Political communication in times of failed democratic expectations

Download the pre-conference program here 

Conference Description

It is commonly argued that political communication is a symbolic process that reflects a set of dominant values and norms in a given political context. Recent events like the Brexit vote, the Colombian peace referendum or the presidential race in the U.S. have triggered a global discussion regarding the consequences of simplification in political discourse. This seems to reflect a profound disenchantment between the electorate and the political status quo resulting from post-war democratic consensus. It appears like a series of expectations, from economic growth to public welfare, are no longer met by democracies around the world and, as a consequence, the public is willing to sacrifice ‘ineffective deliberation’ for ‘totalitarian effectiveness’.

Call for Proposal

The IAMCR Political Communication Research Section invites submissions of abstracts for papers for a pre-conference planned for July 15, 2017 in Cartagena, Colombia:

Political communication in times of failed democratic expectations
It is commonly argued that political communication is a symbolic process that reflects a set of dominant values and norms in a given political context. Recent events across Western democracies like the Brexit vote, the Colombian peace referendum or the Presidential race in the USA have triggered a global discussion regarding the consequences of simplification in political discourse.

This seems to reflect a profound disenchantment between the electorate and the political status quo resulting from post-war democratic consensus. It appears like a series of expectations, from economic growth to public welfare, are no longer met by democracies around the world and that, as a consequence, the public is willing to sacrifice ‘ineffective deliberation’ for ‘totalitarian effectiveness’.

Political correctness, it seems, has given way to a rhetoric alien to democratic values like inclusion, tolerance and public deliberation. Political communication has adopted a worrying incendiary tone in light of pressing global issues like immigration, organized crime, populism and extreme nationalism.

It is in light of this particularly adverse context that the Political Communication Research Section calls for contributions addressing the challenges political communication researchers face in the coming years.

Submission of Abstracts

The deadline for submission of abstracts is midnight GMT on March 20, 2017.

Paper proposals based on the general thematic outline above should be sent to christina.holtz-bacha@fau.de.

Extended abstracts (500 -700 words) should outline the research question (referring to the theme of the pre-conference), the methodological approach, data basis and the findings. Decisions on acceptance of abstracts will be communicated to applicants no later than 15 April 2017. Full papers are to be submitted by June 15, 2017.

Contact

 christina.holtz-bacha@fau.de.

Organizer

Political Communication Research Section