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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">CALL FOR PAPERS <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></B></FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">NEW MEDIA <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:stockticker w:st="on">AND</st1:stockticker> RELIGIOUS TRANSFORMATIONS <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman">IN <st1:place w:st="on">AFRICA</st1:place> <o:p></o:p></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><A name=OLE_LINK1><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">An international conference hosted by the Centre for the Study of African Culture and Communication<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></B></A></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"><FONT face="Times New Roman"><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">ABUJA</SPAN></B></st1:City><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">, <st1:country-region w:st="on">NIGERIA</st1:country-region></SPAN></B></st1:place><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN lang=EN-US style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"> <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><st1:date w:st="on" Year="2008" Day="11" Month="7">JULY 11-13, 2008</st1:date><o:p></o:p></SPAN></B></FONT></SPAN></P><SPAN style="mso-bookmark: OLE_LINK1"></SPAN>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>OBJECTIVE OF CONFERENCE</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The main goal of this conference is to cast a critical look at <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>'s rapidly evolving religious media scene.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is particularly interested in the challenges of balancing freedom of expression and freedom of religion and belief in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>'s fast-growing media sector.</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Since the early 1990s, following political liberalization in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>, the media landscape has altered radically due to deregulation and the emergence of new communication and informational technologies. There has been a rapid increase in the numbers of radio and television stations, newspapers and magazines, computers, and mobile phone networks.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>With this media diversification have come new opportunities for ownership, production, and participation.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Religious leaders and activists in particular have appropriated these new media outlets for strengthening and expanding their communities, and gaining public recognition for their organizations.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In some, more competitive, public spheres, the media may also be used to defame or marginalize religious others, which can lead to conflict, and even, violence.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In rarer cases, the media have developed programming to promote interreligious dialogue.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>SCOPE OF CONFERENCE</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The conference aims to encourage the study of the expanding range of religious media, as well as coverage of religion, in a globalizing <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>:</FONT></SPAN></P>
<UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0cm" type=disc>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>media types may include: audio- and video-cassettes, films, CDs, DVDs, loudspeakers, pamphlets, posters, flyers, banners, billboards, telephony, photography, radio, television, and computer-mediated communication and information (websites, emails, blogs, listservs, discussion boards)</FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>studies could range from formal and large-scale, to informal and small-scale, media forms and technologies</FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>levels of inquiry could be on media creation, circulation, and/or consumption</FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>focus could be on a particular locality, denomination/organization, media type or technology, national, regional, or transnational context </FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>studies could also address some thematic or problematic, or theoretical or methodological issue (or combination of issues), such as ethnicity, gender, conflict and peace, mediation, authenticity, representation, commodification, censorship, (de)(re)regulation, media convergence, etc. </FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>diverse disciplinary perspectives (e.g. media studies, communications, journalism, advertising, public relations, religious studies, sociology and anthropology, history, law, cultural and literary studies, linguistics, political science, visual/oral/aural and performing arts, etc.) are welcome</FONT></SPAN></LI></UL>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>FOCUS OF CONFERENCE</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The conference will have two major areas of analytical focus, namely <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">transformation</B> and <B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal">differentiation</B>.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Since the media are not just neutral vehicles of expression, it is important to consider how the institutional forms, messages, experiences, values, and practices of religious individuals and communities are being <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">transformed</I> by greater media use and presence. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Likewise, how is this increased media participation by religious actors and organizations contesting media policy and practice?<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In terms of <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">differentiation</I>, how do the newer forms of (mass) mediated religious expression encourage cooperation within and between religions, as well as between religions and the state, or conversely, heighten old or introduce new cleavages? How do the new media generate new patterns of social inclusion or exclusion?</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>CONFERENCE STRUCTURE</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The conference will be divided into two parts.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The first, the academic part (July 10-12, will precede the more public, second half of the conference (July 13).<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>In the public forum, political and religious leaders, media professionals, and civil society leaders will discuss current issues pertaining to religious broadcasting policy and practice in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> today.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A pre-conference workshop on research methodology and work in progress is envisaged, along with visits to local media houses and religious institutions.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>These will include licensing, programming, transmission, and media ethics, for example.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Optional excursions will be available on the final day (Sunday July 14).</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>QUESTIONS FOR CONSIDERATION</FONT></SPAN></P>
<UL style="MARGIN-TOP: 0cm" type=disc>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>How is <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>'s religious landscape being changed by the new religious media? </FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">How are the modern media generating new religious communities and publics?<SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>How might these new publics challenge or complement pre-existing religious<SPAN style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </SPAN>actors and organizations?</FONT></FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>In what ways are newer religious organizations, such as the Pentecostals, using the media to advance political and economic agendas?</FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Are we witnessing the development of new forms of religious activism and proselytism in <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place> today due to the upsurge in media growth and diversification?</FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Which religious groups benefit most or least from <st1:place w:st="on">Africa</st1:place>'s more liberalized and mass-mediatized public spheres?</FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>How have traditional forms of communication or notions of power been incorporated into the new religious media?</FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>What is the impact of the new religious media on popular culture and the entertainment industry, and vice versa?</FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Can we now talk about manifestations of religion <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">as </I>media, and media <I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">as</I> religion?</FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>How might the conventional divisions and differences between state-run and independent media be reconfigured by new religious media?</FONT></SPAN></LI></UL>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>OUTCOMES</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>The outcomes will include new and much-needed historical and empirical data, as well as theoretical and methodological reflection on the growing intersections of religion, media, and culture in the African context.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>More generally, they may supplement or even challenge prevailing or emergent theorizing of these interactions.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Selected papers from the conference will be published in a book which will contribute to and have comparative value for the burgeoning field of religion, media and cultural studies.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>A conference report, which will contain a summary of the proceedings, as well as recommendations for policy-makers, media professionals and users, will also be produced (online).</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>GUIDELINES FOR PAPER <st1:stockticker w:st="on">AND</st1:stockticker> PANEL SUBMISSIONS</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Abstracts for either individual papers or panels of not more than 300 words, along with a 100-word summary, should be submitted to both conference directors: </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Professor Rosalind I. J. Hackett, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">University of Tennessee</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">USA</st1:country-region></st1:place> </FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=EN-US><A href="mailto:rhackett@utk.edu"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>rhackett@utk.edu</FONT></A><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman">Dr. Benjamin Soares, African Studies Centre, <st1:City w:st="on">Leiden</st1:City>, the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Netherlands</st1:country-region></st1:place> </FONT></FONT><A href="mailto:bsoares@fsw.LeidenUniv.nl"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>bsoares@fsw.LeidenUniv.nl</FONT></A><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><U><SPAN lang=EN-US>Deadline for abstracts</SPAN></U><SPAN lang=EN-US>: <st1:date w:st="on" Year="2008" Day="31" Month="3" ls="trans">March 31, 2008</st1:date> (successful applicants will be notified during April 2008)</SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><FONT size=3><FONT face="Times New Roman"><U><SPAN lang=EN-US>Deadline for full papers</SPAN></U><SPAN lang=EN-US>: <st1:date w:st="on" Year="2008" Day="30" Month="6">June 30, 2008</st1:date></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>All participants will be expected to pay a conference registration fee of $40 or 5000 Nigerian naira.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Some funding may be available to help defray travel and accommodation costs of participants.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>However, participants are encouraged to obtain financial support from their host institutions. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-US><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Petra Stammen<BR>Africa Desk<BR>CAMECO<BR>P.O. Box 10 21 04<BR>D- 52021 Aachen<BR>Tel.: ++49 (0) 241- 70 13 12 16<BR>Fax: ++49 (0) 241- 70 13 12 33<BR>EMail: <A href="mailto:Petra.Stammen@cameco.org">Petra.Stammen@cameco.org</A><BR><A href="http://www.cameco.org">http://www.cameco.org</A><BR></FONT></SPAN></P></BODY></HTML>