Call for Papers

6^th International Conference on Language andCommunication (ICLC)

Language, Media, and Development inEast and South-East Asia

National Institute of Development Administration

Bangkok, Thailand, August 20-21, 2014

Keynote Speaker:

Prof.Colin Sparks (Chair Professor in Media Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University)

Expert Roundtable:‘Perspectives on Language, Media, and Development’

Asst. Prof. Savitri Gadavanij(National Institute of Development Administration)

Prof. Hu Zhengrong (Professor of Communicationat the Communication University of China)

Prof. Zhao Yuezhi (Changjiang Chair Professor at the Communication University of China & Canada ResearchChair at Simon Fraser University)

Hosted by:

Graduate School of Language and Communication

National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand

Introduction

As the power structures of the world continue to realign in the early twenty-first century,attention is increasingly being drawn to the development of countries in the Eastand South-East Asian regions. What this development is and will lead to, of course, is a highly contested area, with the previous teleological and unidirectional models largely being rejected in favour of more culturally-relevant explanations. This is due to not only the actual development paths taken by nations such as the People’s Republic of China, but also the diverse international and regional influences that now structure the development of nations such as Myanmar. The legacies of both colonialism andcommunism also further complicate the picture, as the rhetorical and political-economic strategies that countries can draw on no longer comes from aunipolar core, and more critical views of nations’ history are easily developed. 

The place of media, language, and culture in this region is one of the key drivers ofinnovation and development and thus deserves a closer study. The dominance of anon-indigenous language, English, in regional trade and politics, and increasingly education as well, is also of note. Multilingualism andinternational professional and educational experience are now almost mandatory for those entering the workplace in sectors as diverse as hospitality andmanufacturing.

The Asian media-scape as well is increasingly multi-faceted, with the strengthening ofboth national media markets and the increase of cross-importation of culturalproducts. This unique political-economic structure facilitates both thestrengthening of the regional media market as well as allowing it to achieve adistinctive relationship to the ‘core’ American media industry for content and media platforms alike. 

It is an exciting time to take a step back and view the multitude of changes that have taken place in the language and media sectors over the last several decades. The different paths of development taken by different elements also deserve acritique, and one done from a comparative perspective cannot but enlighten usas to the respective benefits and drawbacks.

Application

This two-day conference is calling for papers from participants interested in media,language, and/or development, especially from an East or South-East Asianperspective. We accept both paper proposals and panel proposals.

·     For paper proposals please senda 250-word abstract of your proposed paper, including your affiliation, contactinformation, and two keywords.

·     For panel proposals, pleaseinclude a 500-word description of the theme of the panel, two keywords, and at least four potential presenters and their affiliation and contact information.

Paper abstractsand panel proposals should be submitted to iclc2014@outlook.com by June 13,2014, however earlier submission is advised.

Important Dates

Topics:

Business & Corporate Communication

Cinema

Cultural Studies

Discourse Analysis

English as a Second/Foreign Language

English for Specific Purposes

Historical Linguistics

Information and Communication Technology

Intercultural and Cross-cultural Communication

Journalism

Language Acquisition

Language Pedagogy

Minority Languages

Multilingualism

New Media and Social Media

Radio

Sociolinguistics

Television

Translation and Interpretation

World Englishes

Conference Website: http://iclc.nida.ac.th/main/index.php/abstracts

Summer School

The conference isalso being held in conjunction with the 6th International Joint Summer School(IJSS, 2014), jointly hosted by Graduate School of Language and Communication,National Institute of Development Administration, Thailand, the National Centerfor Radio and Television Studies, Communication University of China, China, theSchool of Journalism and Communication, the Chinese University of Hong Kong,Hong Kong, and the Communication and Media Research Institute, University ofWestminster, UK. Post-graduate and early-career academics are encouraged toalso apply for an attend this stimulating two-week course featuring a widerange of experts giving intimate courses on topics related to media, languageand development. For more information please see http://bjss.cuc.edu.cn.