Political Economy Section

Call for Proposals

The Political Economy (POE) Section invites the submission of proposals for papers and panels for IAMCR 2027, which will be held in São Paulo, Brazil, from 18 to 22 July 2027, hosted by the School of Communications and Arts at the University of São Paulo (ECA/USP) in partnership with the Associação de Apoio à Arte e Comunicação (ARCO).

The deadline for submission is 12 February 2027 at 23:59 UTC.

Download this call for papers as a PDF file

Central theme

The 2027 central theme is Multilateralism, Democracy, Diversity: Communication for a More Just World. It addresses the fraying of global governance, the erosion of democratic institutions, and deepening social fragmentation. The Political Economy Section approaches these crises, for instance, through questions of power, ownership, and labor. We ask who controls the infrastructures, data, and capital that shape global communication. We are particularly interested in the concentration of platform and AI power in a few global hubs. Submissions may examine how this concentration affects the Global South. They may also address digital sovereignty and algorithmic colonialism. We welcome work on disinformation, public trust, and the struggles of workers and social movements. We also seek analyses of alternatives, such as public goods, commons, and counterhegemonic projects (see details below).

IAMCR marks 70 years since its first conference in Paris in 1957. We encourage papers that connect this history to the decolonization of media and communication studies and to the pursuit of a more just world.

Consult a detailed description of the main theme

The IAMCR Political Economy Section is excited that the conference themes are highly topical in light of current political, economic, and ecological conditions. Political economists of communication have long leaned on critical scholarship – including Marxist, feminist, and critical race theorists, among others – to examine power relations under capitalism with a specific focus on the struggle for control of communication resources. These analyses may focus on the centers of capitalist power, the peripheries of power, or the dialectical relationship between them. This includes analyses of the ongoing mergers, acquisitions, and the consolidation of power among large capitalist firms as well as analyses of counterhegemonic movements that seek alternatives to capitalist value production and the struggle for a more just and equitable future.

We therefore invite papers and panel proposals that investigate the central conference theme from a political-economic perspective. We are interested in submissions that critically interrogate the power relations that underpin the structure and direction of current global transformations and evolutions, which are driven, amplified, and complicated by media, communication, and technology. We are particularly interested in papers that examine the impact that communication has on the material world as well as papers that examine the power relations between the centers and peripheries of global power. We also encourage scholars to continue engaging with enduring political economic questions by examining these emerging and pressing issues or those that suggest new ways forward for this tradition of scholarship.

We encourage participants to critically examine the ways that governments, corporations, institutions (or other structures and social formations) impede or facilitate struggles for environmental justice, human dignity, survival, and a common future. In what political-economic logics, ideological structures, and social imaginaries are people reshaping or adapting to the environment? In what ways, and in what directions, are people struggling for equity and sustainability? What are the obscured communicative practices or emergent alternatives in a digitized world? And what opportunities do media, technology, or digital platforms provide to extend or resist these forces?

In addition to and /or in articulation with the conference sub-themes, the Political Economy Section also welcomes submissions on:

Political economy of:

digital broadcasting, telecommunications, social media, and mobile communications
audiences
journalism
AI, AR/VR, Big Data, and surveillance
the media and climate change/Anthropocene
cultural industries, cultural economy, and cultural diversity
urban ecosystem and its relationship to rural and surrounding territories

Political Economic Critiques of media/communication informed by:

feminist theory
critical race theory
intersectionality
critical disability studies
queer theories

Relationship between media and finance capital:

Media, capital, and financialization of corporate media
Communication/mediation of markets and finance

Labor, social movements, and activism

Civil society, participatory democracy, media activism
Cultural and creative labor in the context of digitization and global capitalism
Communication experiences of social media activism around the world
Work, labor, and value
Academic freedom and labor in the context of the corporatization of education

Policy and laws; democracy and citizenship

Media/communication politics, policy, laws, and regulation
Media, citizenship, cultural rights and democracy
Free trade agreements, copyright and communication, and cultural policies

Spatialities/temporalities and capital

Continuities and crises (financial, ecological, moral, others)
Global capital and media power spatialities/temporalities
Smart city and sustainable cities

Rethinking the economy

Moral economies, gift economies, public goods, and free culture/free economics
De-commodification, de-growth, de-marketization, or de-convergence in communication

Guidelines for abstracts

Abstracts submitted to the Political Economy Section should have between 500 and 1000 words in length and must be submitted through IAMCR's submission system from 9 December 2026 through 12 February 2027 at 23:59 UTC. Abstracts submitted by email will not be considered.

Authors are expected to submit only one (1) abstract, and no more than one (1) abstract can be submitted as first 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 co-author. Authors may not submit more than one abstract to any given section or working group nor may they submit the same abstract, or a version with minor variations in title or content, 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.

Proposals are accepted for both single Papers and for Panels with several papers (in which you propose multiple papers that address a single theme). Please note that there are special procedures for submitting panel proposals. You can find the detailed procedures when submitting your abstract online in the abstract submission system.

Evaluation criteria

Submitted abstracts will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

Relevance to the section or working group (How appropriate is this submission for the section or working group? Does the paper directly engage with political economy literature?)

Use of or contribution to theory (Does the paper make good use of theory? Will it contribute to it?)

Originality / Significance (Will attendees learn something that they didn't already know from this submission? How original, significant, or thought-provoking is it?)

Technical Merit (How solid is the presented work? Is the evaluation methodology appropriate? Does the data seem accurate? Are there any fatal flaws in underlying assumptions?)

Depth of knowledge of the research, theory and/or literature related to the proposed topic as evidenced in the submission

Readability (How easy is it to understand the submission? Factors that can affect readability include writing style, organization, grammar, spelling, and inappropriate submission length, among others. Minor grammatical and typological errors can be disregarded and should not be a reason to give a low score.

Beyond the standard criteria for individual papers listed above, additional factors will be considered when determining which papers are ultimately invited for acceptance and participation in the annual conference. These factors include geographic diversity, gender diversity, ensuring a diverse mix of junior and senior scholars, and whether papers give voice to subaltern/under-represented groups/countries, or facilitate resistance/praxis.

Languages

The Political Economy Section accepts abstracts in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish but generally encourages the membership and participants to submit and present their papers in English.

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 12 February 2027, at 23:59 UTC.

Other other key dates to keep in mind. Dates are subject to change.

Learn more about the work and scope of the Political Economy Section.

For further information about the Political Economy Section, its themes, submissions, and panels please contact:

Co-Chairs

Randy Nichols (rjnic@uw.edu)
Mandy Tröger (mandy.troger@sh.se)

Vice Chairs

Ana Bizberge (abizberge@pucp.edu.pe)
Micky Lee (plee@suffolk.edu)