Call for papers
Special issue of *Social Semiotics*:

Mediated Citizenship(s)

The concept of citizenship is under attack and revision from all sides.
Scholars, politicians and pundits alike decry the decline of participation in
conventional politics. Some view mass media as the culprits of growing
disenchantment among citizens. At the same time, recent years have also seen the
rise of new social movements and forms of activism, which involve new
generations of citizens. Global flows of capital, people, and media content
present new challenges to citizenship.

The response to these developments has been dramatic: Across Europe, the past
decade has witnessed the rise of populist political parties which draw heavily
on a nationalist rhetoric oriented against those who don't fit within narrow
conceptions of citizenship, usually asylum seekers and other "foreigners."
Yet the challenges of a multicultural society suggest that any conception of
citizenship cannot ignore issues of ethnic, racial and religious difference.

Alongside these developments, governments around the world engage in efforts to
police definitions of citizenship: In the UK, the government has introduced a
citizenship curriculum in schools, and a citizenship induction ceremony.
Meanwhile, concerns over security in the United States have led to growing
surveillance of movements across borders, while patriotism has become an
ever-more central part of official discourses.

This special issue seeks to make sense of what role the media play in the
constant contestation of the category of "citizenship." It invites
contributions from scholars representing a variety of theoretical and
disciplinary approaches, who are interested in understanding the central place
of mass media in our societies.

Questions covered might include, but are not limited to:

How are citizens represented in the media? To what extent do notions of
mistrust, alienation and apathy shape these representations? What is the
relationship between citizenship and consumption in mediated contexts? Who is
included and excluded in definitions of citizenships circulating in the media?
How are non-citizens (asylum seekers, "foreigners," and citizens of other
countries) portrayed? How does globalisation change representations of
citizenship?

How can citizens participate in politics through the media? What interventions
and strategies can they employ to improve their access? How do different media
forms help or hinder citizen participation?

Which theoretical approaches can help us better understand mediated
citizenship? How do approaches such as theories of the public sphere,
globalisation, cosmopolitan and cultural citizenship, postcolonialism, political
economy, feminism, and postmodernism contribute to our knowledge?

How are government initiatives on citizenship constructed in media coverage?
What are the official discourses on citizenship, and how do they circulate? To
what extent do claims about civil rights and liberties clash contest these
official discourses? How do governments seek to structure coverage?

What are the dominant discourses on national identity and citizenship
circulating in the media? How do mediated events -- such as sports contests,
official visits, and trials --contribute to the formation of national identity
and conceptions of citizenship?

How do patterns of ownership and control affect the mediation of citizenship?
How does economic and cultural capital structure access to the media?

Timeline:
250-word abstracts by April 15
Finished papers (7,500 words maximum length) by July 15
Decision on acceptance and requests for revision by September 1
Revised articles due October 1

Send abstracts and papers, by e-mail or hard copy to:

Dr Karin Wahl-Jorgensen
Wahl-jorgensenk_at_cf.ac.uk
Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies
Cardiff University
Bute Building,
King Edward VII Avenue
Cardiff, CF10 3NB, Wales, UK
+44(0)29 2087 4000 ext. 77151

Social Semiotics is an international, refereed journal and has been published
continuously for 14 years.

Dr. Karin Wahl-Jorgensen
Lecturer
Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies
Cardiff University
Bute Building
King Edward VII Avenue
Cardiff, CF10 3NB
(029) 2087 4000 extension 77151
wahl-jorgensenk_at_cardiff.ac.uk

Coordinator, MA Political Communication

Reviews Editor, *Social Semiotics* and *International Journal of Media and
Cultural Politics*

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Received on Fri Mar 04 2005 - 10:32:32 EST