{call for Papers} Dialogue-shared Experiences across Space and Time: Cross-linguistic and Cross-cultural Practices

Conference Theme

From the Socratic dialogues to post-modern cyberchats, it is only in and through communicative interaction that we can understand the world, people, and how things are working around us (Bohm, 2004/1996, Rockwell 2003). By means of dialogue people are able to argue for their viewpoints, to come to terms with each other, to jointly solve problems, and to resolve conflicts (Pickering and Garrod 2021). Dialogue brings together women and men, young and old, people from the east and the west, from the north and the south. Through the creative synergy of shared thoughts, ideas, and experiences, we can travel anywhere in space and time. The ongoing proliferation of new communication channels on social media platforms (Whatsapp, Facebook, YouTube, webchat, chatbots) is expanding the opportunities for multi-participant and multi-purpose dialogue involving people from across the world willing to share information and current concerns (Papacharissi 2002). At the same time, however, recent trends in dialogue practices, primarily on new digital platforms, reveal worrying signs of growing misunderstanding, opinion bias, as well as extreme and conflicting position- takings. Many situations of communication break-down are caused not necessarily by faulty technology, but rather by certain users’ deliberate interference with and suppression of free public dialogue. At the core of these situations lie several communication-related paradoxes.

To read more: Call for Papers 6th Conference ESTIDIA 2022