ABOUT THE DIVISION
The Division for Global Communication and Social Change exists to encourage and debate research on issues of production, distribution, content and reception of communications media at global, "glocal", transnational, transcultural, international and regional levels. Within this purview it encompasses work across a wide variety of theoretical and methodological approaches, concerning issues of media/mediated communication in cultural, economic, political or social contexts, including strategic mediated communication for development, social change or social justice.
WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO
Latest News
Hosted by ICA’s Global Communication & Social Change (GCSC) Division
Looking for practical advice on the academic job search? Join our panel of scholars from around the world as they share guidance and experiences across career stages.
The ICA Division for Global Communication and Social Change (GCSC) will host a virtual workshop on the academic job search for junior scholars. The workshop is designed to provide graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career faculty with practical guidance on navigating the academic job market.
📅 October 8, 2025
🕒 8–9 a.m. CT | 9–10 a.m. ET | 6–7 a.m. PT | 2–3 p.m. London | 3–4 p.m. Cape Town | 9–10 p.m. HK/Beijing
💻 Register here and join us virtually over Zoom!
The Global Communication & Social Change Division invites submissions for ICA 2026 in Cape Town on the theme “Communication and Inequality in Context.”
We welcome work on global media, digital communication, social justice, and development communication. There are four submission types:
- Scholarly papers (<7,500 words, eligible for awards)
- Extended abstracts (1,000-1,500 words)
- Research Escalator papers (1,000 words, mentored feedback for early-career scholars)
- Panels (detailed requirements on CfP)
More information on https://www.icahdq.org/BlankCustom.asp?page=GCSC_CFP
Pratiksha Menon of the University of Michigan received the Best Dissertation Award for “Laughter is the Best Poison: How Humor Mainstreams the Extreme.” The Top Faculty Paper was awarded to Darshana Sreedhar Mini (University of Wisconsin-Madison) for her work on sex-education films in India. Runners-up included Raiana de Carvalho, João Ozawa, and Arthur D. Soto-Vásquez for their analysis of YouTube reactions to political insurrections, and a team from the University of Illinois for research on refugee framing in humanitarian messaging. Luz Ruiz Martinez (University of Colorado Boulder) won the Top Student Paper for examining race and power in historical sound archives, with runners-up addressing gender-based violence and Netflix's glocalization in India. The African Journalism Paper Award went to Javie Ssozi, Brian Ekdale, and Sang Jung Kim (University of Iowa) for their study of Russian influence operations in the Central African Republic.
Call for Nominations: GCSC Division Leadership Positions
GCSC invites expressions of interest for three elected positions:
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Secretary
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International Liaison
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Student and Early Career Representative
We encourage members from diverse backgrounds and regions to consider running. These roles are vital to the division’s continued growth and commitment to inclusive, global engagement. More details about responsibilities and eligibility will be shared soon.
If you’re interested or would like to nominate someone, please get in touch with the GCSC leadership team.
OUR ACTIVITIES
Every year, the GCSC Division at ICA organizes several events for its members. The main event is the annual conference where research papers and posters are presented. In addition, the division also supports smaller conferences that take place before or after the annual meeting. In line with the division's committment to making ICA more global, we also organize virtual events, many of which are tailored to students and early career scholars. These include workshops on how to review research papers, networking sessions and writing groups.
