center for media, religion and culture > international conference on fundamentalism and the media

International Conference on Fundamentalism and the Media

Center for Media, Religion, and Culture
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of Colorado at Boulder
Boulder, CO, USA – October 10-12, 2006

Co-Sponsors: World Association for Christian Communication/North American Region and World Association for Christian Communication (WACC), London

How do we achieve tolerance more than fifty years after the signatories of the United Nations Charter resolved to "practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors," and more than two hundred years after Voltaire led his fervent philosophical battle against religious intolerance and the bigotry and injustice that it legitimized?

The media today are the primary location of local, national, and global discourse. Social, religious, cultural, and political symbols and ideas are shaped and shared through media words and pictures. It seems that the religion we see in media is increasingly polarized, with emerging fronts of conflict and struggle represented there. It is often thought that the religious impulse most responsible is the impulse to "Fundamentalism." While there is great debate about the meaning and applicability of this term, in popular and public discourse it remains the commonplace way to think about these issues.

This conference will focus on the central questions of Fundamentalism and the Media. It is intended to be a starting point of a global conversation about how best to address religious misunderstanding and conflict in the media sphere, and how the media sphere itself might be used to more positive ends of peace and understanding. The media clearly have the capacity to divide and to unite, to feed ignorance and to feed understanding. This conference will open a dialogue between academics, practitioners, and members of the religious community on how to move forward.

Confirmed Plenary Speakers:
Prof. Scott Appleby, University of Notre Dame
Prof. Annabelle Sreberny, SOAS, University of London
Prof. Pradip Thomas, University of Queensland
Prof. Ogbu Kalu, McCormick Theological Seminary
Mr. Steve Rabey, Fuller Theological Seminary of Colorado

Invited speakers will address the themes both generally and in specific regional contexts, and will consider issues in relation to specific religious traditions, including Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism. These presentations will, in addition to their regional foci, also reflect on political, social, cultural, and institutional implications in their various contexts. Proposed themes include:

• Fundamentalism in Religious Culture and History
• The US Experience
• The African Experience
• The South Asian Experience
• The Latin American Experience
• The Middle Eastern Experience

Registration Information
Registration for the conference is currently open. Please download the registration form and mail or fax it to us as soon as possible. Note that early registration closes on August 21, 2006. Late registration will continue through October 11, 2006. Please note that we are not able to accept credit card payments.

The on-site registration desk will be open during the following times:

• Tuesday, October 10, 2006 – 9:00 am to 12:00 noon; British Studies Room, Norlin Library
• Wednesday, October 11, 2006 – 9:00 am to 12:00 noon; Lobby of Old Main Chapel

Conference Schedule and Locations
The conference begins at 9:00am on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 in the British Studies Room of CU’s Norlin Library (see below for directions). Conference activities will end at 3:30pm on Thursday, October 12, 2006.

Download a printable version of the detailed schedule in PDF format, or view the general schedule of activities at a glance.

Conference activities are located in several different buildings around campus. While all buildings are in close proximity to each other, it may help to have a campus map on hand. A printed map will be provided to you with your information packet upon registration. However, if you would like to orient yourself ahead of time, please look at the interactive map of the CU campus.

Getting to Boulder from Denver International Airport
DIA has a comprehensive website – www.flydenver.com – which provides information on ground transportation options from the airport to Boulder. Please consult the DIA website or download a PDF file with information we have compiled with the most convenient choices.

Accommodation Information
Get information about the conference hotel and rate, or read about other accommodation options in Boulder, CO. We strongly encourage you to book your room as soon as possible because there is a limited number of rooms available at the conference hotel. When making a reservation at the conference hotel, please mention the Fundamentalism Conference to get the special rate.

Submission of Full Papers
Conference participants should submit an electronic copy of their completed paper by October 1, 2006. Please send manuscripts as a Word or PDF file attachment to: fundmed@colorado.edu. There are no style or formatting requirements but we ask that you limit your manuscripts to a maximum of 30 pages. Please indicate if you do not wish your paper to be disseminated to other conference participants.

Conference Call for Papers
See the CFP. Please note that the abstract submissions deadline, July 1, 2006, has passed.

Conference Secretariat
The Center for Media, Religion, and Culture
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
University of Colorado
1511 University Avenue
Boulder, CO 80309-0478 USA
Ph: (Int+1) 303-492-1357
Fx: (Int+1) 303-492-0969
Email: FundMed@colorado.edu
Website: International Conference on Fundamentalism and the Media

Conference Director: Professor Stewart M. Hoover
International Consultant: Professor Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu
WACC Staff Liaison: Philip Lee
Conference Staff: Nadia Kaneva
World Association for Christian Communication

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