58th Annual Conference of the German Association for Communication in Mainz (May 8-10, 2013)

The year of 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the German Association for Communication (DGPuK). In the past five decades, the world of media has changed remarkably – technological innovations and changes in society have confronted our discipline with multifaceted theoretical and methodological challenges. Not only have research areas been redefined, but also formerly clear lines of demarcation have evaporated and given rise to new frontiers for the discipline as a whole.

The 58th annual conference of the DGPuK – taking place in Mainz from May 8-10, 2013 – addresses these very changes: “From the Gutenberg Galaxy to the Google Galaxy. Surveying old and new frontiers after 50 years of DGPuK”. Birthdays offer a welcome occasion for retrospection (where have we been), for defining one’s current position (where are we now), as well as for glancing into the future (where are we going). With regard to our discipline we will thus ask, among others, the following questions: What frontiers that once had defined the field of communication studies have evaporated? What role do our classical approaches in communication studies still play in a world of unceasing media change? Where are we in need of new intellectual approaches and research methods? To what extend has our discipline already adapted to new trends in communication and what challenges are on the horizon? We cordially invite you to discuss these questions at the 58th annual conference of the DGPuK in Mainz.