The Participatory Communication Research (PCR) Section successfully conducted its programme at the annual conference of International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) held from 20th to 24th June, 2018 in Eugene, Oregon USA. During the five intellectually stimulating days of the conference, the PCR section hosted 42 paper presentations spread across 12 panels exploring theory and practice of participatory communication. The PCR section had earlier invited 64 selected proposals which consisted of 63 individual proposals and 1 joint panel proposal (consisting of 5 papers) to present at the IAMCR 2018, and we are happy to report that a large number of presenters were able to attend the conference and present in the section. The highlight of the PCR section programme in 2018 was the continuing tradition of a keynote panel delivered by Noted American activist and author, Tom Atlee who made a presentation titled, Catalyzing a society’s empowered common sense: Three instructive examples. To illustrate his ideas, he used examples which provided insights into his work on deepening participatory democracy in society.
The 12 panels of the section were built on the basis of thematic affinity – encompassing a wide range of issues addressed by the Participatory Communication Research section of the IAMCR. Language was only used as secondary criterion to cluster the papers based on the strong belief that content should get priority and that the panels should bring together people that work on the same issues, whatever the language of the presentation might be. The PCR section has a language facilitation strategy and is striving to provide as many language facilitators as possible during a panel to overcome the challenges of mixed language panels. Three out of the 12 panels in 2018 were mixed language panels, with presentations made in both English and Spanish.
The panels titles include (but are not limited to) Discursive approaches towards participation, Participation, democracy and Culture, Institutions of participation: Civic/community/activist media, Participation, development and sustainability. The panels truly reflected the PCR section's mandate of addressing issues related to communication between community members and other stakeholders that are engaged in processes of social change. Further, continuing its partnership and collaboration with other sections and working groups of the IAMCR, one of the panels hosted by the PCR section, titled Institutions of participation: Civic/community/activist media was co-sponsored by Community Communication and Alternative Media (COC) Section of IAMCR. The PCR section also co-sponsored a panel titled Voices at the margins, voices of dissent: Communicative practices of minority, activist and marginalised social groups which was hosted by the COC section.
The PCR section also hosted a business meeting during the conference which was attended by several members of the section. During the meeting, Prof. Nico Carpentier, Chair of the PCR section, with support from Ana Duarte Melo (Vice-chair) and Siddharth Chadha (Secretary) briefed section members in the audience about the work completed by the section in the previous year and the plans for the coming year.