Building on BRICS: The Belt and Road Initiative and a new global communication order?

Xiamen University
Fujian, China
26 August, 2017
Organizers
The National Centre for Communication Innovation Studies, Communication University of China
School of Journalism and Communication, Xiamen University, China

In Collaboration with
University of Tampere, Finland
University of Westminster, UK
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
University of Hyderabad, India
University of Cape Town, South Africa
Special Support
Universities’ Think Tank Union (UTTU)

Introduction
An increasingly multi-polar world is undergoing a structural transformation, with power gradually shifting away from the West and leading to the emergence of new players. Among a number of international collaborative mechanisms, the grouping of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has emerged as an important voice to provide alternative perspectives on global affairs. Though initially proposed by Russia, the BRICS grouping has been dominated by China – as the world’s largest economy, in terms of purchasing power parity. The remit of the Chinese-initiated Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) includes creating global information and communication infrastructure. Though apart from Russia, the other three BRICS nations as yet are not directly involved in the BRI, they are likely to join, given the scope and scale of the $1 trillion project – the so-called ‘silk road for the twenty first century’ - to link Asia, Africa and Europe.

This offers huge cultural and communication opportunities as well as daunting challenges. Will it reconfigure global communication? How will the wider world adjust to this power shift and what role will the media play in this? In addition to the economic strength, BRICS countries provide potential for technological innovations, fast growing media industries and dynamic communication practices for scholars to make international comparisons and explore the potential of a new world information order. As the first comprehensive and comparative study of BRICS media landscape, Mapping BRICS Media (edited by Kaarle Nordenstreng and Daya Thussu, 2015), contended that media development in the five countries is changing the global media landscape, and will challenge the Western dominance.

The 2017 China Communication Forum will focus on media developments in BRICS and discuss the visions for a new world communication order, linking it with the BRI. The main theme of the 2017 CCF will be creation of a new global communication infrastructure and how it might influence global media discourses. Relevant sub-themes might include, but are not limited to:
· Belt and Road Initiative – geo-political and economic dimensions
· Belt and Road Initiative – cultural and communication aspects
· Media systems in BRICS countries
· Internet development in BRICS
· BRICS breaking Western media hegemony?
· Social media in BRICS
· Comparative study of media systems in BRICS and beyond
· The legacies and relevance of the New World Information and Communication Order (NWICO) for the digital age
· Media representations of BRICS by international media
· Media collaboration in BRICS
· Chinese media going-out and its global impact

Confirmed speakers
Zhengrong Hu, Professor, President, Communication University of China, China
Heshui Huang, Professor, Vice Dean, School of Journalism and Communication, Xiamen University, China
Kaarle Nordenstreng, Professor, University of Tampere, Finland
Daya Thussu, Professor, University of Westminster, UK
Raquel Paiva de Araujo Soares, Professor, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Elena Vartanova, Professor, Dean, Faculty of Journalism, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia
B.P. Sanjay, Professor, Pro Vice-Chancellor, University of Hyderabad, India
Herman Wasserman, Professor, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Yun Long, Professor, Deputy Director, The National Centre for Communication Innovation Studies, Communication University of China, China

The 2017 CCF is calling for abstract of up to 500 words from both BRICS and international scholars by July 1 to jideqiang@cuc.edu.cn or lizhanfromxmu@xmu.edu.cn. A notice of acceptance will be sent off by July 15. The organizers intend to publish a book based on a selection of papers presented at the Forum.