CECS will host the 13th Sopcom Congress

The Communication and Society Research Centre (CECS) will be responsible for Sopcom’s 13th Congress organisation dedicated to the theme “Communication, Cultures and Communities”. The official presentation of the next host of the Portuguese Association of Communication Sciences (Sopcom) event took place last April 13 in Lisbon.

The CECS proposes the theme: “Communication, Cultures and Communities”, trusting that this wording identifies, on the one hand, the challenges that seem to be decisive for the Academy and the Society in the following years. On the other hand, it is the expression of the very identity of this Research Centre.

In fact, Communication, Culture and Community are phenomena that cannot be disassociated. Promoting sustainable social relations entails considering culture to express these relations, yet it requires quality communication. Therefore, it is very important to reflect on these different approaches through which human beings are understood and make themselves understood. All the more so since contemporary communities today face extremely complex challenges such as successive global epidemic threats, political extremism, uncontrolled migratory flows, environmental changes or accelerated technological developments. These expose issues that need to be thought through to assist populations in overcoming the challenges in a more positive way.

As such, the aim is to deepen interpersonal, organisational or media Communication studies that may contribute to improving the quality of social interactions. It is also critical to reinforce research on the phenomena of multiculturalism and interculturalism to develop strategies that facilitate a better understanding of the communities’ mindsets, ways of feeling and communicating, and eliminating barriers and prejudices.

Aiming to promote Communication as an engine of citizenship and community empowerment, the CECS thought of the congress as a moment to reinforce the recognition of the role of Communication in cultural processes and societal challenges.

[Posted: 14-04-2022]