“Notions of Community - An edited collection of community media debates”

Edited by Janey Gordon University of Bedfordshire, UK Call For Papers

Community media in all its guises has come to have an importance and significance for communities globally in many differing circumstances. It has variously developed as a public sphere, uncensored by authoritarian or hegemonic view-points; it has aided economic and social development: it has provided an outlet for cultural products of minority, under-represented or repressed groups of people; it has given practical information, self-esteem and self-worth to those without other media forms at their disposal. This edited collection gets beyond descriptions of the values and processes and is deliberately looking for argument and structured debate around the issues of this vibrant sector of the media.

The book seeks to examine the recent debates and dilemmas that have emerged with in this sector. It provides a critical overview of the major issues facing community media and discusses some of the dilemmas that concern community media practitioners and their audiences. It seeks to unpick the relationships between such matters such as funding and content; producers or editors and their audiences; community media and commercial and national media and the over arching ethics of this sector with the regulatory authorities guidelines.

This book is an edited collection for students studying mainstream and alternative media and also practitioners involved in the community media sector. It has an international perspective and covers the traditional formats of radio, TV and print as well as newer technologies and forms. Peter Lang Books, Oxford, UK have strongly indicated that they are interested in publishing this collection. The editor is seeking abstracts for chapters in the following areas, Funding: Where does funding for community media come from? Does it define content? What is the relationship with funding providers?

Content: Is community media truly providing a public sphere of discourse? To what extent does it risk further marginalizing minority cultures?

Audiences: How is a ‘community’ defined? Who is accessing community media? How does community media engage with its audiences?

Practitioners: Who are community media practitioners? What do they get out of their participation in community media? How do practitioners know they are ‘successful’ by their own definitions?

Organisation: How does community media ensure that it is acting for those it seeks to represent? What forms of organisational structures best promote the ideals of community media? How does the ethos of community media relate to authorities and regulatory bodies? What is the relationship between community media and mainstream media providers?

Dissemination: Is community media being marginalized by new technology? How is community media using and engaging with newer forms of dissemination such as webcasts, ezines, pods, blogs, SMS, MMS and digital transmission systems? This list is not exhaustive and discourse concerning cutting-edge community media dissemination systems is encouraged.

These areas do not constitute a comprehensive list and proposals on other related themes will be considered. Selection will lay emphasis on papers that are accessible, clearly written, and enhance the debates and illustrate the dilemmas surrounding the community media sector.

Submission deadline for abstracts is: 1st June 2007, with the final chapters being completed by 30th September 2007. Abstracts of 200 words and biographical details of 50 words should be submitted to Janey Gordon, janeygordon@beds.ac.uk