Retrospect, Reflection and Praxis
An IAMCR pre-conference
Description
The topic of "Rural Areas and Development" is a classic proposition in the field of communication studies, and it also bears deep traces of the Cold War. Since the 20th century, rural societies in the Global South have undergone earth-shaking changes and have experienced an acceleration of the North-South gap. In the digital revolution of the 21st century, how can communication studies transcend the constraints of the old and new Cold Wars to contribute to the common modernization process of the Global South? This requires a fresh look at the successes and failures of development communication studies, effectively incorporating local experiences of rural development in the Global South, including China, to connect history with practice, and to actively promote the paradigm shift in development communication studies, making academic contributions to world peace and global development. This forum encourages dialogue among theoretical research, historical research, and field research, and welcomes submissions of papers from students and academics coming from all over the world, although the official language of the pre-conference will be English.
Keynote speakers
- Welcome: Professor Karen Arriaza Ibarra, Complutense University, IAMCR Vice president, Spain
- Opening: Professor Lu Xinyu, East China Normal University (ECNU), China
- Professor Martin Becerra, the National University of Quilmes (UNQ), Argentina
- Professor Elisa Oreglia, King's College London, UK
- Professor David Craig, University of Southern California (USC), Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, USA
- Professor Y.M. Dorien Kartikawangi, Atma Jaya Catholic University, Indonesia
- Professor LU Miao, Department of Cultural Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong, China
- Professor WANG Weijia, School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, China
- Closing remarks: Professor Jack Linchuan Qiu, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication & Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Location
Genting Hotel Jurong
Address: Town Hall Link 608516 – Singapore
Telephone: +65-65779900
Date and time
Saturday 12 July, 2025
From 9h00 until 17h00
Participation
Participants are required to submit a Word document with one 400–500-word abstract proposal in English, indicating author’s name, email and affiliation to the following email address: ecnu_iamcr2025@163.com, no later than 20 April, 2025.
Original submissions will focus on, but are not limited to, the following areas:
- History and retrospective of digital economy, communication and rural development in the Global South.
- Experiences of digital economy, advances and obstacles faced in rural areas in the Global South.
- Media (or other) communication related to rural development and/or digital economy in the Global South.
- Comparative analysis from Global South countries related to this pre-conference topics.
- Examples of modernization processes and failures on digital economy and rural development in the Global South.
- Possible future scenarios of digital economy, communication and rural development in the Global South.
Registration
Estimated cost charged to each participant is 40 SGD for students and 80 SGD for faculty members, which will be used exclusively to cover for the coffee-breaks, drinks, and sandwiches that will be served during the event. Once accepted, payment and registration for participants is required one month prior to the pre-conference.
Detailed pre-conference calendar is as follows:
- Until April 20: abstract submission period.
- May 12-13: email notification of decisions to authors.
- From May 12 until June 12: period for participants’ payment of fees (instructions will be sent to authors) and registration open.
- June 30: Pre-conference Programme published.
- July 12: Pre-conference takes place at Genting Hotel Jurong, Singapore.
Convenor
The School of Communication at East China Normal University (ECNU) is a prestigious institution with a rich history and academic excellence. The Journalism and communication education at ECNU has a long-standing history dating back to 1920 with the establishment of the Journalism Department at St. John's College, initiating the higher education of Asian journalism. The School of Communication was officially founded in 2004, continuing the legacy of journalism and communication education from the merged universities of Kwang Hua and Great China, which were known for their practical education philosophy and strong patriotic spirit. The School aims to construct a development pattern of "big communication" and form the disciplinary predominance of "big communication", focusing on the development of visual culture and cross-cultural communication, education journalism communication and new media, advertising and media economics, film and television art and communication, and editing and publication and media culture research.
Organisers
- Wang Feng, Dean, School of Communication at East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai
- Wang Weijia, School of Journalism and Communication at Peking University, China
- Lu Xinyu, Zijiang distinguished professor at East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai
- Karen Arriaza Ibarra, Professor at the Faculty of Communication at Complutense University Madrid, Spain
- Jack Linchuan Qiu, ACRC (Asian Communication Research Centre), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
