Call for proposals 2026
The Law (LAW) Section 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
The Law Section invites proposals for papers and panels related to any area of media and communication law and policy. We particularly encourage submissions that deal with issues related to freedom of expression and the press and especially those that engage with the central conference theme.
The following topics of interest that connect with the main conference theme, “Peripheries and Connections” may include, but are not limited to:
Legal Frameworks for Peripheral Voices: Examining how the law addresses or fails to address media access, representation, and speech rights for marginalised, indigenous, migrant, decolonial or Global South communities.
Centralised Regulation, Peripheral Impacts: Analyses of regulatory frameworks originating from centres of power (e.g., the EU's Digital Services Act) and their intended or unintended consequences on peripheral actors, smaller markets, and local speech ecosystems.
Connecting and Dividing: The role of law in governing cross-border data flows, media systems, and platform governance, and its impact on global interconnection and fragmentation.
Resistance and Transformation: Legal strategies of resistance, creativity, and innovation from the margins; for example, "lawfare" in media, anti-SLAPP laws, strategic litigation for digital rights, or the creation of alternative legal norms for community media.
The Geographies of Regulation: Tensions between global tech platforms as "central" actors and the "peripheral" but sovereign power of national-level regulation.
More broadly, the Law Section also invites abstracts and panel proposals that address other current and critical questions about media and communication from a legal and ethical perspective, including:
Online Freedom of Expression: Contemporary challenges to online speech, including the regulation of harmful content, disinformation, and information integrity.
Generative AI and Information Integrity: Exploring the legal and regulatory challenges of AI-generated content, including deepfakes, copyright, authorship, and the implications for freedom of expression and public discourse.
Contested Boundaries of Public Speech: Analyses of "cancel culture," social norms, and informal governance, and their complex interplay with platform policies and established legal frameworks for speech.
Limits to Expression: The legal and policy balancing acts related to hate speech, online harassment, and the protection of vulnerable and marginalized groups.
The Digital Services Act (DSA) and Platform Governance: Critical, comparative, or empirical studies on the implementation and global impact of the DSA and Digital Markets Act (DMA), particularly concerning freedom of expression, content moderation, and regulatory centralisation.
Data Privacy, Surveillance, and Digital Rights: Ongoing transformations in privacy law and the challenges posed by state and corporate surveillance.
The Future of Copyright: The future of intellectual property in an age of generative AI and rapid technological change.
Guidelines for abstracts
Abstracts for papers to be presented in person should be between 800 and 1000 words and should include a list of references relevant to the proposed work. 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 section and current trends or controversies in its field
Acceptance of proposals may also be conditioned by programme diversity and balance criteria.
The Law Section may use additional criteria and may assign different weights to the above criteria.
Languages
The Law Section accepts abstracts and panel proposals in English, French, and Spanish. Presentations at the conference are also welcome in any of these three languages. To foster dialogue, we recommend that presentation slides be in English, regardless of the language of presentation.
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 Law Section
Learn more about the work and scope of the Law Section.
Contact the Section
If you have questions, contact the heads of the Law Section. We will be happy to address any queries you may have.
Co-chair: Rodrigo Cetina, rodrigo.cetina@bsm.upf.edu
Co-chair: Lucas Logan, loganp@uhd.edu
Vice-chair: Fernando Gutiérrez-Atala, fj.gutierrez@udd.cl
Vice-chair: Macdonald Amaran, mamaran@bournemouth.ac.uk
