Call for papers | Special volume | Communication and freedom | Closed

2023-09-16

Thematic Editors: Luís António Santos (CECS, Universidade do Minho, Portugal) and Liziane Guazina (Universidade de Brasília, Brasil)

The introduction of democratic rule in Portugal paved the way for a journey of freedom that is now 50 years old. Revolutionary on many levels, the change experienced since April 1974 had a particularly significant impact on the field of communication. The end of censorship represented a new hope for expanding thought, creativity, and critical thinking. The media landscape was transformed to align with the development trends promoted by technology.

Portugal is currently ranked ninth in the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index. However, the encouraging position does not conceal emerging threats. Extremist discourses, social media vulnerabilities, disinformation processes, economic constraints particularly affecting news organisations, limited civic engagement, job instability in various sectors, and the rapid pace at which technologies offer new opportunities are all challenges that require a reassessment of the concept and the ups and downs of freedom.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Carnation Revolution in Portugal, the journal Comunicação e Sociedade dedicates this special volume to exploring the connection between communication and freedom. While primarily centred on information and journalism, this issue also accommodates contributions that contemplate other professional, intellectual and artistic fields of communication, all of which have freedom as a structuring axis. Relating to politics, economics, art, ethics, history, culture and science, the submissions for this edition should focus on a critical analysis of freedom within the context of communicative action.

Within this framework, we welcome manuscripts, whether or not rooted in empirical approaches, that aim to offer insights into the following themes:

  • Press freedom and disinformation;
  • History and consolidation of freedom;
  • Ethical considerations of freedom of expression;
  • Politics, citizenship, and freedom of participation;
  • Information flows, social media and new freedoms;
  • Freedom and digital vulnerabilities;
  • Multiculturalism and freedom;
  • Creativity and critical thinking;
  • Regulation and freedom;
  • Labour conditions and journalistic freedom;
  • Freedom and quality of communication;
  • Creation and freedom in the arts.

Proposals submission (full manuscript) | new date: September 15 to November 30, 2023

LANGUAGE

Papers can be submitted in English or Portuguese. The articles selected for publication will be translated into Portuguese or English, respectively, being published in both languages.  

EDITING AND SUBMISSION

Comunicação e Sociedade is an open-access academic journal, operating according to demanding standards of the peer-review system, and operates on a double-blind peer-review process. After submission, each paper will be distributed to two reviewers, previously invited to evaluate it according to its academic quality, originality and relevance to the objectives and scope of the theme.

Originals should be submitted through the journal's website. When accessing Comunicação e Sociedade for the first time, you must register before submitting your article (instructions to register here).

Refer to the guidelines for authors here.

For further information, please contact: comunicacaoesociedade[at]ics.uminho.pt