[I-LanD Research Centre] Call for papers I-LanD Journal - Special Issue (2020, n. 2): "Hybrid Dialogues: Transcending Binary Thinking and Moving Away from Societal Polarizations"

Tue Aug 4 15:01:34 UTC 2020

[Apologies for cross-posting]

I-LanD Journal – Identity, Language and Diversity
International Peer-Reviewed E-Journal

Call for papers for the special issue (2/2020)

Hybrid Dialogues: Transcending Binary Thinking and Moving Away from Societal
Polarizations

This special issue of the I-LanD Journal will focus on hybrid dialogues in
various communities of practice across time and space. It will be edited by
Cornelia Ilie (Strömstad Academy, Sweden) and Sole Alba Zollo (University of
Napoli Federico II, Italy).

Submission of abstracts
Authors wishing to contribute to this issue are invited to send an extended
abstract of their proposed article ranging between 600 and 1.000 words
(excluding references) in MS Word format to the two editors by the 18th
October 2020. Proposals should not contain the authors' name and
academic/professional affiliation and should be accompanied by an email
including such personal information and sent to: cornelia.ilie at gmail.com
<mailto:cornelia.ilie at gmail.com>  and solealba.zollo at unina.it
<mailto:solealba.zollo at unina.it> . Please put as subject line "I-LanD
Special Issue 2/2020– abstract submission", and include the Journal e-mail
address – ilandjournal at unior.it – by using the Cc option.

Important dates

In order to meet editorial processes, the most important dates to remember
are as follows:

- Submission of abstracts: October 18, 2020
- Notification of acceptance/rejection: November 8, 2020
- Submission of chapters: February 14, 2021

Description

Following the successful and fruitful 5th ESTIDIA conference, held on 19-21
September 2019 at the University of Napoli "L'Orientale", the theme of this
Special Issue was prompted by the risks and challenges posed by the
increasing use of virulent polemics both on- and off-line that are
constantly shifting the boundaries between traditionally dichotomous forms
of communication (e.g., public/private, face-to-face/virtual,
formal/informal, polite/impolite) and types of mindsets (e.g.,
trust/distrust, liberal/illiberal, rational/emotional, biased/unbiased).

Binary or dichotomous thinking is responsible for producing and/or
maintaining historically unsustainable hierarchies and inequitable power
relations. While cyberspace communication environments can trigger and
stimulate creative and productive dialogues that can be integrated with
face-to-face dialogues, we are still witnessing a growing proliferation of
dichotomy-based misperceptions and misrepresentations of world phenomena and
societal events (Beaufort 2018), which involve the mismanagement and
manipulation of interpersonal relations and institutional power networks,
leading to an environment of apprehension, suspicion and insecurity,
strongly amplified and aggravated in recent times by anti-social discourse
and behavior, extremist movements, and hate speech.

As a counterbalance of dichotomy-based beliefs and ways of thinking, new and
hybrid forms of dialogue are needed to cross the frontiers of established
dichotomies, questioning the legitimacy of increasingly conflictual,
aggressive and divisive encounters (Sunstein 2007; Mason 2015) conducted
both offline (in public meetings, TV debates, political and parliamentary
debates, etc.) and online (on social media, such as Twitter, YouTube,
Snapchat).

A wide range of analytical tools pertaining to multi-disciplinary frameworks
of analysis can effectively contribute to identifying and critically
examining dichotomy-based conceptualisation strategies that undermine
existing democratic norms and practices, giving rise to polarized,
confrontational and downright violent off- and on-line discourses. The
questions researchers are called upon to consider, analyse and debate
include, but are not limited to, the following:
• What types of polarized dialogue are to be found in various communities of
practice (e.g. business, politics, education, health sector)?
• Has the increasing use of social media had a noticeable impact on the
proliferation of the use of aggressive language and person-targeted attacks?
• What cross-cultural parallels can be noticed with regard to
dichotomy-based polarization patterns in off-line and online dialogues? Is
it possible to identify differences in terms of age, gender, education, to
name but a few?
• What dichotomy-based forms of reasoning and arguing are more likely to be
found in spoken, written or hybrid types of discourses, respectively?
• How are the audience's emotions targeted, as well as manipulated, by the
use of fallacious dichotomies in online and offline dialogue?
• How have radicalised, polarized, confrontational and downright violent
discourses of extreme political movements given rise to institutional
confrontations and the use of violence in both face-to-face and online
interactions?
• To what extent is gender an impactful element in adversarial discursive
behaviour? Are women and men equally inclined to initiate confrontational
types of dialogue? How similar and/or how different are women and men when
reacting/responding to aggressive language?
• What types of argumentation and contra-argumentation strategies are
particularly prevalent in female and male professionals/leaders when
engaging in adversarial debate?
• How can new, hybrid dialogues help to address the polarization which
reinforces the current social and political crises in a vicious circle of
multiplying conceptual dichotomies, deceptive binary thinking and
fearmongering slogans or 'shockvertising'?

Researchers are warmly welcome to propose contributions from diverse fields
of enquiry, including linguistics, media studies, journalism, cultural
studies, psychology, rhetoric, political science, sociology, pedagogy,
philosophy and anthropology.

More about I-LanD Journal

Editors in chief:
Giuditta Caliendo (University of Lille) and M. Cristina Nisco (University of
Naples Parthenope)

Advisory board:
Giuseppe Balirano (University of Naples "L'Orientale")
Marina Bondi (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia)
Delia Chiaro (University of Bologna)
David Katan (University of Salento)
Don Kulick (Uppsala University)
Tommaso Milani (University of Gothenburg)
Oriana Palusci (University of Naples "L'Orientale")
Paul Sambre (KU Leuven)
Srikant Sarangi (Aalborg University)
Christina Schäffner (Professor Emerita at Aston University)
Vivien Schmidt (Boston University)
Stef Slembrouck (Gent University)
Marina Terkourafi (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Girolamo Tessuto (University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli")
Johann Unger (Lancaster University)

The I-LanD Journal (http://www.unior.it/index2.php?content_id=15279
<http://www.unior.it/index2.php?content_id=15279&content_id_start=1&titolo=i
-land-journal&parLingua=ENG>
&content_id_start=1&titolo=i-land-journal&parLingua=ENG) reflects a
commitment to publishing original and high-quality research papers
addressing issues of identity, language and diversity from new critical and
theoretical perspectives. All submissions are double-blind peer-reviewed. In
fulfillment of its mission, the I-LanD Journal provides an outlet for
publication to international practitioners, with a view to disseminating and
enhancing scholarly studies on the relation between language and
ethnic/cultural identity, language and sexual identity/gender, as well as on
forms of language variation derived from instances of
contamination/hybridization of different genres, discursive practices and
text types.

----
I-LanD Research Centre

Università di Napoli "L'Orientale"
Palazzo S. Maria Porta Coeli
Via Duomo, 219 - 80138 Naples
Room 1.23 
ph. +39 081 6909861
website: http://www.unior.it/ateneo/14038/1/i-land-research-centre.html

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