Call for Papers

2017 China Communication Forum(CCF)

Building on BRICS: Belt and RoadInitiative and a new global communication order?

Xiamen University

Fujian, China

26 August, 2017

Organizers

The National Centre forCommunication Innovation Studies, Communication University of China

School of Journalism andCommunication, Xiamen University, China

In Collaboration with

University of Tampere, Finland

University of Westminster, UK

Federal University of Rio deJaneiro, Brazil

Lomonosov Moscow StateUniversity, Russia

University of Hyderabad, India

University of Cape Town, SouthAfrica

Special Support

Universities’Think Tank Union (UTTU)

An increasingly multi-polarworld is undergoing a structural transformation, with power gradually shiftingaway from the West and leading to the emergence of new players. Among a numberof international collaborative mechanisms, the grouping of BRICS (Brazil,Russia, India, China and South Africa) has emerged as an important voice toprovide alternative perspectives on global affairs. Though initially proposedby Russia, the BRICS grouping has been dominated by China – as the world’slargest economy, in terms of purchasing power parity. The remit of theChinese-initiated Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) includes creating globalinformation and communication infrastructure. Though apart from Russia, theother three BRICS nations as yet are not directly involved in the BRI, they arelikely to join, given the scope and scale of the $1 trillion project – theso-called ‘silk road for the twenty first century’ - to link Asia, Africa andEurope.

This offers huge cultural andcommunication opportunities as well as daunting challenges. Will it reconfigureglobal communication? How will the wider world adjust to this power shift andwhat role will the media play in this? In addition to the economic strength,BRICS countries provide potential for technological innovations, fast growingmedia industries and dynamic communication practices for scholars to makeinternational comparisons and explore the potential of a new world informationorder. As the first comprehensive and comparative study of BRICS medialandscape, Mapping BRICS Media (editedby Kaarle Nordenstreng and Daya Thussu, 2015), contended that mediadevelopment in the five countries is changing the global media landscape, andwill challenge the Western dominance.

The 2017 China Communication Forum will focus onmedia developments in BRICS and discuss the visions for a new worldcommunication order, linking it with the BRI. The main theme of the 2017 CCF willbe creation of a new global communicationinfrastructure and how it might influence global media discourses. Relevantsub-themes might include, but are not limited to:

·            Belt and Road Initiative – geo-political and economic dimensions

·            Belt and Road Initiative – cultural and communication aspects

·            Media systems in BRICS countries

·            Internet development in BRICS

·            BRICS breaking Western media hegemony?

·            Social media in BRICS

·            Comparative study of media systems in BRICS and beyond

·            The legacies and relevance of the New World Information andCommunication Order (NWICO) for the digital age

·            Media representations of BRICS by international media

·            Media collaboration in BRICS

·            Chinese media going-out and its global impact

Confirmed speakers:

Zhengrong Hu, Professor, President, CommunicationUniversity of China, China

Heshui Huang, Professor, Vice Dean, School ofJournalism and Communication, Xiamen University, China

Kaarle Nordenstreng, Professor, University ofTampere, Finland

Daya Thussu, Professor, University of Westminster,UK

Raquel Paiva de Araujo Soares, Professor, FederalUniversity of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Elena Vartanova, Professor, Dean, Faculty ofJournalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia

B.P. Sanjay, Professor, Pro Vice-Chancellor,University of Hyderabad, India

Herman Wasserman, Professor, University of CapeTown, South Africa

Yun Long, Professor, Deputy Director, The NationalCentre for Communication Innovation Studies, Communication University of China,China

The 2017 CCF is calling for abstract of up to 500words from both BRICS and international scholars by July 1 to jideqiang@cuc.edu.cn or lizhanfromxmu@xmu.edu.cn. A notice ofacceptance will be sent off by July 15. The organizers intend to publish a bookbased on a selection of papers presented at the Forum.