Dan Jackson
Bournemouth University
Preparations for MeCCSA 2014 continue apace.
We are delighted with the response to our call for papers. We received 324 abstracts including 17 panel proposals; second only to the 2010 LSE MeCCSA conference in terms of the volume of proposals received for a MeCCSA annual conference.
In line with MeCCSA’s ethos of inclusivity, the local organising committee has been working hard to increase the capacity of the conference so that more colleagues can present their research. We have added a further parallel session to the draft programme to make a possible 8 parallels, and have extended the conference duration to 5pm Friday 10 January. We are therefore preparing for the largest ever MeCCSA annual conference in terms of attendees.
Expertly marshalled by Einar Thorsen, a team of eleven colleagues have double blind peer reviewed every abstract, and the organizing committee has communicated abstract outcomes in October. We apologise for the sometimes impersonal tone of the emails but we had to set up an automated system for the sake of Einar’s sanity and family life.
Inevitably there will still be many colleagues whose abstracts were not successful this time, but we were struck by both the volume and quality of abstracts received. A draft of the conference programme is currently being assembled, and will be on the conference website later this month. You can see the programme template elsewhere in this edition of Three-D’s.
Media and the margins
We were impressed by the number of abstracts that spoke directly to the theme of the conference – media and the margins – and these came from the whole range of subject areas MeCCSA encompasses. The conference theme therefore seemed to strike a chord with many scholars whose research explores issues of marginality in its many forms, and we look forward to showcasing the latest thinking in this area. Work is now commencing on preparing a book proposal around the conference theme, therefore presenters are strongly encouraged to submit a full paper (submission details to be confirmed) in order to be considered for this.
Practicalities
For many of you, attention will now be turning to the practicalities of hotels, registration, and things to do in Bournemouth (in January!). We have much of this covered on the conference website (meccsa2014.bournemouth.ac.uk). As a seaside holiday resort, Bournemouth has an abundance of hotel options which you can check out online at your leisure. Though if you want to keep things simple, we have a conference hotel: the Menzies Carlton Hotel. Information on booking can be found via the conference accommodation page. There will also be further updates on practicalities for delegates in the coming weeks.
The MeCCSA 2014 annual pub quiz
We can report that we have a five (yes, five!) person quiz committee who will remain anonymous as to avoid potential corruption attempts. Want to start revising now? Then we can give you some rough pointers towards areas for revision. Two of the five following topics will be a quiz round:
- Ken Loach
- Media and cultural studies academics whose first name begins with ‘J’
- Peppa Pig
- Queer culture
- The history of Bournemouth
The inaugural MeCCSA beer festival
Successfully trialled at the PSA Media and Politics Group Annual Conference held at Bournemouth in November this year, we are proud to present the first (to our knowledge) MeCCSA beer festival. The festival is in homage to those delegates who have endured endless forgettable conference wine receptions over the years where the choice is red, white, or a standard lager (if you are lucky!). We will present 18 festival ales from across the UK designed to suit a range of palettes, including the un-initiated. Delegates are encouraged to have a try of them all* in their festival glass, which will be yours to keep after the conference. Non-beer drinkers need not worry though: we will also have wine and soft drinks available.
Good luck with the quiz revision, and we look forwards to welcoming you to sunny** Bournemouth in January!
* We would suggest in small taster portions, rather than pints! Please drink responsibly.
* *Please note that the Bournemouth University local organising committee shall accept no liability in the event that the sun does not shine (though we will accept all credit in the event that it does)…