The Comic Art Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites the submission of proposals for papers 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.
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 2024 central theme is Whiria te tāngata / Weaving people together: Communicative projects of decolonising, engaging, and listening.
Whiria te tāngata, weaving people together in English, is a Māori proverb (whakataukī) about the strength that comes through common purpose. The whakataukī highlights multiple issues that we invite conference participants to explore.
- It invites analysis of commonality in mediated communication, given the weaker power of place-based mass media, the rise of algorithmic culture, the challenges of engaging with difference in multicultural contexts and the crises facing neoliberal globalisation.
- The use of a Māori proverb also invites particular attention to analysis of indigenous communication and other attempts to challenge or rework colonial structures.
- More broadly, the theme invites reflection on the terms and models appropriate to describe contemporary communication, including the political and moral goals embedded in them. It therefore also points to alternative ways of theorising or evaluating communication alongside dominant imaginaries such as the public, and of the colonial and gendered histories that are part of those imaginaries.
- Weaving emphasises the agency of the communicator and directs attention to the valuing of communication as a project or skill, whether that is focused on social change, community or economic gain.
- Weaving also reminds us of the goal of a conference to build common purpose amongst participants.
The Comic Art Working Group is committed to an interdisciplinary approach that could enrich the academic dialogue. We special welcome academic works that expand the topics of our field and bring news and current perspectives of research. Following the main theme of the Conference, the Comic Art Working Group invites submissions relating to it as well as papers addressing the following (but not limited to):
- Comic and pandemic
- Graphic medicine
- Comics as a didactic tool
- Environmental comics
- Comic and social responsibility
- Comic and gender
- Political communication in comic
- Comic and migration
- Political cartoons
- Emergent platforms for comic creation and distribution
- Webcomics
- Preservation of the comic’s cultural heritage
- Comics journalism
- Comic books and libraries
- Semiotics of comics and cartoons
- Hermeneutics of comics
- Comics and graphic novels
- Manga and anime
- Animation
- Virtual Reality
- Comics and Visual Culture
Academic and independent scholars are equally welcome to collaborate. We also welcome submissions from early career researchers and veteran scholars alike.
To keep the dialogue flowing, we have created a page for the group on Facebook. Feel free to join us! https://www.facebook.com/groups/iamcrcomicartwg
We are excited to announce that the Best Paper Award continues: the author/s of the best paper presented in the congress will have the opportunity to publish it in the International Journal of Comic Art (IJOCA), the legendary publication of Dr. John Lent.
Guidelines for abstracts
Abstracts are requested for papers to be presented in person at the conference in Christchurch. Abstracts submitted to the Comic Art 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.
See important dates and deadlines to keep in mind
Languages
The Comic Art Working Group accept abstracts in English and Spanish.
See resources for IAMCR conference preparation and participation
If you have questions contact the Head of the Working Group:
Chair: Laura Nallely Hernández Nieto
nallelyhn@gmail.com
Vice-Chair: Iván Facundo Rubinstein
irubinstein@politicas.unam.mx
Vice-Chair: Citlaly Aguilar Campos
citlaestrella@hotmail.com
