CfP Investigating the history of social communication: from the classroom to the polis
The digital universe represents new scenarios for communication, human knowledge and all its productive, cultural and social dynamics. The new media, instruments and supports that have emerged in the wake of the digital revolution have transformed the way we conceptually represent and interpret the world around us, our way of living and relating to each other. However, this contemporary disruptive process that so captivates researchers in communication sciences cannot be understood without the frameworks provided by historical perspective, due to its ability to establish interpretative links between the past and the present, that is, between the changes brought about by the old media (also disruptive, in a way, in times past) and the transformations that the new media are bringing about today (Weil, 2007; Faus, 1995; De Haro et al., 2012; Bustamante, 2013; Laguna et al., 2024). Similarly, it would be impossible to understand the prospective analysis of the media reality without an adequate retrospective study that allows us to understand the development and evolution of the actors, mediations and dynamics of communication phenomena throughout history (Barrera, 1999; Bordería and Laguna, 2015)
The historical study of media and communication models is, therefore, a consolidated and fundamental pillar of research in Communication Sciences (Timoteo, 1992 and 1997; Pizarroso, 1992; Seoane and Sáiz, 2007; De Haro and Martínez, 2011; Zugasti, 2013; Laguna et al., 2023). Furthermore, in terms of teaching, it constitutes a very valuable contribution to the training curriculum of university students studying Communication degrees (Ruiz, 1997; Martín et al., 2021), which should be extended to other educational fields and levels, considering that planned communication – especially persuasive communication in the service of political, social or cultural communicators – has played a key role in history since the emergence of the mass media, due to its proven social influence. Now that disinformation is the latest challenge for journalists and citizens, studying the past takes on particular relevance (Vázquez, 2023; De Haro, 2024) and pertinence, because it helps to develop a critical mindset with regard to information sources and the mechanisms that govern communication.
This monograph seeks to bring together a broad group of scholars from universities and research institutions around the world to promote the study of social communication from a diachronic approach that allows for the creation of new bridges of dialogue between the past and the present and contributes to a better understanding of today's communication ecosystem. The aim is to explore, from an interdisciplinary perspective, how different media have helped to shape social, political, economic and cultural structures throughout history and how communication campaigns and communication strategies (persuasive and/or informative) by public and private broadcasters have shaped society using the media and instruments of each period.
The academic community is invited to share research findings on media phenomena, public communication models, and relevant milestones and figures that, due to their paradigmatic nature, deserve to be considered benchmarks in the scientific field of Communication Sciences. The aim is to stimulate reflection on the relevance of studying the history of social communication in the educational sphere and the challenges involved in teaching this discipline, as well as mapping the main lines of work and even proposing those that deserve greater research attention. We also welcome papers on initiatives and projects by institutions and media outlets for the preservation and dissemination of newspaper/radio/television heritage, as well as those that report on experiences of knowledge transfer that seek to raise awareness of the communicative memory of cities.
Thematic areas
- Historiography and periodisation of the history of communication.
- The history of social communication in university degree programmes in Communication.
- The challenge of teaching the history of journalism, news cinema, advertising and propaganda in the digital context: challenges and opportunities.
- Researching the history of social communication from the classroom: collaborative projects between teachers and students.
- The application of AI to the study of the history of social communication.
- Disinformation in the history of social communication: milestones, formulas, technologies, impact.
- Learning from innovative teaching projects related to the history of social communication.
- Women protagonists in the history of social communication: teaching, research, transfer and dissemination.
- Memoirs/autobiographies of communication professionals.
- The mark of the history of journalism on the urban memory of cities.
- Newspaper/radio/television heritage. Policies for the promotion, custody and safeguarding of historical press archives and collections and audiovisual content.
- The social transfer of knowledge in the history of social communication (collaboration with public/private entities, creation of technological and/or innovation platforms, etc.)
- The dissemination of research on the history of communication through the media.
Key words
History of social communication; media; research; transfer; dissemination; memory, heritage; city.
