[cma-l] Fwd: CfP Signal Strength: women and media practice in conflict and crisis situations

[CMA-L]

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From: Josephine Coleman: Chair, Radio Studies Network, MeCCSA <
00000ef9ed2ad5bc-dmarc-request at jiscmail.ac.uk>

The MeCCSA Radio Studies Network is delighted to announce a Call for Papers
for 'Signal Strength', a symposium taking place on Thursday 8th March 2018,
International Women's Day at the University of Sheffield.

The deadline for abstracts is *Monday 15 January 2018*.

Speakers confirmed so far include: Caroline Vuillemin, CEO, Fondation
Hirondelle, Lausanne; Dr Helen Turton, University of Sheffield; Tala
Halawa, BBC - West Bank, occupied Palestinian territories.

This symposium aims to examine the extent to which radio and other forms of
media provide a platform for women who are, or have been, in conflict and
crisis. Drawing on practice and academic research, discussions will explore
multiple angles such as: gendering media strategies to improve the
recognition and representation of women in peril; issues surrounding the
safety and protection of women journalists and aid workers; and the limits
and limitation of media freedoms.

We invite contributions from academics and practitioners with experience in
radio and international conflict with the aim of exchanging knowledge and
best practice. We welcome papers related to these themes or to the broader
topic:

   - Use of radio and media in conflict environments
   - Use of radio to support women
   - Local and/or community radio in conflict/crisis
   - Women as (radio/media) audience in conflict/crisis
   - Empowering of women – and local communities – through radio (and media)
   - Radio in society in conflict-affected areas
   - Safety and protection of women journalists
   - Representation of women in conflict/crisis by the radio
   - Women and broadcasting technologies
   - Media freedoms – the limits and limitations of media strategies and
   policies, domestic and foreign
   - Stereotyping on air and in the media
   - Resourcing women's radio journalism in conflict/crisis environments
   - Women in radio and on air - pedagogy and practice

* Context:*
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (2017), women comprise
approximately 50 per cent of refugees worldwide, mostly as a result of
conflict, and are often put at greater hardship than men in these
situations based upon their gender. With men either killed or at war, women
become the heads of households, conservers of the community and rebuilders
of the economy. The significant impact of conflict and crisis on women, who
have also often become targets of sexual violence, is recognised in the UN
Security Council's resolution 1325.

As media coverage of women in conflict and crisis is increasing, the role
of radio within this merits further exploration. Of all forms of media,
radio occupies a particular place in conflict-affected areas, providing a
low-tech and low-cost public space, being cheap and portable, not relying
on a mains source of electricity and being able to target illiterate or
orally-based cultures.

In certain circumstances, digital technologies also provide for the
production and circulation of audio and visual media material. Such access
to online communication channels facilitates conversation and dialogue from
the comfortingly mundane to life-saving. For women in unstable societies,
the intimate nature of radio also ensures a safe haven, away from male or
mixed environments, in which to seek comfort, advice and helplines. It also
provides the opportunity for women, as practitioners, to represent their
female audiences and reach out to them.

When conflict and crisis necessitate migration, and when women and families
are forced to move and live in foreign countries, media – and radio in
particular – can play a significant role in the settling-in process. Not
only can digital technologies enable the tuning-in online to estranged
stations and the familiar voices of home, but local services can proffer
the welcoming hand of friendship and provide opportunities for empowerment
through cultural and linguistic guidance, as well as moral support.

Drawing on practice as well as academic research, this symposium aims to
provide a platform not just for the theory but for voicing lived
experiences too.

*Submission guidelines:*

   - Please send 150-200-word abstracts, with short bio, to
   e.heywood at sheffield.ac.uk by 15 January 2018.
   - Speakers will be notified of acceptance by 30 January 2018.


*Overview of the symposium:*

   - The registration fee will be £35 (£25 for early bird booking).
   - The symposium is open to anyone interested in this topic, regardless
   of whether they are presenting a paper.




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