We are happy to announce that the 3rd BREMEN CONFERENCE ON MULTIMODALITY will be held at Bremen University from September 20^th – 22^nd, 2017.

BreMM17 is the third in a series of conferences dedicated to bringing together different disciplinary and methodological approaches to the study of multimodality in various academic contexts. More than ever, multimodality is one of the most influential semiotic theories for analyzing media artifacts, and it enjoys growing global popularity. However, this popularity does not imply universality: the conceptual anchoring of multimodality as well as its empirical applications often remain nationally and regionally grounded.

The Bremen team takes these differences in national and international perspectives as a starting point of discussion and analysis. We continuously initiate deeper inquiry into the specific theories and practices of multimodal research: BreMM14 was dedicated to building bridges between various multimodality-ready disciplines, and BreMM15 concerned itself with theoretical and methodological explorations. Both conferences resulted in edited volumes which present each event’s strongest contributions and serve as the basis for lasting academic exchange on the ever-new topic of multimodality in theory and practice.

The upcoming Third Bremen Conference, BreMM17, plans to lay the foundation for the formation of a standalone discipline to be dubbed ‘multimodality’ as opposed to the widespread interdisciplinary view. Its aim is, therefore, to push the envelope and start far-reaching discussions which cover description, terminology, and methodology, bringing a multitude of approaches to multimodal analysis into the fold and letting previously disparate directions in theory and practice converge. The end result will be a common basis upon which the monolithic view of multimodality as a concerted disciplinary field can be built.

The confirmed keynote speakers for BreMM17 are:

Kay O’Halloran (Curtin University, Australia)
David Machin (Orebro University, Sweden)
Ellen Fricke (Chemnitz University, Germany)

For a lively and multifaceted discussion, we encourage proposals that explore a vast range of issues, including but not limited to the sub-themes below. We welcome both theoretical and empirical takes on these general questions, and we particularly encourage proposals which unify several theoretical or methodological traditions in order to achieve integration and, thus, guide our discipline-building explorations.

• What previously established disciplines should inform multimodality’s disciplinary delineation? What is the place of semiotics, SFL, discourse analysis, interaction analysis, and other popular methods in the process of defining multimodality as a standalone discipline?
• Where can multimodality find its most inclusive and exhaustive theoretical basis? Can we rely on Peirce, de Saussure, and Halliday on their own? Do we need ways of combining their work to produce a new theoretical basis for the discipline? Do we start a new theory from scratch?
• What goes in multimodality’s methodological toolbox? What existing empirical approaches define the field, how can we develop them further or combine them, and do we need new methods to capture multimodality’s vastness?
• What are multimodal media and how do their various semiotic affordances shape multimodality within and across media formats? Are all media truly multimodal to begin with?
• How can we define multimodal literacy and how can we best teach it in a systematic and reliable manner?
• What is the role of technology in pushing the boundaries of multimodality and in assisting its empirical study?
• How can multimodality as a research direction improve our understanding of social, cultural, and political issues around the globe?

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

This year we invite proposals for three different kinds of presentation:

Long paper. This will consist of a 25-minute presentation followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. This format is reserved for well-developed projects that present potentially controversial or conceptually complex ideas or empirical studies.

Short paper. This will consist of a 15-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. This format is suitable for work in progress or ideas and empirical studies that can be presented more succinctly.

Poster Presentation or Demo. This may be any form of research display or demonstration. Presenters will have the opportunity to present and discuss their work during a 90-minute drinks reception/poster presentation session.

Proposals will be selected according to the following criteria (please be sure to address each one):

• the appropriateness of the topic to the studies of multimodality;
• the conceptual clarity and intellectual rigor of the project;
• the contribution the project makes to advancing current understanding;
• the content should not have been presented elsewhere in identical form.

Your proposal (350-500 words in length) must include: (1) title of the presentation, (2) name of the author(s), affiliation, email address, (3) proposal format (long paper, short paper or poster), (4) bibliography of key sources (up to 5), (5) brief biographical statement for presenting author (25-100 words).

SUBMISSION

Please submit your proposal as an e-mail attachment (Word, PDF) by December 5^th, 2016, to bremm17@uni-bremen.de. Notification of acceptance by end of December.

We are happy to announce that the 3rd BREMEN CONFERENCE ON MULTIMODALITY will be held at Bremen University from September 20^th – 22^nd, 2017.

BreMM17 is the third in a series of conferences dedicated to bringing together different disciplinary and methodological approaches to the study of multimodality in various academic contexts. More than ever, multimodality is one of the most influential semiotic theories for analyzing media artifacts, and it enjoys growing global popularity. However, this popularity does not imply universality: the conceptual anchoring of multimodality as well as its empirical applications often remain nationally and regionally grounded.

The Bremen team takes these differences in national and international perspectives as a starting point of discussion and analysis. We continuously initiate deeper inquiry into the specific theories and practices of multimodal research: BreMM14 was dedicated to building bridges between various multimodality-ready disciplines, and BreMM15 concerned itself with theoretical and methodological explorations. Both conferences resulted in edited volumes which present each event’s strongest contributions and serve as the basis for lasting academic exchange on the ever-new topic of multimodality in theory and practice.

The upcoming Third Bremen Conference, BreMM17, plans to lay the foundation for the formation of a standalone discipline to be dubbed ‘multimodality’ as opposed to the widespread interdisciplinary view. Its aim is, therefore, to push the envelope and start far-reaching discussions which cover description, terminology, and methodology, bringing a multitude of approaches to multimodal analysis into the fold and letting previously disparate directions in theory and practice converge. The end result will be a common basis upon which the monolithic view of multimodality as a concerted disciplinary field can be built.

The confirmed keynote speakers for BreMM17 are:

Kay O’Halloran (Curtin University, Australia)
David Machin (Orebro University, Sweden)
Ellen Fricke (Chemnitz University, Germany)

For a lively and multifaceted discussion, we encourage proposals that explore a vast range of issues, including but not limited to the sub-themes below. We welcome both theoretical and empirical takes on these general questions, and we particularly encourage proposals which unify several theoretical or methodological traditions in order to achieve integration and, thus, guide our discipline-building explorations.

• What previously established disciplines should inform multimodality’s disciplinary delineation? What is the place of semiotics, SFL, discourse analysis, interaction analysis, and other popular methods in the process of defining multimodality as a standalone discipline?
• Where can multimodality find its most inclusive and exhaustive theoretical basis? Can we rely on Peirce, de Saussure, and Halliday on their own? Do we need ways of combining their work to produce a new theoretical basis for the discipline? Do we start a new theory from scratch?
• What goes in multimodality’s methodological toolbox? What existing empirical approaches define the field, how can we develop them further or combine them, and do we need new methods to capture multimodality’s vastness?
• What are multimodal media and how do their various semiotic affordances shape multimodality within and across media formats? Are all media truly multimodal to begin with?
• How can we define multimodal literacy and how can we best teach it in a systematic and reliable manner?
• What is the role of technology in pushing the boundaries of multimodality and in assisting its empirical study?
• How can multimodality as a research direction improve our understanding of social, cultural, and political issues around the globe?

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

This year we invite proposals for three different kinds of presentation:

Long paper. This will consist of a 25-minute presentation followed by 15 minutes of Q&A. This format is reserved for well-developed projects that present potentially controversial or conceptually complex ideas or empirical studies.

Short paper. This will consist of a 15-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of Q&A. This format is suitable for work in progress or ideas and empirical studies that can be presented more succinctly.

Poster Presentation or Demo. This may be any form of research display or demonstration. Presenters will have the opportunity to present and discuss their work during a 90-minute drinks reception/poster presentation session.

Proposals will be selected according to the following criteria (please be sure to address each one):

• the appropriateness of the topic to the studies of multimodality;
• the conceptual clarity and intellectual rigor of the project;
• the contribution the project makes to advancing current understanding;
• the content should not have been presented elsewhere in identical form.

Your proposal (350-500 words in length) must include: (1) title of the presentation, (2) name of the author(s), affiliation, email address, (3) proposal format (long paper, short paper or poster), (4) bibliography of key sources (up to 5), (5) brief biographical statement for presenting author (25-100 words).

SUBMISSION

Please submit your proposal as an e-mail attachment (Word, PDF) by December 5^th, 2016, to bremm17@uni-bremen.de. Notification of acceptance by end of December.