The Islam and Media (ISM) Working Group of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites the submission of abstracts for IAMCR 2025, which will be held in Singapore from 13 to 17 July 2025, hosted by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University.
The deadline for submission is 7 February 2025, at 23h59 UTC.
See the list of all sections and working groups and their remits
See the CfPs of all sections and working groups
The 2025 central theme is Communicating Environmental Justice: Many Voices, One Planet.
In this era of global ecological crises, the role of media in shaping narratives around environmental justice has never been more critical. The intersection of religion, culture, and communication provides powerful avenues for understanding diverse perspectives on environmental stewardship and responsibility.
Consult a detailed description of the main theme
For the Islam and Media Working Group, we aim to explore how Islamic teachings and the intersection of Islamic environmental perspectives with indigenous knowledge systems, media representations, and Muslim communities worldwide engage with and contribute to the discourse on environmental justice. Scholars are encouraged to address issues related to environmental justice and Islam like how Islamic principles guide environmental responsibility. What insights do Quranic and Hadith texts offer in addressing modern environmental challenges? How are Imams, scholars, and religious influencers utilizing media to promote environmental consciousness within the global Muslim ummah? How are Islamic countries and Muslim communities portrayed in global media regarding environmental issues? What issues are represented and what role does the media play in communicating climate-related justice concerns in their countries? Are these representations aligned with the lived realities of those affected? Case studies of Muslim environmental activists, organizations, or movements advocating for environmental justice on local, regional, or global scales are also welcomed.
We invite papers that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:
- Islamic Teachings and Environmental Ethics
- Media Representations of Environmental Justice in Muslim Communities
- Religions, Environmental Justice and Discursive Practices
- Islamic Environmental Movements and Activism
- Climate Change, Justice, and the Muslim World
- Indigenous and Islamic Environmental Knowledge
- Spiritual Intelligence and Communicating Environmental Sustainability.
- The Role of Religious Leaders in Environmental Communication
- Environmental Diplomacy and the Muslim World
- Sustainability and Development in Islamic Countries
- Islamic Perspective on SDGs
- Media Literacy and Green Economy Based on Islamic Concepts.
- Wars and Conflicts and Environmental Media in the Middle East.
- Social Media responses to climate change challenge.
This call seeks to encourage interdisciplinary discussions, merging media, communication studies, Islamic studies, environmental justice, and social activism. We welcome both theoretical papers and empirical studies engaging diverse methodological approaches, including content analysis, discourse analysis, ethnography, and case studies.
Guidelines for abstracts
Abstracts must be submitted exclusively through IAMCR’s submission system from 3 December 2024 through 7 February 2025, at 23.59 UTC.
Abstract should be between 800 and 1000 words. It is expected that each person will submit only one abstract. However, no author’s name should appear on more than two abstracts, either individually or as part of any group of authors and authors should not submit more than one abstract to any single section or working group.
Evaluation criteria
Submitted abstracts will generally be evaluated on the basis of:
- Technical merit
- Readability
- Originality and/or significance
- Use of or contribution to theory
- Relevance to the section and current trends or controversies in its field
- Depth of knowledge of the research, theory and/or literature related to the proposed topic as evidenced in the submission
- Acceptance of proposals may also be conditioned by programme diversity and balance criteria
Statement on use of AI tools
IAMCR does not encourage or condone the use of generative AI tools to prepare abstracts submitted for consideration for our conferences. IAMCR values originality, integrity, and transparency in academic work, and believes that human-authored contributions best support rigorous and innovative scholarship in media and communication research. Should an author choose to use a generative AI tool in the preparation of an abstract, we require that they include a clear statement within their submission disclosing the tool's use. This statement must specify: (1) the name of any AI tool used; (2) how the tool was used in preparing the abstract, and; (3) the reason for using the tool. Failure to disclose the use of generative AI in accordance with these guidelines may impact the evaluation and acceptance of the submission.
Languages
This Islam and Media Working Group will receive and evaluate abstracts in English.
ISM-WG Best Papers Award, Singapore 2025
We are pleased to announce that ISM-WG is granting three awards to best papers for the fifth year in a row to acknowledge distinctive contributions to the main themes of the ISM-WG. The selected papers are supposed to enrich the research scope of Islam and Media working group and match criteria that required compliance with five standards:
- Originality of the paper and relevance to Islam and media.
- Research methods and overall organization.
- Language and writing style.
- Comprehensiveness and cohesiveness of literature review.
- Conclusions and contribution to existing knowledge.
The award committee consists of four members:
- Fatma Elzahraa Elsayed – Chair of ISM-WG
- Abida Ashraf – Vice Chair of ISM-WG
- Bushra Hameedur Rahman – ISM-WG Senior member
- Basyouni Hamada – ISM-WG Senior member
The three winning papers will be granted 100 U$D each. All papers presented at the Singapore conference are eligible to be selected.
Deadlines and key dates
The deadline to submit abstracts is 7 February 2025, at 23.59 UTC. For other key dates see https://iamcr.org/singapore2025/keydates. Dates are subject to change.
Contacts
For further information on the ISM themes, submissions, panels and on the ISM Working Group please contact the Head:
Chair: Fatma Elzahraa Elsayed (Cairo University, Egypt) zahraafat@cu.edu.eg
Vice-Chair: Abida Ashraf (University of the Punjab, Pakistan)
Vice-Chair: Saima E. Shahid (University of Punjab, Pakistan)