ICDC 2019: 2nd International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Discourse and Communication in Professional Contexts – The Dark Side of Communication Aalborg University Aalborg, Denmark, August 14-16, 2019 |
Conference website | http://www.discourse-communication-2019.aau.dk |
Submission link | https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icdc2019 |
Conference program | https://easychair.org/smart-program/ICDC2019/ |
Panel proposals submission deadline | December 15, 2018 |
Abstract registration deadline | January 15, 2019 |
Submission deadline | January 15, 2019 |
Recent years have seen a veritable upsurge in research into organizational communication, PR communication, corporate communication, branding communication etc. Whereas this voluminous strand of research has delved ever deeper into the instrumental nature of organizational/corporate communication, little attention, outside organizational discourse studies, has been devoted to seriously examining what happens when we allow organizational/corporate communication to constitute the reality in which we live. Repeatedly, scholars have, therefore, stated that the development of a critical appreciation of organizational/corporate communication is crucial. For employees as well as – in a wider sense – for all citizens of late-modern societies. In spite of this, communication scholars have so far neither conducted an exhaustive, critical review of the field, nor have they ventured to develop a coherent theoretical paradigm guiding research into this field. Organizing and hosting the conference The Dark Side of Communication, the newly established Communicating Organizations Research Group at Aalborg University, takes a decisive step towards filling that research gap.
In order to encompass a wide variety of relevant research interests, the conference takes place against a backdrop of organizational, corporate and professional communication, critical management studies, critical discourse studies, and critical media studies. To that effect, we have been able to secure keynote addresses by no less than four internationally renowned researchers from different, relevant research fields:
- Professor Dennis Mumby, University of Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
- Professor David Boje, New Mexico State University, USA.
- Assoc. Professor Charlotte Simonsson, Lund University, Sweden.
- Dr. Erika Darics, Aston University, UK.
The expression “the dark side” seems to have become a portmanteau term for all things unwanted. In strategic communication, “the dark side” pertains to (corporate) communication perceived as intentionally ambiguous – and maybe unlawfully so. In organization studies, “the dark side” encompasses deviant or even harmful organizational behavior. In interpersonal communication, “the dark side” deals with immoral, dysfunctional or malicious communication. In sum, by calling forth “the dark side” of communication we evoke a sort of Manichean discourse of light vs. dark, in casu: of good vs. evil communication. If we look at communication activities in organizational and/or professional contexts in lieu of this, it seems to be a question of whether communication is seen as manipulatory, i.e. as “dark”/evil, or emancipatory, i.e. as “light”/good. This, in turn, effectively stigmatizes dark side communication activities as vehicles for the (organizational or corporate) propagation of suppression of unwanted ethical, political, and ideological voices and discourses.
With The Dark Side of Communication as the theme of our conference, we wish to explore and substantially deepen our understanding of what dark side communication activities ‘are’ and what they ‘do’ in or with reference to organizational contexts. With this conference, we wish explore and problematize issues such as, but not limited to:
- What may constitute dark side communicating activities? And why?
- Where do we find dark side communicating activities? And why?
- How do we analyze dark side communicating activities?
- Why are organizations (ostensibly) making use of dark side communicating activities?
- How do we – as scholars as well as citizens – evaluate dark side communicating activities?
Even though the conference takes place against a backdrop of organizational, corporate and professional communication, critical management studies, critical discourse studies, and critical media studies. Obviously, all interested scholars from adjacent fields are highly encouraged to attend.
Needless to say, PhD students at any stage of their PhD work are also warmly encouraged to participate. Not only in the pre-conference PhD seminar, which takes place on 13 August 2019, but indeed also in the conference proper.
Submission Guidelines
All submission must be original and not simultaneously submitted to another journal or conference. The following submissions are welcome:
- Individual abstracts should not exceed 300 words and should include title of paper, research topic, method, empirical data, theoretical approach, (expected) findings and references (max. 5 references).
- Panel proposals should not exceed 600 words and should include title of panel, the panel’s main research agenda / problem, a short description of each panelist’s topic and how these topics are integrated within the panel with a view to addressing the research agenda / problem in question.
Committees
Conference chair
- Professor Peter Kastberg, Communicating Organizations Research Group, Dept. of Culture and Global Studies, Aalborg University
Organizing committee
- Associate Professor Rita Cancino
- Associate Professor Lise-Lotte Holmgreen
- Associate Professor Line Schmeltz
- Assistant Professor Kristine Bundgaard
- Assistant Professor Rikke Hartmann Haugaard
- Assistant Professor Heidrun Knorr
- Assistant Professor Vibeke Thøis Madsen
- Assistant Professor Guro Refsum Sanden
- PhD candidate Lise Schmidt Nielsen
All are members of the Communicating Organizations Research Group, Dept. of Culture and Global Studies, Aalborg University, Denmark