Newspapers, war and society- Call for Papers for a conference to be held 29 April-1 May 2014 at Gregynog Hall, Wales, UK. - Extended deadline to 31st July

[Alon Lischinsky]

(With apologies for cross-posting)

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Newspapers, war and society

Call for Papers for a conference to be held 29 April-1 May 2014 at
Gregynog Hall, Wales, UK.

[extended deadline – to 31 July 2013]

This conference will explore the relationship between newspapers and
society during times of war. It is organised by the Leverhulme Trust
funded  British Press in World War Two project and the Centre for
Media History, Aberystwyth University.  The conference will have an
international perspective, and focus on the importance of newspapers
as objects of historical enquiry in their social contexts.

Newspapers have a fundamental role in societies at war. They relay the
experience of war, provide a means for the state to communicate to the
population directly, and serve to entertain readers. However, little
attention has been paid to the dynamics of their production,
circulation and reception during wartime and how the wider context of
war affects those processes.  In what ways does the circuit of
communication between the press and its readers change during wartime?
How is newspaper content altered as a result of wartime restrictions?
How is news sourced?  How do newspapers balance their commercial
interests and the purpose of informing readers, using restricted
resources?  How do newspapers interact with the wider culture of
wartime societies?

The conference also invites papers that address methodological issues
relating to the use of newspapers in historical inquiry. Historical
studies of wartime home fronts have tended to forgo the complexity of
newspapers and use them illustratively, rather than systemically
examining their content. We therefore welcome papers that critically
engage with the newspaper as an historical object. Approaches might
include quantitative and qualitative studies of content, or analysis
of how newspapers were read and understood by their audiences.

We welcome proposals from a range of geographical and methodological
backgrounds. Whilst the conference will be weighted towards the period
1914-1945, we also invite contributions which approach the theme from
wider chronological perspectives. Abstracts of around 200 words for
papers of between 20 to 25 minutes duration should be sent by close of
business on 31July 2013 to cmhstaff at aber.ac.uk.

This conference is jointly organised by the Centre For Media History,
Aberystwyth University, and the journal Media History, with the
financial support of the Leverhulme Trust. It is held at the historic
University of Wales conference centre Gregynog Hall, near Newtown,
Powys, Wales.  Additional enquiries can be directed to one or more of
the following: Dr Sian Nicholas, Professor Tom O’Malley or Dr Marc
Wiggam.
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