Dear AIR-Lers, Here's a call for papers for a web-related conference which some of you may find of interest. Kind regards, Gustavo Gomez-Mejia CELSA Université Paris-Sorbonne ***Apologies for cross-postings*** EVALUATION IN THE MEDIA International Conference Paris March 15-16, 2012 http://www.evalmedia2012.fr/ Call for Papers CONFERENCE PRESENTATION The aim of international conference “Evaluation in the Media” is to question the role of the media in the process of evaluation; they form an integral part of what may be termed the “culture”, the “fever”, the “mania” and the “explosion” of evaluation procedures observed in developed countries since the 1970s. While recognising that evaluation procedures – and the role of the media therein – were not novel, this conference aims to explore how the evaluation process has became ever more linked to the media (press, radio, television, web) in contemporary society. The conference will stress mechanisms of evaluation based on quantification or “evaluative measures” such as: “rankings”, “winners”, “tops”, “lists”, “league tables”, “ratings”, “barometers”, “dashboards”, “benchmarks”. The conference will also pay attention to qualitative evaluation mechanisms that likewise flourish in the media: “prizes”, “labels”, “contests”, “rewards”, “trophies”, etc. By focusing on such traits, the conference hope to throw light on the rise of impersonal evaluation mechanisms, that exist alongside the traditional journalistic genres based on the expression of personal opinion (editorial, op-ed piece, criticism,...); the media appear to simultaneously fulfill the roles of producers and coproducers,of relays and critics. Four specific questions will be addressed. The first one is concerned with the origins, production processes and conditions – social, economic, journalistic, material, technical and legal – that underpin how the media become producers or co-producers of the evaluation process. Editorial and visual forms, ceremonies and events, and the communication processes in general that characterise evaluation mechanisms will be another theme of the conference. We consider here that these evaluation procedures are held not only to favour the production of “knowledge” but also to promote its dissemination and recognition. Media evaluation mechanisms also circulate more or less in various social spaces (media, political, economic, professional, civic, cultural, consumerist, ...). By analyzing the circulation of such evaluation mechanisms, the conference will attempt to shed light on both success and failures in the communicative process. Finally, the conference will address the effects of media evaluation. The proliferation of evaluation procedures leads to an increase in the instances, mechanisms and numbers of actors involved in the overall process. In this regard, the conference is open to any field as long as the approach is in line with the general scientific guidelines outlined previously. The following list is indicative, not exclusive: the areas covered will include higher education and research, regions, culture, education, health, web, brands, capital, finance, communication, tourism, wine, sports, media, business, etc. Proposals may come from the humanities and the social sciences: media studies and communication, semiology, sociology, history, political sciences, linguistics, economics, etc. PROPOSALS Submission deadline – June 24th, 2011 Scientific committee notification of acceptance – July 20th, 2011 Mailing address for submitting proposals – evalmedia2012@gmail.com Content and framework of proposals – Proposals will include a maximum 6 000 characters. They will be structured in four parts: a) argument, explaining the theoretical framework and approach of the problem b) methodological framework, presenting the empirical material and the methodology; c) originality, specifying the relevance of the proposal and d) bibliography, comprising the eight main references. Proposals should include the following: 1) title 2) first name, 3) name, 4) professional status, 5) institution, 6) country and 7) email (professional and/or private) Please note that full papers (between 30 000 and 40 000 characters) for accepted abstracts will have to be submitted to the scientific committee no later than November 30th 2011 for the publication of the conference proceedings. Languages of proposals – English or French Format of proposals – .doc Conference Organizing Committee Julie Bouchard (University Paris 13); Etienne Candel (University Paris Sorbonne – Celsa);Hélène Cardy (University Paris 8); Gustavo Gomez Mejia (University Paris Sorbonne – Celsa) Conference Scientific Committee Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz (University of Leipzig) ; Christine Barats (University Paris 5); Julie Bouchard (University Paris 13); Etienne Candel (University Paris Sorbonne – Celsa); Hélène Cardy (University Paris 8) ; Patrice Carré (Telecom ParisTech); Jean-Baptiste Comby (University Paris 3); Emmanuel Didier (EHESS) ; Brooke Duffy (University of Pensylvania); Michel Durampart (University of Toulon) ; Wendy Espeland (Northwestern University); Andreas Fickers (Maastricht University); Pascal Froissart (University Paris 8); Gustavo Gomez Mejia (University Paris Sorbonne – Celsa) ; Yves Jeanneret (University Paris Sorbonne – Celsa); Alice Krieg-Planque (University Paris 12) ; Sarah Labelle (University Paris 13) ; Joëlle Le Marec (University Paris 7); Guy Lochard (University Paris 3) ; Cécile Méadel (Mines ParisTech Graduate School); Claire Oger (University Paris 13) ; Stéphane Olivesi (University Lyon 2); Michael Palmer (University Paris 3) ; Frédéric Pierru (CNRS); Philip Schlesinger (University of Glasgow); Michel Sénécal (University of Quebec in Montreal); Emmanuël Souchier (University Paris Sorbonne – Celsa); Joseph Turow (University of Pennsylvania); Jacques Walter (University Paul-Verlaine) Guest Speaker Wendy Espeland, Northwestern University Conference Website: http://www.evalmedia2012.fr/