Special Issue: "New Media, Social Movements, and Peacebuilding: Exploring the Role of Communication in Global Development"

Dear contributors,

You are invited to submit abstracts to a special issue titled "New Media, Social Movements, and Peacebuilding: Exploring the Role of Communication in Global Development."

The rapid evolution of new media technologies has significantly reshaped the ways in which social movements, peacebuilding initiatives, and global development processes unfold. With the rise of digital platforms and communication tools, activists, organizations, and individuals now have unprecedented access to global networks, enabling the swift spread of information and mobilization around key social and political causes. In this digital age, new media has become a powerful tool for challenging dominant narratives, raising awareness about injustices, and creating spaces for dialogue and collaboration across borders. Through platforms like social media, digital storytelling, and online journalism, marginalized voices are amplified, and grassroots movements gain the visibility needed to address systemic issues of inequality, conflict, and oppression.

In this context, communication plays a pivotal role in shaping the narratives of conflict and peace. The way in which information is disseminated, framed, and consumed can influence public perceptions, affect political discourse, and even dictate the success of peacebuilding efforts. New media has the potential to create transformative shifts in how societies address violent conflict, promote social justice, and engage in post-conflict reconciliation. It fosters new forms of collective action, facilitates the exchange of diverse perspectives, and supports the creation of peace narratives that transcend traditional borders. However, it also poses challenges, such as the spread of misinformation, the rise of digital surveillance, and the reinforcement of social divides, which must be carefully considered in any discussion of its role in peace and development.

This special issue of De-Centre: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies seeks to critically explore the dynamic relationship between new media, social movements, and peacebuilding. It aims to highlight the multifaceted ways in which communication technologies influence development processes and contribute to conflict resolution. The issue will address the opportunities and challenges presented by digital media in the contexts of social justice, global development, and peace, examining how new media can foster solidarity, drive social change, and support peacebuilding initiatives in both local and global contexts. By bringing together interdisciplinary perspectives, this special issue will contribute to the growing body of research that explores how digital communication can play a central role in shaping a more peaceful and just world.

 

Themes:

• New media technologies and social movements
• Communication for peacebuilding
• Digital storytelling and the amplification of marginalized voices
• Narrative framing in conflict and peace
• New media and political discourse
• Opportunities for digital peacebuilding
• Challenges in the digital age
• Collective action and new forms of mobilization
• Social justice and global development through new media
• Risks and ethical considerations

Submission Guidelines
We invite original research articles, case studies, theoretical papers, and critical essays that engage with the intersection of new media, social movements, communication, and peacebuilding. Submissions should offer interdisciplinary perspectives and contribute to the development of strategies for fostering peace through communication technologies.

Format of the abstract 

• The number of words should be between 250 and 300 (including the keywords).
• Abstracts should be submitted to oluwaseun.bamidele@gmail.com by February 28, 2025. Please indicate “New Media, Social Movements, and Peacebuilding” in the subject. 
• All queries should be directed to the lead Guest Editor, Dr. Seun Bamidele at oluwaseun.bamidele@gmail.com

Authors will be notified by March 15, 2025, whether their full paper is invited for submission based on abstract review. Full papers should adhere to the submission and formatting guidelines at https://journals.uj.ac.za/index.php/djis/about/submissions

Key Dates

Full paper submission (6000 – 8000 words): 31 May 2025 

Notifications after the first round of reviews: 30 June 2025 

Submission of revised versions: 31 July 2025 

Notification of final decision: 15 August 2025

We look forward to receiving your submissions and to contributing to the ongoing dialogue around the transformative potential of new media in social movements and peacebuilding.

Guest Editors

Dr. Seun Bamidele

Department of Peace and Conflict Studies, Faculty of Social Science

Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria

Dr. Núrénì Àrẹ̀mú Bakẹnnẹ

Department of Languages and Cultures, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy

Ghent University, Belgium