[Air-L] CfP - "Evaluation in the Media" - International Conference, Paris, March 15-16 2012

[Gustavo Gomez Mejia]

Dear AIR-Lers,

Here's a call for papers for a web-related conference which some of you may
find of interest.

Kind regards,
Gustavo Gomez-Mejia
CELSA Université Paris-Sorbonne

***Apologies for cross-postings***

EVALUATION IN THE MEDIA
International Conference
Paris
March 15-16, 2012
http://www.evalmedia2012.fr/
Call for Papers

CONFERENCE PRESENTATION
The aim of international conference “Evaluation in the Media” is to question
the role of the media in the process of evaluation; they form an integral
part of what may be termed the “culture”, the “fever”, the “mania” and the
“explosion” of evaluation procedures observed in developed countries since
the 1970s. While recognising that evaluation procedures – and the role of
the media therein – were not novel, this conference aims to explore how the
evaluation process has became ever more linked to the media (press, radio,
television, web) in contemporary society.

The conference will stress mechanisms of evaluation based on quantification
or “evaluative measures” such as: “rankings”, “winners”, “tops”, “lists”,
“league tables”, “ratings”, “barometers”, “dashboards”, “benchmarks”. The
conference will also pay attention to qualitative evaluation mechanisms that
likewise flourish in the media: “prizes”, “labels”, “contests”, “rewards”,
“trophies”, etc. By focusing on such traits, the conference hope to throw
light on the rise of impersonal evaluation mechanisms, that exist alongside
the traditional journalistic genres based on the expression of personal
opinion (editorial, op-ed piece, criticism,...); the media appear to
simultaneously fulfill the roles of producers and coproducers,of relays and
critics.

Four specific questions will be addressed. The first one is concerned with
the origins, production processes and conditions – social, economic,
journalistic, material, technical and legal – that underpin how the media
become producers or co-producers of the evaluation process. Editorial and
visual forms, ceremonies and events, and the communication processes in
general that characterise evaluation mechanisms will be another theme of the
conference. We consider here that these evaluation procedures are held not
only to favour the production of “knowledge” but also to promote its
dissemination and recognition. Media evaluation mechanisms also circulate
more or less in various social spaces (media, political,
economic, professional, civic, cultural, consumerist, ...). By analyzing the
circulation of such evaluation mechanisms, the conference will attempt to
shed light on both success and failures in the communicative process.
Finally, the conference will address the effects of media evaluation.

The proliferation of evaluation procedures leads to an increase in the
instances, mechanisms and numbers of actors involved in the overall process.
In this regard, the conference is open to any field as long as the approach
is in line with the general scientific guidelines outlined previously. The
following list is indicative, not exclusive: the areas covered will
include higher education and research, regions, culture, education, health,
web, brands, capital, finance, communication, tourism, wine, sports, media,
business, etc.

Proposals may come from the humanities and the social sciences: media
studies and communication, semiology, sociology, history, political
sciences, linguistics, economics, etc.

PROPOSALS
Submission deadline – June 24th, 2011
Scientific committee notification of acceptance – July 20th, 2011
Mailing address for submitting proposals – evalmedia2012 at gmail.com

Content and framework of proposals – Proposals will include a maximum 6 000
characters. They will be structured in four parts: a) argument, explaining
the theoretical framework and approach of the problem b) methodological
framework, presenting the empirical material and the methodology; c)
originality, specifying the relevance of the proposal and d) bibliography,
comprising the eight main references.
Proposals should include the following: 1) title 2) first name, 3) name, 4)
professional status, 5) institution, 6) country and 7) email (professional
and/or private)

Please note that full papers (between 30 000 and 40 000 characters) for
accepted abstracts will have to be submitted to the scientific committee no
later than November 30th 2011 for the publication of the conference
proceedings.

Languages of proposals – English or French
Format of proposals – .doc


Conference Organizing Committee
Julie Bouchard (University Paris 13); Etienne Candel (University Paris
Sorbonne – Celsa);Hélène Cardy (University Paris 8); Gustavo Gomez Mejia
(University Paris Sorbonne – Celsa)

Conference Scientific Committee
Stefanie Averbeck-Lietz (University of Leipzig) ; Christine Barats
(University Paris 5); Julie Bouchard (University Paris 13); Etienne Candel
(University Paris Sorbonne – Celsa); Hélène Cardy (University Paris 8) ;
Patrice Carré (Telecom ParisTech); Jean-Baptiste Comby (University Paris 3);
Emmanuel Didier (EHESS) ; Brooke Duffy (University of Pensylvania); Michel
Durampart (University of Toulon) ; Wendy Espeland (Northwestern University);
Andreas Fickers (Maastricht University); Pascal Froissart (University Paris
8); Gustavo Gomez Mejia (University Paris Sorbonne – Celsa) ; Yves Jeanneret
(University Paris Sorbonne – Celsa); Alice Krieg-Planque (University Paris
12) ; Sarah Labelle (University Paris 13) ; Joëlle Le Marec (University
Paris 7); Guy Lochard (University Paris 3) ; Cécile Méadel (Mines ParisTech
Graduate School); Claire Oger (University Paris 13) ; Stéphane Olivesi
(University Lyon 2); Michael Palmer (University Paris 3) ; Frédéric
Pierru (CNRS); Philip Schlesinger (University of Glasgow); Michel Sénécal
(University of Quebec in Montreal); Emmanuël Souchier (University Paris
Sorbonne – Celsa); Joseph Turow (University of Pennsylvania); Jacques Walter
(University Paul-Verlaine)

Guest Speaker
Wendy Espeland, Northwestern University

Conference Website:
http://www.evalmedia2012.fr/