• Type: Call For Papers for Special Journal Issue – Edited by Christian Fuchs and Vincent Mosco
• Journal: Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society (url)
• Deadline: 30 September 2011
• URL: http://triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/announcement/view/10

In light of the global capitalist crisis, there is renewed interest in Karl Marx’s works and in concepts like class, exploitation and surplus value. Slavoj Žižek argues that the antagonisms of contemporary capitalism in the context of the ecological crisis, the massive expansion of intellectual property, biogenetics, new forms of apartheid and growing world poverty show that we still need the Marxian notion of class. He concludes that there is an urgent need to renew Marxism and to defend its lost causes in order to render problematic capitalism as the only alternative (Žižek 2008, 6) and the new forms of a soft capitalism that promise, and in its
rhetoric makes use of, ideals like participation, self-organization, and co-operation, without realizing them. Žižek (2010, chapter 3) argues that the global capitalist crisis clearly demonstrates the need to return to the critique of political economy. Göran Therborn suggests that the “new constellations of power and new possibilities of resistance” in the 21st century require retaining the “Marxian idea that human emancipation from exploitation, oppression, discrimination and the inevitable linkage between privilege and misery can only come from struggle by the exploited and disadvantaged themselves” (Therborn 2008, 61). Eric Hobsbawm (2011, 12f) insists that for understanding the global dimension of contemporary capitalism, its contradictions and crises, and the persistence of socio-economic inequality, we “must ask Marx’s questions” (13).
This special issue will publish articles that address the importance of Karl Marx’s works forCritical Media and Communication Studies, what it means to ask Marx’s questions in 21st century informational capitalism, how Marxian theory can be used for critically analyzing and transforming media and communication today, and what the implications of the revival of the interest in Marx are for the field of Media and Communication Studies.
Questions that can be explored in contributions include, but are not limited to:
* What is Marxist Media and Communication Studies? Why is it needed today? What are the main assumptions, legacies, tasks, methods and categories of Marxist Media and Communication Studies and how do they relate to Karl Marx’s theory? What are the different
types of Marxist Media/Communication Studies, how do they differ, what are their commonalities?
* What is the role of Karl Marx’s theory in different fields, subfields and approaches of Media and Communication Studies? How have the role, status, and importance of Marx’s theory for Media and Communication Studies evolved historically, especially since the
1960s?
* In addition to his work as a theorist and activist, Marx was a practicing journalist throughout his career. What can we learn from his journalism about the practice of journalism today, about journalism theory, journalism education and alternative media?
* What have been the structural conditions, limits and problems for conducting Marxian inspired Media and Communication Research and for carrying out university teaching in the era of neoliberalism? What are actual or potential effects of the new capitalist crisis on these conditions?
* What is the relevance of Marxian thinking in an age of capitalist crisis for analyzing the role of media and communication in society?
* How can the Marxian notions of class, class struggle, surplus value, exploitation, commodity/commodification, alienation, globalization, labour, capitalism, militarism and war, ideology/ideology critique, fetishism, and communism best be used for analyzing, transforming and criticizing the role of media, knowledge production and communication in
contemporary capitalism?
* How are media, communication, and information addressed in Marx’s work?
* What are commonalities and differences between contemporary approaches in the interpretation of Marx’s analyses of media, communication, knowledge, knowledge labour and technology?
* What is the role of dialectical philosophy and dialectical analysis as epistemological and methodological tools for Marxian-inspired Media and Communication Studies?
* What were central assumptions of Marx about media, communication, information, knowledge production, culture and how can these insights be used today for the critical analysis of capitalism?
* What is the relevance of Marx’s work for an understanding of social media?
* Which of Marx’s works can best be used today to theorize media and communication? Why and how?
* Terry Eagleton (2011) demonstrates that the 10 most common held prejudices against Marx are wrong. What prejudices
against Marx can be found in Media and Communication Studies today? What have been the consequences of such prejudices? How can they best be contested? Are there continuities and/or discontinuities of prejudices against Marx in light of the new capitalist crisis?

All contributions shall genuinely deal with Karl Marx’s original works and discuss their relevance for contemporary Critical Media/Communication Studies.

Eagleton Terry. 2011.
Why Marx was right. London:Yale University Press.
Hobsbawm, Eric. 2011. How to change the world. Marx and Marxism 1840-2011. London: Little, Brown.
Therborn, Göran. 2008. From Marxism to post-Marxism? London: Verso.
Žižek, Slavoj. 2008. In defense of lost causes. London: Verso.
Žižek, Slavoj. 2010. Living in the end times. London: Verso.

Editors
Christian Fuchs is chair professor for Media and Communication Studies at Uppsala University’s Department of Informatics and Media. He is editor of the journal tripleC –Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society. His areas of interest are: Critical
Theory, Social Theory, Media & Society, Critical Political Economy of Media/Communication, Critical Information Society Studies, Critical Internet Studies. He is author of the books “Foundations of Critical Media and Information Studies” (Routledge
2011) and “Internet and Society: Social Theory in the Information Age” (Routledge 2008,paperback 2011). He is co-editor of the collected volume “The Internet and Surveillance. TheChallenges of Web 2.0 and Social Media” (Routledge 2011, together with Kees Boersma, Anders Albrechtslund, Marisol Sandoval). He is currently writing a book presenting a critical theory of social media. http://fuchs.uti.at

Vincent Mosco is professor emeritus of sociology at Queen’s University and formerly Canada Research Chair in Communication and Society. Dr. Mosco is the author of numerous books on communication, technology, and society. His most recent include Getting the Message:Communications Workers and Global Value Chains (co-edited with Catherine McKercher and Ursula Huws, Merlin, 2010), The Political Economy of Communication, second edition (Sage, 2009), The Laboring of Communication: Will Knowledge Workers of the World Unite (co-authored with Catherine McKercher, Lexington Books, 2008), Knowledge Workers in the Information Society (co-edited with Catherine McKercher, Lexington Books, 2007), and The Digital Sublime: Myth, Power, and Cyberspace (MIT Press, 2004). He is currently writing a book on the relevance of Karl Marx for communication research today.

Publication Schedule and Submission
Structured Abstracts for potential contributions shall be submitted to both editors
(christian.fuchs@im.uu.se, moscov@mac.com) per e-mail until September 30th, 2011 (submission
deadline). The authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to write full papers that are due
five months after the feedback from the editors. Full papers must then be submitted to tripleC.
Please do not instantly submit full papers, but only structured abstracts to the editors.
The abstracts should have a maximum of 1 200 words and should be structured by dealing
separately with each of the following five dimensions:
1) Purpose and main questions of the paper
2) Description of the way taken for answering the posed questions
3) Relevance of the topic in relation to the CfP
4) Main expected outcomes and new insights of the paper
5) Contribution to the engagement with Marx’s works and to Marxian-inspired Media and
Communication Studies
Journal
tripleC (cognition, communication, co-operation): Open Access Journal for a Global
Sustainable Information Society, http://www.triple-c.se
Focus and Scope: Critical Media-/Information-/ Communication-/Internet-/Information
Society-Studies
tripleC provides a forum to discuss the challenges humanity is facing today.
It publishes contributions that focus on critical studies of media, information, communication,
culture, digital media, social media and the Internet in the information society. The journal’s
focus is especially on critical studies and it asks contributors to reflect about normative,
political, ethical and critical implications of their research

• Type: Lecture by Chua Beng Huat
• When: Monday, September 26,  6:30pm
• Venue: Wood Theatre, Economics and Commerce Building
• URL: http://melbourneuniv-web.ungerboeck.com/coe/coe_p2_details.aspx?oc=10&cc=COE&eventid=6887

Pop Culture is part of the export industry of every East Asia location – Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China and Hong Kong. In every instance, except perhaps Hong Kong, the national government has been financially and institutionally supporting the local pop culture industry because the latter has come to see the pop culture industry as an instrument of ‘soft power’. At stake is apparently not just financial returns from investments in pop culture production but also to positively ‘influence’ the attitudes of the audience in the target/importing countries. This is particularly significant against the back drop of historical animosities between the East Asian nations, which continues to fuel public expressions of international antagonism on the ground, often with the complicity of the local government. This presentation will discuss the current state of competition among China, Japan and Korea. (Supported by the Macgeorge Bequest).

• Type: Call For Papers for Conference –Community Media Forum Europe
• Location: Nicosia, Cyprus
• Deadline: 20 September 2011
• URL: www.cmfe.eu/conference2011

The Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE) is pleased to announce that its 1st Annual Conference will take place in the United Nations Buffer Zone in Nicosia, Cyprus, on 17/19 November 2011, and will be hosted by the Cyprus Community Media Centre (CCMC).

The plenary sessions will focus on the following themes:
- The state of Community Media in Europe
- Community media, intercultural dialogue and participation
- Towards an enabling environment for Community Media in Cyprus
- Opportunities and challenges for Community Media in Europe: the way ahead

The parallel sessions will aim to
- Showcase best practices of CMFE members, both in traditional presentation formats and practice-based workshops;
- Discuss European Community Media research, policies and practices.

Submissions for presentations and full panels are encouraged, but not limited to
- Best practices of Community Media projects (radio, tv, web, print, cross- platform)
- Country-specific and comparative Community Media Policy studies
- Community Media and the potential for the promotion of diversity, multiculturalism, storytelling and reconciliation
- Community Media in conflict zones, or post-conflict societies
- Community Media, pluralism and diversity
- Community Media, access and participation
- Community Media and digital broadcasting
- Community Media: social, economic and institutional sustainability
- Qualitative and Quantitative approaches to audience research in Community Media
- Community Media and Civic Value
- Community Media, Gender and Equality
- Community Media and multilingualism in society & media
- Community Media, Social Media and web 2.0

Abstracts of 300 words max for papers, panels and practice-based presentations should be submitted by e-mail to info@cmfe.eu no later than 20 September 2011. Panel proposals should include a panel abstract (300 words) along with abstracts for each of the papers.

Accepted abstracts will be notified by 7 October 2011, with registration to start on 10 October 2011.

Further information as locations, directions, suggested accommodation and conference programme will be available on the conference website at:
www.cmfe.eu/conference2011

The CMFE General Assembly will also take place at the conference premises on the morning of 17 November 2011.

This event is co-organised by the Community Media Forum Europe (CMFE) and the Cyprus Community Media Centre (CCMC), hosted by the Cyprus Community Media Centre (CCMC), and supported by the European Union under the ‘Europe for Citizens Programme 2011′ and the United Nations Development Programme, Action for Cooperation and Trust in Cyprus (UNDP-ACT).

Contact address for information requests: info@cmfe.eu

• Type: Call For Papers for Special Journal Issue – Edited by Antero Garcia and Ernest Morrell
• Journal: Learning Media and Technology (url)
• Deadline: 30 September 2011
• URL: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=1743-9884&linktype=cfp or http://www.theamericancrawl.com/?p=863

Issue theme: *City Youth and the  Pedagogy of Participatory Media*

Learning, Media and Technology is acknowledged as one of the learning academic journals in the fields of educational technology and educational media.

Proposals are invited for papers for a special issue of the journal on the theme“City Youth and the Pedagogy of Participatory Media”.   The special issue will be edited by Antero Garcia and Ernest Morrell.

We are currently soliciting abstracts for proposed papers for the special issue. Abstracts should be no longer than 300 words and be accompanied by up to six keywords.

• Deadline for submission of abstract: 30th September 2011
• Successful authors informed: 10th October 2011
• Deadline for submission of full papers: 31st January 2012

Full papers are expected to be between 4,000 and 6,000 words (please refer to the journal website for full ‘instructions for authors’). All papers will be subject to the usual blind reviewing and refereeing processes.

Please send abstracts and keywords to the guest editors by 30th September 2011:  – anterobot@gmail.com  – ernestmorrell@gmail.com

*FURTHER DETAILS OF THE SPECIAL ISSUE*

In 1950, approximately 29% of the world’s population was classified as urban. According to the 2007 revision of the United Nations’ World Urbanization Prospects, 70% of the world’s population will be classified as urban by 2050 and most of the people who will inhabit urban centres globally will be economically disadvantaged. We also know that school systems in cities around the world are challenged to provide socially and culturally meaningful education to increasingly diverse populations and, because of their inability to meet these challenges, many city youth do not receive the formal education they need to participate meaningfully in the world of work or civil society in the 21st century.

At the same time, we see that city youth have increasing access to technology and many scholars have shown that youth are engaging technology outside of school in increasingly sophisticated ways. Because of this, technology is being called upon as an antidote to education inequity globally. These tools are used not only to engage students in meaningful learning experiences, but also to shape ways people participate and interact with the world. However, while there is burgeoning research around the role that participatory media play in improving learning, educators are identifying challenges toward implementation. Specifically,  “research on teaching in urban schools suggests that teachers’ limited skills and limiting beliefs about their students lead to a steady diet of low-level material coupled with unstimulating, roteoriented teaching”.

When applied to historically marginalized communities, participatory media acts as a powerful tool for amplification of voice and as a means to personalize content and assessments for the specific needs of marginalized youth. Part of the challenge that educators face is in looking at the ways youth come together and communicate to refine/establish new technologies. As we better understand how culture happens among young people, an understanding of how to develop new technologies emerges.

This special issue explores ways that technology-based opportunities present strategies for closing a global literacy gap based on race and class. Specifically, this issue focuses on pedagogy and participatory media:

• How are city youth demonstrating the potential of participatory media to intentionally develop a public pedagogy?
• How are participatory media reshaping social thought and action?
• How do educators leverage media in critical literacy development? What are examples of successful attempts of this form of pedagogy?
• Are there ministries and departments of education or government agencies that are getting it right with respect to policies that promote the pedagogy of participatory media?
•  What are the risks of adopting participatory media tools developed for capitalism and consumerism? How are educators engaging youth in these topics?

The guest editors of this issue have extensive experience as teachers, teacher educators, and researchers working with youth in the U.S. This issue requests submissions from a wide range of agents from around the world within the field of education: in addition to researchers, teachers, students, and combinations of collaborators across these audiences are encouraged to share their work.

• Type: Lecture by Roberta Esbitt: Off the grid and in the groove & Peter Cowman: Living architecture
• When: Friday, September 16 7:00pm
• Venue: RMIT 8.11.68, Building 8, Level 11, lecture theatre 68, to the right of the lifts, 360 Swanston St, Melbourne
• URL: http://architecture.testpattern.com.au/

Off the grid and in the groove by Roberta Esbitt

There’s an island not far from RMIT: it’s large, it’s natural, it’s mysterious. Many have sailed or fished around it, but few have been. There’s no bridge, so the 90 people who live there come and go by boat. It’s off the grid, with no services or infrastructure: no paved roads, no mains power or water or sewage or garbage delivery. No Council, no rates, no police, no booze bus, no doctor. One general store/post office/café. No, not Bali Hai, but French Island in Westernport Bay (just north of its smaller but better-known neighbour Phillip Island). The quirky aspects of this “cowboy country” Island, its unusual logistics and myriad local legends, never fail to intrigue.

I am an international architect and I live there. **I have recently finished designing and owner-building a house on the Island, a dwelling relatively self-sufficient (solar power, rainwater, wood heating) yet full of 21st century ‘mod-cons’ and architectural detail. This case study considers the design and construction of the house, situating it on the sustainability spectrum not only in terms of design, materials and systems, but also size (the true space requirements for a household) and budget (one builds what one can afford – no aspirational spending here). The fascinating logistics of its construction process will also be discussed: the house was built by one man singlehandedly, and all materials – from windows, rainwater tanks and concrete to the smallest nail – came across by boat, subject to tides and weather. The result is a wonderful space with a wonderful view, and offers a connection to the bush and the sea that is unparalleled….an hour from Melbourne.

The change from urban to rural island life, from accessible to remote, from on- to off-the-grid, has been a huge eye-opener, a life-changing re-examination of meanings and re-ordering of priorities. It has changed my life and may serve to inspire yours.

Both architect and builder will be on hand to answer questions.

ROBERTA ESBITT is an international architect with over 30 years’ worldwide experience. Originally practicing in San Francisco, she served as Architect for the European Commission in Belgium before moving to Melbourne where she has managed her own property development company for fifteen years. She has a Bachelor of Architecture from Cornell University, New York, and a Master of Business (Property) from RMIT University where she currently lectures.

Living Architecture by Peter Cowman

In this stimulating presentation, architect Peter Cowman takes us on a mystery tour within the quasi-secret world of architecture.

From Newgrange to New Age, from tree house to temple, we are invited to explore architecture inside and out. Within this juxtaposition of time and space are to be discovered threads, emerging from the past and snaking forward to inform an invisible future. This insight leads us inwards to where dreams and expectations are forged. It is here, we come to realise, that the experience of architecture is conceived and a missing link between architecture+life awaits discovery.

PETER COWMAN is director of the Living Architecture Centre. He is an architect, an eco-builder, a writer and a teacher, delivering talks, lectures, courses & workshops internationally. He was born in Ireland and is currently living in Australia.

// Architecture+Philosophy 2011

Architecture+Philosophy is a flexible independent program. We are still accepting proposals for lectures, roundtables, and other methods together a forum of thinkers and makers for our 2011 calendar.

• Type: Call For Papers for Special Journal Issue – Edited by Nahed Eltantawy (Feminist Media Studies)
• Journal: Feminist Media Studies (url)
• Deadline: 1 April 2012
• URL: http://centerforinterculturaldialogue.org/2011/09/01/womenmedia-in-middle-east-cfp/

Middle Eastern women have traditionally been viewed as weak and submissive, passively accepting male authority and leadership rather than seeking leadership for themselves.  From Edward Said’s Orientalism to Lila Abu-Lughod’s “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?” women of the Middle East have been portrayed as helpless creatures who are often hidden behind the veil, quietly waiting to be liberated.

Recent democratic movements in the Middle East, popularly grouped together under the banner of the “Arab Spring,” signal the rise of a new kind of political activism across the region, made possible, in large part, by the now widespread use of social media. The world has witnessed millions across Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Yemen and Syria as they have marched to the squares and told their stories of life under repressive political regimes. How have women been involved in these events? What are their experiences and stories? In addition to the more widely known stories of political demonstrations in the region, there have also been more localized events, such as the women-led driving protests in Saudi Arabia, that suggest that there are many stories still to be told to unveil the realities of women’s experiences in the Middle East. In what ways have women utilized media, including social media such as Twitter, Facebook and blogging, for both personal and political expression and have these platforms contributed to the democratization of women’s lives?

This special issue seeks manuscripts that focus on Middle East women and their relationship with the media old and new – how women are portrayed, how and why women utilize media and technology, and women’s media production.

Topics of interest in relation to Middle East women and the media include but are not limited to:

• Media portrayals of women
• Women’s use of  social media
• Women’s utilization of media to promote  the “Arab Spring” revolutions
• Women and cyberactivism
• Women’s use of media (old and new) for self expression and identification
• Women’s utilization of media for empowerment
• Women’s media production

Please submit a 350-word abstract to Dr Nahed Eltantawy at: neltanta@highpoint.edu by no later than April 1, 2012.

<snip>

• Type: Call for Papers for Workshop.
• Location: National University of Singapore, Singapore
• Deadline: 15 Sept 2011 for Proposal Submission
• URL: http://blog.nus.edu.sg/cnmblog/2011/08/16/call-for-papers-for-workshop-from-sms-to-smartphones-tracing-the-impact-and-developmental-trajectory-of-the-mobile-phone-in-asia/

Asia is widely regarded as a region that has enthusiastically embraced information technology. This observation is especially true of the region’s adoption and appropriation of the mobile phone. The affordability, versatility and ubiquity of the mobile phone has had a discernible impact on Asia. It has been widely deployed in virtually every aspect of everyday life, be it in commerce, politics, governance, education, religion, entertainment or recreation. Various noteworthy uses and ground-breaking applications of the mobile phone have emerged from both urban and rural parts of Asia. Going beyond the use of more basic mobile phone models and features, the smartphone, in particular, is diffusing through Asia at a rate exceeding the rest of the world. Bringing the idea of the ubiquitous web to fruition, the smartphone’s heightened connectivity and thriving app market are birthing yet more revolutionary uses of the mobile phone. While the rising adoption of the smartphone burgeons with potential for civic action, commercial enterprise, employment and educational opportunities and social service provision, challenges are also emerging for consumers, industries and governments alike.

Despite the significance of mobile phones in the Asian landscape, research on this topic  has been shaped by studies on the US and Scandinavia, while research on Asia is growing, but in its nascent stages. This workshop seeks to address the imbalance by bringing together researchers who are studying mobile phone trends in Asia and collectively, workshop participants will discuss and deliberate over the global implications of their research findings and the developmental trajectory of the mobile phone. The workshop aims to be multi-disciplinary and compact, comprising up to fifteen speakers who will have the opportunity for sustained discussion and engagement over two days.  The workshop will be held at the Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore from 13-14 February 2012. Selected papers will be developed and included in a special journal issue or edited volume.

Set within the Asian context, the workshop seeks to address questions including, but not limited to the following:

• does a digital divide exist in Asia with regard to mobile phone penetration and usage trends and if so, how can and should they be remedied?
• what are the implications of the development of mobiles — especially smartphones and mobile Internet — for contemporary media in Asia?
• how is the growing proliferation of the smartphone facilitating unprecedented forms and scales of communication?
• how are the location based services offered by smartphones altering user behaviour?
• how does mobile Internet use complement and possibly complicate fixed location Internet use?
• what implications does the growth of smartphone apps have for the cultural complexion of Asian countries?
• to what extent do smartphones and the behaviour which they enable test the boundaries of existing regulatory frameworks?
• how does the rising ubiquity of the smartphone and by implication, that of always-on, always-available Internet access challenge prevailing theoretical frameworks relating to inter alia, technology acceptance, mobility, communication, social influence and identity?

SUBMISSION DETAILS

We invite those interested in participating in the workshop to submit original paper proposals which should include a title, an abstract of 500 words, a short biography of 250 words, and should be submitted using the Paper Proposal Submission Form. Please submit your proposal to Sun Sun Lim at sunlim@nus.edu.sg by 15 September 2011. Papers that have been selected will be notified by 30 September 2011. If accepted, the full paper must be submitted by 30 November 2011. Based on the quality of proposals and the availability of funds, partial or full funding is available for successful applicants. Full funding would cover air travel to Singapore by the most economical means, plus board and lodging for the duration of the workshop. Priority for funding will be accorded to applicants who are based in Asia.

CONTACT DETAILS

Workshop Convenors

Associate Professor Sun Sun LIM (sunlim@nus.edu.sg)
Department of Communications and New Media, National University of Singapore

Prof Gerard GOGGIN (gerard.goggin@sydney.edu.au)
Department of Communications, University of Sydney

• Type: Call For Papers for Special Journal Issue – (ed) Mary Griffiths (U Adelaide), with Ying Jiang (U Adelaide) and YounMin Park (U Korea)
• Journal: Communication, Politics and Culture
• Deadline: 3 April 2012
• URL: http://www.rmit.edu.au/mediacommunication/cpc

Articles are invited which deepen understandings of governmental dynamics in diplomatic, economic, political, media and cultural exchanges with, and within, China.

China’s size, power and rapid economic growth define, in no small measure, the nature of its internal dynamics, and its political, social and cultural relations with other states, nations and populations. Predicted to be the largest economy and global trader by 2030, in 2010 it had already replaced Japan in second place behind the US. ‘New’ China’s unprecedented rate of urbanization; development of model cities, trade expos and arts/media precincts; its new high-tech industry and knowledge parks; the greater autonomy of its media; and its citizens’ greater levels of personal wealth and consumption rates are indicative of the contemporary dynamism, drive and focus of its cities. Internally, entrepreneurial activity and government-regulated initiatives are driving innovation and change. Media coverage of successes accompanies reportage of the arrival of social trends such as stronger individualism, a greater reluctance to bow to authority, and a developing social acceptance of difference in an affluent and sometimes foreign-educated middle class. Governing China is challenging for a state in transition.

Understanding China, and governing relations with China, is equally challenging. New Chinese diplomacy reaches out on a global scale to other nations in an attempt to redefine former perceptions of political ideologies and traditional values. China has addressed human rights concerns and other criticisms by ‘explaining’ more; and by promoting a high profile as a global power and host of spectacular media events, for example, the 2008 Olympics and, in 2010, Shanghai’s Expo themed with a globally-shared aspiration: ‘Better City, Better Life.’ The establishment of educational exchange programs, Confucius Institutes at foreign universities, and governmentsupported scientific and academic programs promote cultural knowledge and ‘Asia literacy.’ China dispenses foreign aid liberally to developing states, and through arguably more successful techniques than those used by many western governments. How successful are these strategies? What are the risks, if any, of participating in joint ventures? On what terms can and shouldexchange be managed?

In a contest with ‘googlearchy,’ Hindman’s phrase for the net giant’s dominance, China established its own search engine, Baidu. Although Chinese net consumers organize their social life on vibrant Facebook-like networking site QZone, consumption of foreign news is still strictly controlled by CCTV, despite CIA reports of a diversifying, more independent media sector. The Rio Tinto and Ai Weiwei cases highlight what appears to be the non-negotiable issues about sovereignty, and exchanges of information. The list of potential topics for the theme’s issue is indicative only: futures and economic outlook; relational dynamics and change; the exercise of influence; domestic policy; the impact of the GFC and the Eurozone crisis; China’s media diversity; trade regulatory regimes; global and regional relations (especially with Australia); new diplomacy, leverage and soft power; cultural and political conflicts; population and climate change; urban developments; exchanges of scientific and industry knowledge; Kevin Rudd; IP; human rights; I ‘love’ China movements; trademarks and brands; China online; exchanges of expertise in renewal of urban design and IT hubs; tourism ventures; business councils; communications policy; freedoms/democracy/harmony.

Timing, length, style

The maximum length of articles is 5,000 to 6,000 words, shorter pieces welcome. Articles will be due to mary.griffiths@adelaide.edu.au, by 3 April 2012. They will be evaluated by the editorial committee, and anonymously by external referees.

More information is available at: http://www.rmit.edu.au/mediacommunication/cpc