The Health Communication (HEC) Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites the submission of proposals for papers and panels for IAMCR 2024, which will be held in Christchurch, New Zealand, from 30 June to 4 July 2024.
The deadline for submission is 7 February 2024, at 23h59 UTC.
See the CfPs of all sections and working groups
Theme
IAMCR conferences address many diverse topics defined by our 33 thematic sections and working groups. We also propose a single central theme to be explored throughout the conference with the aim of generating and exploring multiple perspectives. This is accomplished through plenary and special sessions, as well as in some of the sessions of the sections and working groups.
The central theme for 2024 focuses on "Whiria te tāngata / Weaving people together: Communicative projects of decolonising, engaging, and listening" - which draws upon a Maori proverb about the strength that comes through common purpose.
Consult a detailed description of the main theme
The idea of weaving people together is central to the field of health communication which requires a plethora of interfaces and interlocking threads of partners, audiences, agents and institutions to achieve social and behaviour change. Weaving in health communication calls for a mindset that transcends interpersonal, intrapersonal, and community boundaries. It calls for a combination of theories and disciplinary approaches in designing and implementing ways of communicating health and the adoption of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary methodological approaches in health communication research. The theme speaks to the need to enhance multiple levels of influences, multiple discourses, multiple approaches, and multiple engagement in a grand tapestry that results in improved health and wellbeing of people on the planet. Finally, weaving emphasises putting people at the centre of health communication from where all the threads connect within the circumference of community, national, and global action.
The Health Communication Working Group is particularly interested in abstracts that interrogate issues related to decolonising, engaging and listening in health communication research and practice. The Health Communication (HEC) Working Group seeks proposals for health communication research and practice that is connected, but not limited to the main theme and sub-themes of the conference. The working group is interested in facilitating interactions between practitioners, researchers and academics to increase the understanding of health communication theory and practice for knowledge sharing and exchange. Abstracts can be submitted that reflect on the following topics:
- Revisiting health communication: decolonising, engaging and listening
- Democratisation of health communication
- Health communication and conflict
- Digitalisation and health communication, health promotion and public health
- Health communication in the age of A.I.: Perils and possibilities
- Culture-centred approaches to health communication
- Deconstructing health communication language and rhetoric
- Decolonising health communication research methods and epistemologies
- Decolonising scientific knowledge in health communication research and practice
- Indigenous knowledge, methods, tools and innovations in health communication
- Communicating risks and crises at multiple levels of the health communication ecosystem
- Producing and consuming health news: Journalism, news ecologies, and audiences
- Narratives and framing in media representations of health
- Citizen voices and citizen journalism: Resisting and supporting health communication
- Social justice, activism, and advocacy: Social movements for health and wellbeing
- Communicating structural health inequalities, disparities and change
- Rethinking methodological approaches in health communication
- Intercultural health communication in research and practice
- Confronting misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories and the credibility crisis
- Ethics and trust in health communication and journalism
Guidelines for abstracts
Abstracts are requested for papers to be presented in person at the conference in Christchurch. Abstracts submitted to the Health Communication Working Group should have between 300 and 500 words and must be submitted online here. Abstracts submitted by email will not be accepted.
The deadline to submit abstracts is 7 February 2024, at 23.59 UTC.
It is expected that each person will submit only one (1) abstract. However, under no circumstances should there be more than two (2) abstracts bearing the name of the same author, either individually or as part of any group of authors. The same abstract, or a version with minor variations in title or content, must not be submitted to more than one section or working group. Such submissions will be deemed to be in breach of the conference guidelines and will be rejected by the abstract submission system, by the Head of the section or working group or by the Conference Programme Reviewer. Authors submitting the same work to multiple Sections or Working Groups risk being removed entirely from the conference programme.
Proposals are accepted for both single papers and for panels with several papers (in which you propose multiple papers that address a single theme). Please note that there are special procedures for submitting panel proposals.
See important dates and deadlines to keep in mind
Languages
The HEC accepts abstracts in English and the sessions will be held in English.
See resources for IAMCR conference preparation and participation
For further information about the Health Communication Working Group, its themes, submissions and panels please contact:
Co-Chair: Eliza Govender - Govendere1@ukzn.ac.za
Co-Chair: Fawad Shah - fawad.shah@auburn.edu
Vice chair: Monique Lewis - monique.lewis@griffith.edu.au
Vice chair: Adebayo Fayoyin afayoyin@gmail.com
