Date: October 31st 2008

BEYOND EAST AND WEST
TWO DECADES OF MEDIA TRANSFORMATION AFTER THE FALL OF COMMUNISM

25-27 June 2009
Central European University, Budapest

An International Conference organized by the Center for Media and
Communication Studies (CMCS) at Central European University (CEU) in
cooperation with the COST A30 Action “East of West: Setting a New
Central Eastern European Research Agenda” and the International
Communication Association (ICA).


Deadline for abstracts and panel proposals: 15 November 2008
Please submit abstracts to: beyondeastandwest@ceu.hu

Since 1989, a new media landscape has emerged in Central and Eastern
Europe, with new ownership patterns, forms of media organization,
journalistic practices, relationships between politics and the media,
regulation processes, modalities of media use. A new system has been
established, predominantly designed according to Western models and
with heavy influence of Western players.

Twenty years later, it is time to re-examine these changes. What went
right, what went wrong, and what can we learn from this? Were Western
media models and concepts appropriate for the post-1989 social,
political, economic and cultural realities of Central/Eastern Europe?
What are the future trajectories of media development in the region?
And how do they compare to those in other regions undergoing systemic
transformation – from Latin America to China and the Middle East?

The conference “Beyond East and West” will trace post-1989 development
and look towards the future. To build research for communication in
transition, conference participants will explore the necessary
building-blocks for a research agenda.