The 6th Communication and Media Studies Conference, organized by the Center of Research and Communication for Peace (CRCP), which was established under the roof of the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Faculty of Communication in 2006, has been completed. Having taken place with the theme “Peace, Intersectionality and Uncertainties”, the online conference was held in English and Turkish. At the said conference, presentations were delivered in 11 main areas, namely, Peace and Conflict, Peace Journalism, Visualizing Peace / Peace through Art, Gender and Intersectionality, Equality, Differentiation and Inclusion, Environmental Crisis Global Warming (Heating) and Peace for Climate Change, Racial and Ethnic Studies and Peace, Public Relations and Peacebuilding, Social Justice and Digital Divide, Human Mobility, Migration and Displacement, and Peace in Education - Education for Peace. EMU Rector Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın and Dean of the Faculty of Communication Prof. Dr. Senih Çavuşoğlu, academic staff, scientists, young researchers, activists, human rights defenders and film directors participated in the said event
Commenced with Opening Speeches
The opening addresses of the conference were delivered by EMU Rector Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın, Dean of the Faculty of Communication Prof. Dr. Senih Çavuşoğlu and President of the CRCP Prof. Dr. Hanife Aliefendioğlu. In his speech, Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın stated that EMU, as a state university, has a duty to make a breakthrough in the field of research as well as providing quality education, and that there are many centers established within the university operating towards fulfilling this purpose and that CRCP is among these centers and contributes to scientific work. Prof. Dr. Aykut Hocanın thanked all the participants from all over the world who attended the international conference organized by the Faculty of Communication, CRCP, and wished everyone a productive conference.
In his speech, Prof. Dr. Çavuşoğlu stated that at the 6th international conference of CRCP, which was established under the roof of the faculty, participants from many different countries of the world would deliver around 50 presentations. Drawing attention to the importance of the role of the media in establishing peace in conflict zones, Prof. Dr. Çavuşoğlu expressed that the conference would feature examples from different regions of peace journalism, human rights journalism and peace struggles in the world. Prof. Dr. Çavuşoğlu thanked those who contributed to the organization of the conference and conference participants.
Prof. Dr. Hanife Aliefendioğlu, on the other hand, provided information about the activities of CRCP since its establishment. Expressing that the center established within the EMU Faculty of Communication has accomplished important achievements, Prof. Dr. Aliefendioğlu stated that the international conference, the 6th of which was held this year, would fulfill an important task in understanding the problems that stand in the way of establishing peace in the region and in the world, and in bringing the solution proposals to be produced for the solution of these problems to the societies with a scientific approach. At the end of her address, Prof. Dr. Aliefendioğlu thanked all the participants.
Prof. Dr. Alankuş and Dr. Shaw Among Keynote Speakers
The first invited keynote speaker of the conference, founder of the CRCP and one of the first CRCP conference organizers, was the former EMU Communication Faculty Dean and current Yaşar University Faculty of Communication Dean Prof. Dr. Sevda Alankuş. In her speech titled "The Absence of Feminist Epistemology in Peace Journalism", Prof. Dr. Alankuş presented a new peace journalism perspective and ethics that goes beyond binary oppositions, with an interdisciplinary approach that goes beyond injecting a "gender perspective" into peace journalism. Prof. Dr. Alankuş pointed out the need for a peace journalism that removes the boundaries between rights-oriented journalism and peace journalism and is shaped around the positive meaning of peace.
The second keynote speaker of the conference was Northumbria University academic staff member and Chair of the Sierra Leone Right to Access Information Commission, Dr. İbrahim Seaga Shaw. In his speech titled "The Contribution of Human Rights Journalism to Social Change and Development", Dr. Shaw stated that for peace journalism and rights-oriented journalism, journalists should adopt an activist newsmaking process and question basic journalism concepts.
At the CRCP’s 6th International Conference on Communication and Media Studies, around 50 presentations were delivered from many countries including Cyprus, Turkey, Belgium, Pakistan, Germany, England, India, Burkina Faso and Canada. In addition to the presentations, the conference also hosted film screenings and book promotion events. In addition to two short films promoting Famagusta and EMU, Kalli Paakspuu's film “Bridge Text of an Estonian Song as a Nation's Narrative” was screened at the last session of the conference. Prof. Dr. Nico Carpentier of Charles University, Czech Republic, introduced his latest book, “The Struggle Over Memory: Monumentalizing Cyprus' Violent Past.” Peacemaking, peace journalism and peace activism were discussed at the conference, with specific focus on news value, peace education, post-truth, immigration and refugees, representation of LGBTI+ identities in the media, social memory and journalism, hate speech, digital activism, and street art for peace. At the same time, various presentations were made on the COVID-19 period state of exception, the intersection of gender and peacemaking, the representation of ethnic identities in the media or the media of ethnic identities. The practices of peace journalism in various countries such as India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Cyprus and Palestine were discussed at the conference, and presentations on the peace process in various conflict zones were also included. Among them, Cyprus, Kashmir and Palestine examples were shown.
In a statement made by CRCP, it was put forth that with similar events, ways of multi-communal and multi-disciplinary cooperation in the fields of media and peace journalism were sought in a divided island like Cyprus. CRCP stated that while conducting research and organizing events on issues such as peace studies, peace and human rights journalism, and conflict resolution, the center aims at a series of activities that can contribute to peace and communication education both within the region and throughout the world.
