IAMCR 2016 conference in Leicester

IAMCR President Janet Wasko signing the agreement with the University of Leicester

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The 2016 conference of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) will be held at the University of Leicester in the UK from July 27-31, 2016. The date coincides with the 50th anniversary celebrations of Leicester's Department of Media and Communication, which was founded in 1966 as the Centre for Mass Communication Research.

Announcing the decision, IAMCR president Janet Wasko recalled that when IAMCR was last held in Leicester, in 1976, it was attended by 300 people from forty countries. "The 2016 conference will be considerably larger, representing the growth of media and communication research around the world as well as IAMCR's growth. Many of our key members have been associated with the University and we look forward to celebrating these historical connections."

Peter Lunt, head of Leicester's Department of Media and Communication and chair of the local organising committee, also recalled the historical links with IAMCR. "Jim Halloran, the founder of the Centre, played a significant role in the development of IAMCR during his time as president (1972-1988) and strong links between the Association and the Department of Media and Communication at Leicester continue today. The conference will be an opportunity to reflect on the role of media and communication in memory and commemoration as well as the history and future of media research.”

The conference's theme, Memory, Commemoration and Communication: Looking Back, Looking Forward, is particularly appropriate for marking the 50 years of media and communication studies in Leicester while also anticipating IAMCR's own 60th anniversary, which will be celebrated in 2017.

Download the draft theme description (PDF)