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Echoes of Conflict: the Role of Manipulation in Shaping Narratives of War

International Workshop on War Propaganda

The journal Media Researcher (Médiakutató) invites papers for a special issue on the political function, impact and social consequences of war propaganda. Submitted drafts will be presented and discussed at an international workshop on 21 February 2025.

Submission deadline of the 300-words abstracts: 25 January 2025. The selected papers will be published during 2025 in the special issue.

Background of the special issue:

Conflicts have shaped societies throughout history, and the narratives surrounding these events have been influenced by various forms of propaganda. The study of war propaganda is crucial to understanding how political narratives are constructed, disseminated and received in times of conflict. Ongoing global tensions and the threat of a potential world war remind us of the important role of propaganda in shaping public perceptions and influencing political decisions and outcomes. The word propaganda comes from the Latin term propagare, meaning to spread, escalate, extend. In 1622, Pope Gregory XV founded the Sacra Congregatio De Propaganda Fide, a religious congregation dedicated to spreading the Catholic faith. During the French Revolution, the term lost its earlier religious meaning and was replaced by an ambitious political and ideological programme to regenerate the French people. Propaganda was adapted and became a central political tool of the Communist and later the National Socialist and Fascist movements.

More recently, political propaganda and disinformation have gained momentum through the use of social media and targeted methods. While disinformation cannot be legislated against, propaganda for war and incitement to genocide are illegal under international law.

The aim of this workshop is to explore the many ways in which propaganda has been used to shape public perceptions, justify military action and construct historical narratives. We invite scholars, researchers and practitioners to submit papers that address, in particular, the following topics:

• Comparative analyses of propaganda in specific wars, across different conflicts and nations, such as Russia or the Gaza conflict;
• The role of the media (print, radio, television and digital) in the dissemination of war propaganda;
• Historical or contemporary case studies of propaganda from antiquity to the 21st century;
• The evolution of propaganda techniques and their impact on public opinion;
• The psychological impact of propaganda on soldiers and civilians;
• Gender and propaganda: how gender roles are constructed and represented in war narratives;
• Constructing parallel narratives: how the enemy and members of the in-group are described;
• Different target groups of war propaganda: how different social groups, i.e. children, young people, mothers, etc. are manipulated;
• The aftermath of propaganda: how historical narratives are shaped and contested in post-war societies;
• Historical memory and the role of war propaganda.

Please submit your abstract (300 words in English) to: Submission deadline: 25 January 2025.

On-line workshop participation through ZOOM platform will be available.