The Rural Communication (RUC) Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites the submission of proposals for papers and panels for IAMCR 2024, which will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand, from 30 June to 4 July 2024.
The deadline for submission is 7 February 2024, at 23h59 UTC.
The Rural Communication Working Group aims to provide a platform for academic scholars and professionals working in the field of rural communication. The focus of our work is more than just rural communication service provision but exploring the breadth of formal and informal communication platforms to formal and informal communication processes. This encompasses technologies ranging from rural radio to ICTs, from farmer field schools to rural telecommunication infrastructure. The key is that we focus on communication in rural areas, and the intersection between communication and rurality. The motivation for this work comes from the recognition that rural contexts post particular opportunities and challenges for communication activities. If communication is to serve a social purpose, these dynamics need to be understood. Therefore, we focus on rural innovations and interventions, social change and development that responds in a sustained and inclusive manner to communication needs of rural populations.
See the CfPs of all sections and working groups
Theme
IAMCR conferences address many diverse topics defined by our 33 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, as well as in some of the sessions of the sections and working groups.
The central theme for 2024 focuses on "Whiria te tāngata / Weaving people together: Communicative projects of decolonising, engaging, and listening" - which draws upon a Maori proverb about the strength that comes through common purpose.
Consult a detailed description of the main theme
For this conference, with the theme of “Whiria te tāngata / Weaving people together: Communicative projects of decolonising, engaging, and listening”, we are interested in papers, panel proposals and facilitated discussion sessions that bring a critical lens to rural communication from a range of disciplinary and thematic contexts. We expect that for this conference theme, there will be at least one panel session about methodologies and one about inclusive communication in rural areas. We would especially like to have a thematic session about rural voices and amplifying marginalised rural perspectives. We are open to creative and interactive presentations/facilitated sessions, including examples of communication from practitioners.
Further topics of interest to the working group include innovative methodologies and new technologies for rural communication and extension; interdisciplinary multi-stakeholder actions and social learning; innovation system approaches and knowledge brokering; monitoring and evaluation for learning and institutional change; research and transdisciplinarity in rural communication for development theory and practice, and; mainstreaming communication in rural development policies.
Rural Communication Services Research Award
In cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), IAMCR is offering three awards of 2,700 USD to authors of papers that advance our understanding of applications of Rural Communication Services (RCS), particularly in the areas of agriculture, family farming, natural resource management, climate change adaptation, food security, and disaster risk reduction and management.
Eligibility: To be eligible for the award, you must be a current (2024) member of IAMCR.
Submitted research must demonstrate how it will contribute to our understanding of rural communication, RCS, and the application of these in Africa, Asia, or Latin America.
The 2,700 USD is to be used to defray the costs of presenting the work at a special panel at IAMCR’s 2024 conference. The selected papers will be published in a FAO/IAMCR publication.
Interested authors must submit abstracts of their papers by the 7 February 2024 deadline, indicating that they wish to be considered for the FAO/IAMCR Award in step 5 of the submission process, “Topics”. Authors of selected abstracts will be informed by 21 February 2024 and required to submit final papers by 21 April 2024. The FAO/IAMCR Award selection committee will evaluate the eligible papers and announce the winners no later than 7 May 2024.
More information about the RCS Research Awards >>
Guidelines for abstracts
Abstracts are requested for papers to be presented in person at the conference in Christchurch. Abstracts submitted to the Rural Communication Working Group should have between 300 and 500 words and must be submitted online here. Abstracts submitted by email will not be accepted.
The deadline to submit abstracts is 7 February 2024, at 23.59 UTC.
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. The same abstract, or a 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 abstract submission system, by the Head of the section or working group or by the Conference Programme Reviewer. Authors submitting the same work to multiple Sections or Working Groups risk being removed entirely from the conference programme.
Proposals are accepted for both single papers and for panels with several papers (in which you propose multiple papers that address a single theme). Please note that there are special procedures for submitting panel proposals.
See important dates and deadlines to keep in mind
Evaluation criteria
Submitted abstracts will generally be evaluated on the basis of:
- Technical merit
- Readability
- Originality and/or significance
- Use of or contribution to theory
- Relevance to the working group
Languages
The Rural Communication Working Group accepts abstract submissions in all three official languages of the association - English, French and Spanish. Presentations are also welcome in any of the three languages, but we recommend researchers to prepare their slides in English to facilitate comprehension and discussion.
See resources for IAMCR conference preparation and participation
For further information about the Rural Communication Working Group, its themes, submissions and panels contact the Co-chairs Sarah Cardey [s.p.cardey@reading.ac.uk] or Rico Lie [rico.lie@wur.nl] or the Vice-chair Maria Stella C. Tirol [mctirol@up.edu.ph].
