NeFCA’s new Temporary Working Group (TWG) on Intercultural Communication & Diversity was created in the summer of 2018 by Dr. Joep Hofhuis (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Dr. Mélodine Sommier (Erasmus University Rotterdam). The idea arose from the 2018 ETMAAL conference in Ghent, Belgium. The success of that year’s theme, Transcultural Exchanges & Communication Flows, as well as the difficulty for papers on intercultural communication and diversity to fit into existing divisions further convinced Joep and Mélodine of the need for a more focused and better tailored venue.
This TWG was created to bring together scholars who study these issues from different disciplines, focusing on mediated and (inter)personal forms of communication, as well as the discursive construction of cultures.
NeFCA’s TWG on Intercultural Communication & Diversity (ICD) provides a platform for Dutch and Flemish communication scholars working on the theory and practice of communication between and among different cultures and communities of the world, as well as communication related to inclusion, identity and the politics of difference. Diversity is conceptualized in a broad sense, including but not limited to culture, ethnicity, gender, language, age, LGBT+, and their intersectionality in societies, organizations, and media. This TWG is meant to facilitate interdisciplinary exchange and the promotion of insights from different approaches, including critical, emic, and etic perspectives, using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies.
The steering committee of the TWG consists of Dr. Joep Hofhuis (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Dr. Mélodine Sommier (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and Dr. Stijn Joye (Ghent University).
The TWG will hold a first event at the 2019 ETMAAL conference in Nijmegen and will be accepting papers as part of the regular conference programme (see call for papers).
Make sure to follow the Twitter feed (@NeFCA_ICD) and Facebook page (NeFCA Intercultural Communication & Diversity) of the Temporary Working Group for all updates about the next events.