Call for Manuscripts for a Special Issue of
Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature
and Culture, Volume 6, Issue 4 (December, 2012)
Visual Environmental Communication
Editors: Anders Hansen (University of Leicester)
and David Machin (University of Cardiff)
While there is a growing body of research on
media coverage of the environment deploying a
range of text focused approaches, there has not
been a corresponding body of work on visual
environmental communication. Yet, just as we can
describe the way that environmental discourses
are signified in texts through lexical and
grammatical choices so too do we need to look at
the visual semiotic choices that realize these in
images. Like language, images are used to promote
particular interests and ideologies, particular
versions of events and issues through particular
semiotic choices and combinations. If we wish to
understand the media discourses that might shape
public and political perceptions of nature, the
environment and green issues we must also
understand how these discourses are realized visually.
It has long been recognised in academic research
that perceptions of nature and of the environment
more generally are socially, politically and
culturally constructed and that the visual plays
a key role in this process. And it is accepted
that historically specific constructions and
visual representations of nature are used and
serve ideologically - to authenticate and promote
particular arguments and positions in relation to
everything from public debate about science,
health and the environment to advertising and
marketing of products, locations/tourist
destinations, politics and business/corporate
images. In light of the long pedigree of these
discussions it is surprising that few studies
have taken a closer look specifically at the
visual aspect of environmental communication.
Recent studies, which have looked at the
visualisation of climate change and the
environment in the media, have noted variously
the decontextualization and aestheticization of
landscapes or physical settings, the inscription
of advertising and other media images of nature
and the environment into the romantic tradition
of landscape images, the use of a standard range
of symbolic and iconic images to represent a
global environment under threat, the ideological
construction of pristine environments, and the
provision of commercial image archives designed
specifically to take advantage of climate change
as a marketing opportunity. The indication is
that the environment is visualized through the
use of increasingly symbolic and iconic images
rather than those which are recognizable because
of their geographic/historical/political or
socially specific identity. Through their
repeated use these images replace other possible
representations, particularly those that locate
and connect such issues in actual concrete
processes such as global capitalism and consumerism.
This collection focuses on analysis of the visual
representation the environment and on the
politics of visual environmental communication.
Call for Manuscripts
This call for manuscripts invites empirical
research and critical essays on Visual
Environmental Communication. Priority is given to
submissions that draw on and offer analysis of
concrete visual representations rather than those
with a more theoretical or interpretive focus. Topics may include:
· The visualization of climate change and
other environmental issues in news media (television, press or web-news)
· Visualization in
promotional/political/campaign communications on
the environment (this may include analysis of
visual strategies in business/corporate
environmental communication, government/local
government environmental communication, pressure
group/NGO environmental communication).
· The use of nature and environment imagery in advertising and marketing
· Intercultural and international
differences in the visual construction of nature and the environment
· The visualization of the
environment/environmental conflict in popular film and media entertainment
Manuscripts must be prepared in English, should
be crafted in a clear and concise style that
avoids jargon, and should not exceed 8,000 words
including references. The journal adheres to APA
Style. Manuscripts must not be under review
elsewhere or have appeared in any other published
form. All submissions should use MANUSCRIPT
CENTRAL, accompanied by a cover letter indicating
the desire to have the submission reviewed for
this special issue. For further details on
manuscript submission, please refer to the
Instructions for authors on the journals
website (http://tandf.co.uk/journals/renc or
http://www.informaworld.com/renc). Upon
notification of acceptance, authors must assign
copyright to Taylor and Francis and provide
copyright clearance for any copyrighted material.
Manuscripts should be submitted by 30 November
2011. Contact Anders Hansen at [email protected] with questions.
Please disseminate this call to any colleagues who might be interested.
Stephen Depoe, Ph.D.
Editor, ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION: A JOURNAL OF NATURE AND CULTURE
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/17524032.asp
Professor and Director of Graduate Program
Department of Communication
University of Cincinnati, USA
(513)-556-4459
