SMALL MEDIA SYMPOSIUM 2011 | CALL FOR ABSTRACTS The Small Media Initiative invites submission of abstracts for its 2011 Small Media Symposium to be held at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London on 8 – 9 April 2011. In August 2010, Wired published an article entitled From Samizdat to Twitter: How Technology is Making Censorship Irrelevant. Is it? Indeed, for many, samizdat is a relic from the distant analog past. A quick glance at the news seems to suggest that we are living in the digital age of Twitter revolutions. The role played by social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube in contentious politics continues to be passionately debated by academics, activists, politicians and pundits. While there are plenty of examples of creative new politics, the recent protests in Burma, China, Iran, and Egypt remind us that governments can simply shut communication down. The question then becomes where do we go after moving from samizdat to Twitter? What alternative channels and technologies of communication can facilitate the flow of information when authoritarian regimes flick the kill switch and what alternative political practices can we invent to circumscribe state repression? The February events in Egypt suggest that alternatives can be as low-tech as the paper leaflets with practical and tactical advice for demonstrators that have been circulating in Cairo or as high-tech as the speak-to-tweet application that lets individuals dial a phone number and leave (or listen to) a message translated to text on a Twitter page. These alternatives we call small media, while others call them alternative media, participatory media, and social movement media. This wide range of communicative and political practices will be the focus of the Small Media Symposium that will take place at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London on 8-9 April 2011. Areas of Interest The symposium, to include a conference open to the public on 8 April 2011 and closed-door workshops on 9 April 2011, aims to bring together theorists and practitioners across all disciplines and sectors, including academics, activists and developers, to foster discussions about small media theory, practice and innovation. We invite contributions by academics and practitioners on a wide range of topics and a wide range of approaches related to small media. Research, practical experience insights, product demonstrations, case studies, work-in-progress/posters, conceptual papers and proposals for workshop themes are all welcome. Possible areas of focus include but are not limited to: - small media theory: concepts and framing - state/media dynamics - un/successful use of small media - promotion of small media - distribution of small media - sustainability of small media - the changing nature of politics, political practice - the role of human networks - imagination and emotion in small media: beyond the counter-information paradigm - organizing small media democratically: problems and challenges Deadline and submission details The deadline for submission of an abstract (400 – 600 words) is 10 March 2011. Abstracts can be submitted to contact@smallmediainitiative.com Travel and accommodation We have a limited budget to assist with travel and accommodation costs. For further information, please contact us at contact@smallmediainitiative.com More information http://www.smallmediainitiative.com Partners Internews Centre for Media & Film Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Index on Censorship