Date: October 21st 2008

IAMHIST conference 2009: Social Fears and Moral Panics, Aberystwyth,
8-11 July 2009

SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS

The International Association for Media and History (IAMHIST) announces
a second call for papers for the XXIII biennial IAMHIST conference,
incorporating the 3rd Gregynog Media History Conference, on the theme
Social Fears and Moral Panics.

The aim of the conference is to explore both the role of the media in
addressing, highlighting or perpetuating social fears, and the mass
media itself as a perceived moral agent and/or threat.  Topics to
address might thus include questions of media content and/or language;
concerns about public intrusion; censorship and the freedom of
information; the reporting of crimes or disasters; invasion and security
fears in times of peace or war; religious, cultural and/or linguistic
fears; fears relating to youth or children, or to minority groups; fears
relating to particular behaviours, pursuits or leisure activities;
'golden ageism'. =20

Confirmed speakers include Chas Crichter, Julian Petley, Martin Barker,
Steve Chibnell, Virginia Berridge, Aled Jones, Jason McElligott, and Sir
Quentin Thomas (President, British Board of Film Classification)

We welcome paper proposals that address the theme in both contemporary
and/or historical perspective; proposals which engage with the theme
comparatively (both geographically and temporally); and proposals which
engage with theoretical approaches, including the social theory of moral
panic.

We also welcome proposals on their work in progress from postgraduate
and early-career scholars in the field of media history, including on
topics that may not be on the conference theme.

Proposals for complete panels (three themed papers) are welcome, as well
as individual paper submissions.  Papers presented at the conference
should be 25-30 minutes in length and should use illustrative material
(for instance film clips) wherever possible.

Abstracts of no more than 300 words per paper should be sent to Dr Sian
Nicholas at iamhist2009@aber.ac.uk  c/o Department of History and Welsh
History, Aberystwyth University, Penglais, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23
3DY, Wales UK, by 14 November 2008.

The conference is being organised by IAMHIST, in association with the
Centre for Media History and Departments of History and Welsh History,
and Theatre, Film and Television, Aberystwyth University, the Department
of Media and Communications, Swansea University, and the journals
Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television and Media History, with
the support of the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, National
Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.

For further details and updates, see
http://www.aber.ac.uk/history/research/centreformediahistoryIAMHIST2009.