP or contact the head of the Section and Working Group you want to submit to if you have questions.

Venue of the Congress

The IAMCR Madrid 2019 Congress will take place at the School of Communication of the Complutense University of Madrid, situated on the Moncloa Campus at the Avenida Complutense. It is near the city centre, with a Metro station only 5 minutes away and less than a 30 minute walk from Moncloa or the Halls of Residence area. Moncloa is a communications hub, and a well-known shopping and touristic area of the capital.

The School of Communication teaches degree courses in Journalism, AV Communication and Advertising and Public Relations. Master and doctoral degrees are also taught in Audiovisual Heritage and Multimedia Journalism and Communication (from a variety of viewpoints: socio-cultural, political, organizational, audiovisual, social, etc.). Demand for degree courses was such that the original building soon became insufficient and in 2003, a second teaching centre was added adjacent to the old one; the new building houses lecture halls for senior students, masters’ courses, offices for professors and lecturers and a large auditorium.

The School of Communication will soon become the second largest centre of the University in terms of the number of students and the largest of its type in the country. The Faculty is proud to serve the enormous demand for communication-related degrees.

Download this call for proposals as a PDF file

Consult the calls for proposals of IAMCR’s 32 thematic sections and working groups

CfP Conferința ULBS, 2018

BVS

Vă invităm să participați la Conferința Anuală a Cercetării de Sociologie și Asistență Socială, ediția a XVII-a, organizată de către Universitatea „Lucian Blaga” din Sibiu în perioada 14-15 decembrie 2018. Propunerile de lucrări pot fi trimise până la data de 03 decembrie 2018 folosind formularul de aici. Lucrările pot să vizeze teme din lista de mai jos, fără însă a fi limitate la acestea:

  • Etnicitate și migrație
  • Stratificare socială și inegalitate
  • Identitate națională și europeană
  • Populism
  • Rețele sociale și socializare
  • Internet și media digitale
  • Familie și stiluri de viață
  • Sănătate și boală
  • Noi direcții metodologice în studiul fenomenelor sociale
  • Tinerii și socializarea
  • Discriminare și integrare socială
  • Abordări de gen în studiul inegalității sociale
  • Grupuri vulnerabile și politici sociale
  • Educație și acces la educație
  • Sociologie economică și antreprenoriat
  • Sociologie rurală
  • Asistența socială a vârstnicilor
  • Mediul organizațional și adaptarea la piața muncii
  • Comportament politic și electoral
  • Partide politice și clivaje sociale
  • Mișcări sociale

În cadrul conferinței va fi organizat și atelierul „Combinarea metodelor în culegerea și analizarea datelor sociale”. Pentru a participa la acest atelier, vă rugăm să completați formularul de aici.

Pentru mai multe detalii, vă rugăm să accesați pagina de internet a conferinței la adresa: http://conferences.ulbsibiu.ro/depssw/

CfA ”New Secular Religions”, with prof.dr. Nicu Gavriluță

BVS

This event will take place on the 18th of October, 16.00-18.00, Council Room, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work (Schitu Măgureanu. nr.9), sector 5, Bucharest.

,,We live in a world in which religiosity has unexpected sides see is the  secularisation we’ve covered the Occident and it is spreading at a global  level. In his book, Nicu Gavriluta analyses the rupture between the  traditional religions in the new secular ones which tend to generalise and  to bring major changes in our lives. Do you Internet, finances, new  mass-media, political correctness, transhumanism or posthumanism generate  radical modifications in politics society and in universal fields creating  new religions with still unknown gods. But is this the direction that we  want? The new secular religions raise some questions regarded the path we  choose to follow and tries to enlighten the positive and negative aspects  that might wait for us at the end of the road”.

CV available here.

More information on ICUB website. 

CfP 8th Conference of the European Survey Research Association, Zagreb, 2019

BVS

The 8th Conference of the European Survey Research Association will take place 15th-19th July 2019 in Zagreb, Croatia.

The scientific committee is now inviting researchers who are active in the field of survey research, survey methodology and data analysis to submit proposals for individual paper and poster presentations.

To be part of the conference programme, start by selecting a suitable session for your presentation. Here is a complete overview of all 120 sessions that are being organised.

Please submit an abstract (max. 300 words) to the session of your choice via the ESRA conference management system by 18th November 2018.

To submit an abstract you must login to your ESRA account (or create a new account if you do not already have one) and then follow the instructions provided. Please note that it is only possible to submit two abstracts as the first author/presenter.

The conference theme is ‘Highlighting the contribution of survey research in the changing data environment.’  We welcome submissions related to this theme, or in any other area of survey methodology or substantive area of survey research. We encourage proposals from researchers with a variety of backgrounds, including academic research, official statistics, commercial research, and government social research.

The following are examples of topics that are of particular interest, and the list of available sessions broadly covers these areas:

Survey methodology and survey practice:

  • Questionnaire development, testing and piloting; measurement issues
  • Online survey methods and surveys on mobile devices
  • Mixing modes and mode effects
  • Fieldwork processes, including responsive and adaptive designs
  • Collecting biomarkers and other specimen data within surveys
  • Innovations and emerging methods: life-tracking and sensor data; blue-tooth and near field technology; web scraping for data collection
  • Gamification of surveys
  • Analysing, monitoring and reducing Total Survey Error; using paradata to evaluate survey quality
  • Sample designs, coverage, and sampling (probability and nonprobability); hard-to-reach populations
  • Unit and item nonresponse
  • Interviewers and interviewer effects 
  • Methods for cross-national and cross-cultural surveys
  • Longitudinal surveys
  • Experiments in general population surveys

Data management and post-survey processing

  • Data documentation, archiving and data access
  • Linking survey data to auxiliary data sources (administrative and big data sources)
  • Privacy and confidentiality; consent
  • Data security and access
  • Applications of machine learning methods (e.g. for data linkage)
  • Post-survey processing – coding and editing; related errors
  • Weighting in probability and nonprobability-based sample surveys
  • Imputation methods

Developments in survey analysis techniques

  • Longitudinal analysis techniques
  • Multi-level techniques
  • Comparative methods and equivalence testing
  • Methods to estimate and adjust for survey errors
  • Social network analysis
  • Visualisation of survey data

Substantive applications of survey research

  • Election polling and public opinion
  • Values
  • Migration
  • Social indicators
  • Comparative research
  • Evaluation research
  • Life course studies

All abstracts will be reviewed by the session organisers and the ESRA Conference Committee.  Decisions will be communicated by the end of January 2019.  Please note that, if accepted, your abstract may be assigned to a different session than the one you submit it to.

Don’t miss the opportunity to be part of the ESRA 2019 programme! Submit an abstract today!