Hi everyone Sheffield is over and Brazil feels a long time away, so how about planning a trip to London in May? I know that not everyone in AoIR identifies with the field of Media and Communication, but I hope this conference is of interest to many of you. Feel free to contact me off-list if you have any questions. Please share widely. Hope to see you there. Conference call for papers — Histories, Presents and Futures of Media and Communication CAMRI, University of Westminster (Regent Street), 22-23 May 2025 In 1975 the first undergraduate Media degree in the UK was launched at the Polytechnic of Central London, now the University of Westminster. To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of this foundational moment, Westminster’s Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI) invites proposals for presentations at a two-day conference in central London on 22 and 23 May 2025. We invite papers and panels that reflect upon aspects of the histories, presents, or futures of the field of Media and Communication. What lessons can we learn from the emergence, shaping and development of this field? Where are we now and how do we matter? And how can we respond as a field to those future challenges — political, social, cultural, environmental, technological — that we can anticipate? Papers may address developments in the subject area over the past half-century, or assess present conditions and states-of-the-art, or engage with coming challenges. They may also consider key developments, events or moments within media industries and cultural practices in those fifty years that have been important in how the academic field has taken shape and in how it has influenced societies. And while the conference is prompted by the anniversary of the institutionalisation of this subject within universities in the UK, and the opportunity for reflection that this offers, global perspectives and contributions are both vital and very welcome. Confirmed keynote speakers Professor Payal Arora, University of Utrecht Professor Nick Couldry, London School of Economics Professor Lina Dencik, Goldsmiths, University of London Professor Guobin Yang, University of Pennsylvania Submission details Proposals should be 200-word abstracts that outline the aims, methods, findings and conclusions of the 15-minute paper. Abstracts should include five keywords and a one-paragraph bio. Keywords, bio, and any references are not included in the word count. Proposals for pre-constituted panels of four papers should include individual abstracts for each paper as well as an additional 200-word rationale for the overall panel. If a pre-constituted panel is accepted, then all presenters must register by the 30 April 2025 deadline. Full written papers are not required. This event is in-person only. Cost: £200 for two days, including lunches, refreshments, and drinks reception on first night. Current PhD students £80. We are unable to offer registration for a single day only. Proposals should be sent to 50years@westminster.ac.uk<mailto:50years@westminster.ac.uk> by 17:00 UK time, Friday 29 November 2024. Timeline Abstract submission deadline: 29 November 2024 Notification of acceptances: 17 January 2025 Registration opens 31 January 2025, closes 30 April 2025 Event: 22-23 May 2025 Venue: University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HW All the best, gm --------------------- Professor Graham Meikle Director, Communication and Media Research Institute College of Design, Creative and Digital Industries University of Westminster, UK National Teaching Fellow<https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/awards/teaching-excellence-awards/national-teaching-fellowship> Latest books Deepfakes<https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=deepfakes--9781509548200> (Polity, 2023) Social Media<https://www.routledge.com/Social-Media-The-Convergence-of-Public-and-Personal-Communication/Meikle/p/book/9780367897802> (Routledge, 2024) The University of Westminster is a charity and a company limited by guarantee. Registration number: 977818 England. Registered Office: 309 Regent Street, London W1B 2HW. This message and its attachments are private and confidential. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and remove it and its attachments from your system.