Guest editors : Anders Hansen (University of Leicester, UK) and Julie Doyle (University of Brighton, UK)
Manuscript deadline : 1 October 2009
2009 represents a significant year for International political negotiations on the environment, marked by the December meeting of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, where a new global treaty on climate, to replace the Kyoto Protocol, will be established. As international governments seek political responses to global environmental problems, how environmental issues are communicated and given meaning is of equal importance, helping to shape public and political perceptions, and thus the kinds of responses/actions advocated to address environmental issues.
This special issue focuses upon the role of the media, and mediation, in the construction and communication of contemporary environmental issues. As social actors, the mass media play a crucial role in defining and communicating about the environment. Yet their status and efficacy as environmental actors differs according to social, political, economic, national and local contexts. As environmental issues are also issues of justice and human rights, and as alternative forms of mediated communication seek to empower citizens as environmental communicators and activists, the question of democracy and power is central to how environmental issues are understood and addressed at the local, national and global level. Indeed, as global environmental change affects countries both differently and disproportionately, how the media frame and debate these issues is of crucial importance.
With this special issue we invite contributions that examine the role of media in the definition, construction and communication of environmental issues. We welcome work from a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches. We particularly welcome papers offering a global and/or international comparative perspective, and we are keen that the issue should include contributions from Africa, South East Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Topics may include, but are not restricted to, the following :
— Environmental justice, human rights and the media
— Media, governance and environmental citizenship
— Media representations of global environmental protest/activism
— Alternative media and (local/national/global) activism
— The politics of media coverage of environmental issues/environmental disasters
— Environmental journalism, sources, PR and political spin
— Environmental pressure groups and the media
— Cultural constructions of nature and the environment
Manuscripts should be prepared in English in Microsoft Word, and should not exceed 8,000 words including notes and references. Manuscripts should be accompanied by an abstract of 100-150 words and up to 10 keywords. The manuscript must contain a separate title page that should include : the title of the manuscript ; the name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s) ; full contact details of the author(s) ; the author’s brief biographical information. Please send the manuscript as an email-attachment to Anders Hansen ash@le.ac.uk and Julie Doyle j.doyle@brighton.ac.uk by no later than 1 October 2009.
