The Political Communication Research Section of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) invites submissions for its regional conference which will be hosted by the Faculty of Humanities at the North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa on 1 -3 June 2026, under the theme: Reimagining Media and Political Communication in Africa: Voices, Power and Participation in a Digital Age.
This conference seeks to explore how political communication, in its broadest sense, shapes and is shaped by the shifting contours of power, identity, democracy and digital technologies across the African continent.
Conference date: 1 - 3 June 2026.
Participants are invited to submit proposals which align with, but are not limited to, the following sub-themes:
- Digital disruption and democracy: Social media, misinformation, surveillance, cyber-politics and micro-targeting of voters in African electoral contexts
- Political discourse and identity: Race, ethnicity, gender, language, and nationalism in African political communication
- Media, power and state relations: Public broadcasters, private media, propaganda, and press freedom
- Protest and activism: Grassroots mobilisation, hashtag movements, and resistance communication
- Media and political participation: Radio, television, print, and hybrid forms of political engagement.
- Artificial intelligence: Access, power and representation
- The future of African political communication
- Political communication pedagogy in Africa: Curricula, decoloniality, and knowledge production.
Welcomed abstracts:
- Academic papers
- Panel discussions / roundtables
- Practice-based contributions (e.g., from journalists, activists, civil society)
Interested participants are invited to submit abstracts of approximately 700 words on any of the specific themes stated above, and a 150-word short biography of the authors. Abstracts should be sent to: iamcr.africa2026@nwu.ac.za.
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For more information, kindly contact Kutlwano Dilotsotlhe.