APOLOGIES FOR CROSS POSTINGS EXTENSION OF DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 16 - PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY. .............................. 2009 International Association of Media and Communication Research Congress, Centro Cultural Universitario Tlatelolco-UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico, July 21‑24, 2009 Community Communication Section Call for papers ‘If we are all communicating, is anyone listening?’ – John Downing (2007) Community-based media has a close – and contested – relationship with information rights. The overarching theme of IAMCR 2009 is ‘Human Rights Communication’, incorporating ‘freedom of expression’ and ‘universal access to information and knowledge’. IAMCR’s Community Communication section is therefore an important opportunity to explore and debate the role of community and alternative media from a rights perspective. Can community media advance communication rights? How do we ensure that communities, groups and individuals are given the means not only to speak, but to be heard? We seek in‑depth and cutting‑edge research papers on issues of media access, participation and evaluation of outcomes; media projects undertaken by marginalized and under‑represented groups; the development and support of public and community‑based media institutions and infrastructures; the production and distribution of community and alternative media; and theoretical and historical contributions to the field. About the Community Communication Section IAMCR’s Community Communication section is the premier international forum for community and alternative media studies. This is the place for research on media practices that differ significantly from government and market‑dominated paradigms. Community and alternative media originate, circulate and resonate from the sphere of civil society, yet may interact with both state and market. Community media serve specific cultural or geographic communities. The field includes do‑it‑yourself media, media for social change, and a wide range of non‑government and non‑commercial practices using all kinds of communication technologies. Guidelines for Participants Individual or co-authored papers: Applicants must submit a 500 word abstract that describes the topic of their paper and its significance, the theoretical framework, and research methods. Panel proposals: The panel coordinator must submit a well‑defined statement of purpose, a complete list of panel participants, and full abstracts for each presentation. All submissions should include a paper title, as well as authors' names, institutional affiliations and full contact information (mailing address, email address, and telephone numbers). Submissions in the authors’ native language must also include an English translation. Submissions should not be submitted to more than one IAMCR Section or Working Group. Please send abstracts via the IAMCR 2009 conference website: http://www.iamcr2009mexico.unam.mx/english/form.html For further information or assistance, please contact the Community Communication Section Chair, Per Jauert, on : pjauert[at]imv.au.dk. Submitting to the Right Section Please consider carefully which IAMCR section is most appropriate for your paper. We cannot guarantee acceptance if your paper has been sent to the wrong section in the first instance (as places are extremely limited). Please contact the Community Communication section committee well before the deadline if you are unsure. · Researchers examining community media for development purposes should apply to the Participatory Communication Research section. · Researchers studying ethnic community media within a Diaspora framework should apply to the Diaspora and Media working group. Visit www.iamcr.org for more information about IAMCR Sections and Working Groups. Deadlines Submission of abstracts: February 16, 2009 Submission results announced: March 29, 2009