AMIC Conference in September

Following from AMIC Secretary-General Ramon R. Tuazon  

Rethinking Communication in a Resurgent Asia
15-17 September 2016, Manila Philippines

CALL FOR PAPERS

According to an ancient Chinese proverb, To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without root.

An old Philippine proverb says, Sino man ang hindi marunong lumingon sa kanyang pinang-galingan, ay hindi makakarating sa kanyang paroroonan. (He who does not think back on his past, will not arrive at his destination.)

We invoke this ancient Asian wisdom to warn, as we lunge headlong into today’s fast-changing world, that non-Asian communication theories, sophisticated gadgets and apps are not the panacea to Asia’s and the world’s problems. The solutions are in us.

We in AMIC and in Asia need to rediscover our roots, somehow buried under our feet as we run mindlessly forward. We have imbibed non-Asian ways, and adopted foreign communication theories, methodologies and practices as we studied abroad, and brought them back to Asia to teach to our young students who would one day become our disciples.

We preach that communication and culture are inextricably linked. But have we studied or developed Asian theories of communication based on Asian culture? Very little it seems and definitely not enough. In this coming 2016 AMIC annual conference, we pause and look back to where we came from.

We need to rediscover our “Asianess” amidst a resurging Asia. The Asian Development Bank has reported that if Asia continues its current growth trajectory, by 2050 it will regain the dominant economic position it held some 300 years ago, before the industrial revolution. In this scenario Asia’s gross domestic product (GDP) will reach $174 trillion (or half of the global GDP) from $17 trillion in 2010.

A resurging Asia must also be seen in terms of new challenges characterized by inequalities, conflicts, climate change, unsustainable practices, and corruption. Beyond the tools of mass communication, are there distinct Asian communication strategies which can effectively address these challenges that threaten the resurgence of Asia?

Let us rediscover our Asian past so that we can confidently move into our future.

CONFERENCE CLUSTERS AND STREAMS

Cluster on Philosophies, Theories, and Paradigms
•       How Asian Philosophies and Religion Influence Communication Paradigms
•       Asian (Indigenous) Communication Theories, Paradigms, and Models
•       Media History and Asian Perspectives: Remembering the Past for the Future
•       Cultural Traditions and Communication Theory
•       Asian Research Framework and Methodologies

Cluster on Communication and Culture
•       Protecting and Preserving Our Cultural Heritage (Amidst Natural and Man-made Disasters)
•       Intercultural Dialogue for Tolerance, Harmony, and Peace
•       Addressing Hate Speech, Radicalism, and Extremism in Asian Media
Cluster on Communication Education

•       Asian Higher Education Integration
•       Accreditation Standards for Asia-Pacific Communication Schools

Cluster on Communication Media
•       Revival (or Rediscovery) of Asian Traditional (Folk) Media
•       Asian Films, Directors, and Performers in the Global Cinema
•       Portrayal of Asia and its Societies and Citizens in Film and TV
Cluster on Communication Strategies and Approaches

•       Asian Conflict Resolution Styles and Communication
•       Good Governance and Communication (including Poverty Alleviation, Fighting Corruption)
•       Risk, Disaster, and Humanitarian Communication
•       Health Communication (including Behavior and Social Change)

Cluster on Inclusive Knowledge Societies
•       Access to Knowledge and Information by Persons with Disabilities
•       Access to Knowledge and Information by Indigenous People
•       Right to Information of Internally Displaced Persons
•       Access Beyond Genders (and Gender Preference)

Cluster on Global Communication
•       Communication and the Asian Diaspora (Migration)
•       Asia-Africa Dialogue on Commonalities and Divergences in Communication
•       Career Opportunities for the Global Communication Professional

Cluster on Asian Business Communication
•       Branding Asia/Branding in Asia
•       Trade and Investment Communication
•       Cross-cultural Business Communication in an Asian Setting

SCHEDULE OF SUBMISSIONS

Papers will be selected on a competitive basis and all submissions will be screened by an expert panel.
Abstracts due:                         30 March 2016
Notification of acceptance         June 2016
Full papers due:                        30 July 2016
Abstracts and papers should be submitted via e-mail (conference@amic.asia).
Please do not send abstracts/papers to the personal e-mail addresses of conference organizers.

FORMAT FOR ABSTRACTS
Indicate your proposed Conference Cluster (and specific stream) in the subject line of your e-mail.

E-mail should include the following:
•       paper title
•       author name, position, institution
•       short biography of author (100 words)
•       paper abstract (500 words)

FORMAT FOR PAPERS

If your abstract is approved for presentation, you will be required to submit the full paper prior to the conference. The full paper should adhere to the following requirements:
•       should be written in English.
•       be of 5,000-8,000 words in length.
•       have citation in APA style.
•       should be Microsoft Word or RTF document. Font should be Times New Roman, 12 pts. Please use plain text and not formatting.

For more information, please contact AMIC Secretary-General Ramon R. Tuazon (r.tuazon@amic.asia or rrtuazon722@yahoo.com)

Note to all authors: By submitting your paper, you agree to the following terms:
a.      that upon selection of your paper, you will register for the conference and present the paper. All co-authors attending and/or presenting at the conference must register too.
b.      that your paper will be included in a compilation of conference papers to be uploaded and publicized in the AMIC website

CRITERIA FOR REVIEW

Abstracts
Criteria to be used to evaluate abstracts include the following:
•       Relevance of the topic to the conference theme
•       Well-defined topics /issue(s) to be examined and discussed
•       Originality and innovativeness of topic
•       Adherence to solid research design and methodology (for research-based papers)
•       Limitations identified (for research-based papers)
•       Good language and writing quality and logical organization of paper
•       Potential contributions to the advancement of communication theory, research and practice

Full Papers
Criteria to be used to evaluate full papers include the following:
•       Extensive and appropriate literature review
•       Good writing quality, e.g., style is clear and engaging
•       Logical organization of paper
•       In-depth and evidence-based analysis and conclusions
•       Concrete recommendations for research, policy, and action projects
•       Publication-ready