Call for proposals 2026
The Islam and Media (ISM) Working Group invites the submission of abstracts for its 2026 conference, to be held from 28 June to 2 July 2026 in Galway, Ireland, hosted by the University of Galway.
The deadline for submission is 3 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
Download this call for papers as a PDF file
Theme
IAMCR conferences cover a wide range of topics defined by our thematic Sections and Working Groups (S/WG). Each year, a central theme invites participants to engage in shared reflection across these diverse areas, fostering dialogue and collaboration.
The 2026 central theme, Peripheries and Connections: Media, Communication, and Transformation, addresses the complexities of contemporary media systems in a polarised and interconnected world. By interrogating the tensions between centrality and marginality—whether geographical, cultural, political, or conceptual—this theme aligns with IAMCR’s commitment to fostering critical and inclusive dialogues across diverse perspectives.
Consult a detailed description of the main theme
Humanity has gone through times when knowledge was difficult to obtain, but if you could access it, you had confidence that what you knew was credible. Now, knowledge is easily accessible and at our fingertips thanks to the exponential progress in information technology and communication networks, but it does not have the same level of credibility and may even be completely fake. There are many challenges that this reality entails. The first is how we can follow the mechanisms that ensure access to reliable knowledge and how these mechanisms achieve justice and equality in access to knowledge for every human being without discrimination. The second challenge is how we can benefit from this knowledge in constructive human communication between societies and promote the values of truth, justice and freedom in a way that achieves our humanity in its highest form.
As we witness armed conflicts around the world, particularly the wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan, it becomes clear that our humanity needs reinvention and maybe redefinition. This can only happen through the efforts of all intellectuals, media scholars, and those who believe in freedom and justice for all people everywhere. The Islam and Media (ISM) Working Group invites researchers to propose their contributions to Galway 2026 in alignment with the theme: "Knowledge of Islam as a means of sustaining communication and constructive transformation".
Considering this call, we invite papers that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- The impact of digitization on validity, and credibility of knowledge.
- The impact of algorithms on knowledge of Islam and Muslims.
- The role of media in religiously based conflicts.
- Demonizing the other as a driving force for accepting genocide.
- Multi-model discourse analysis in understanding humanitarian issues with political and cultural dimensions.
- Role of media literacy in shaping independent self-awareness of knowledge sources.
- Humane technology as a means of liberation from the networks’ hegemony.
- Misconceptions as viral content on social media.
- The war on Gaza and changing perceptions about Islam and the Palestinian cause.
- Islamic ethical and juridical discourse on Gaza war crimes.
- Critical analysis of international media narratives on contemporary global conflicts.
- (Re) connecting Ummah and digital spheres.
- Marginalization of representation, recognition and resistance.
- Colonial legacies and media representations.
This call seeks to encourage interdisciplinary discussions, merging media, communication studies, Islamic studies, and social activism. We welcome both theoretical papers and empirical studies engaging diverse methodological approaches, including content analysis, discourse analysis, ethnography, and case studies.
Guidelines for abstracts
Abstracts should be between 800 and 1000 words. They must be submitted exclusively through IAMCR’s submission system from 28 November 2025 through 3 February 2026 at 23:59 UTC. Abstracts submitted by email will not be considered.
It is expected that each person will submit only one abstract. However, no author’s name should appear on more than two abstracts, either individually or as part of any group of authors and authors should not submit more than one abstract to any single section or working group. 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. Authors submitting the same work to multiple Sections or Working Groups may be removed entirely from the conference programme.
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
- Depth of knowledge of the research, theory and/or literature related to the proposed topic as evidenced in the submission
- Relevance to the Islam and Media working group and current trends or controversies in its field
Acceptance of proposals may also be conditioned by programme diversity and balance criteria.
Languages
The Islam and Media Working Group will receive and evaluate abstracts in English.
ISM-WG Best Papers Award, Galway 2026
We are pleased to announce that ISM-WG is granting three awards to best papers for the sixth year in a row to acknowledge distinctive contributions to the main themes of the ISM-WG. The selected papers are supposed to enrich the research scope of Islam and Media working group and match criteria that required compliance with five standards:
- Originality of the paper and relevance to Islam and media.
- Research methods and overall organization.
- Language and writing style.
- Comprehensiveness and cohesiveness of literature review.
- Conclusions and contribution to existing knowledge.
The award committee consists of four members:
- Fatma Elzahraa Elsayed – Chair of ISM-WG
- Abida Ashraf – Vice Chair of ISM-WG
- Saima Shahid – Vice Chair of ISM-WG
- Bushra Hameedur Rahman – ISM-WG Senior member
The three winning papers will be granted 100 U$D each. All papers presented in the sessions of the ISM-WG at the Galway conference are eligible to be selected.
Statement on use of AI tools
IAMCR does not encourage or condone the use of generative AI tools to prepare abstracts submitted for consideration for our conferences. IAMCR values originality, integrity, and transparency in academic work, and believes that human-authored contributions best support rigorous and innovative scholarship in media and communication research. Should an author choose to use a generative AI tool in the preparation of an abstract, we require that they include a clear statement within their submission disclosing the tool's use. This statement must specify: (1) the name of any AI tool used; (2) how the tool was used in preparing the abstract, and; (3) the reason for using the tool. Failure to disclose the use of generative AI in accordance with these guidelines may impact the evaluation and acceptance of the submission.
Intention to attend
Each abstract submitted to IAMCR represents a real cost to the Association and contributes to the workload of volunteer reviewers and organisers. As the number of submissions each year far exceeds the available presentation slots, we ask authors to submit only if they genuinely intend to attend and present their work at the conference if accepted.
Deadlines and key dates
The deadline to submit proposals is 3 February 2026, at 23:59 UTC. Other key dates. Dates are subject to change.
About the Islam and Media Working Group
Learn more about the work and scope of the Islam and Media Working Group.
Contact the Working Group
Chair: Fatma Elzahraa Elsayed (Cairo University, Egypt) zahraafat@cu.edu.eg
Vice-Chair: Abida Ashraf (University of the Punjab, Pakistan)
Vice-Chair: Saima E. Shahid (University of Punjab, Pakistan)
