Communication and Society journal(49) Call for papers: Brand Territory, Digital Communication and Citizenship

Between June 30 and September 5, 2025, the journal Comunicação e Sociedade (49) will be issuing a call for papers on the theme “Territorial Branding, Digital Communication and Citizenship”.

Thematic editors: José Gabriel Andrade (CECS, University of Minho, Portugal), Adriano Sampaio (Federal University of Bahia, Brazil) and Maria José Caldeira (CECS, University of Minho, Portugal).

Globalization and technological advances have profoundly transformed territorial dynamics and the way governments and cities relate to their citizens and visitors. In this scenario, territorial branding strategies have become central tools for attracting tourists, attracting investment and strengthening the presence of cities in the international context. At the same time, digital communication is becoming a strategic space for exercising citizenship, promoting public debate, participation and the collective construction of policies.
However, these two approaches don’t always work together harmoniously. How can we reconcile the promotion of cities as attractive tourist destinations with the development of strategies that value and encourage the civic involvement of their inhabitants? What impact do these practices have on territorial equity and social justice?

This call proposes a critical reflection on the limits and potential of urban communication strategies, particularly in the face of structural inequalities, racism and symbolic and material violence – including that directed at indigenous peoples. The aim is to discuss how these dynamics are intertwined with the construction of territorial identities and the promotion of cultural diversity in contemporary cities.

This volume welcomes proposals that explore the following themes, among others:

. Digital communication and the promotion of urban territories;
. Territorial communication, strengthening citizenship and public involvement;
. Territorial branding, public policies and the configuration of urban spaces;
. Globalization, social networks and cultural and territorial identities;
. Tourism promotion and local communities;
. Digital communication, territorial branding and participation: comparative studies;
. Representativeness, exclusion and urban communication practices;
. Migration and territorial communication in cities;
. Sustainable territories and digital communication;
. Urban geography, mobility and territorial communication.

Submission period for proposals (full texts): from June 30 to September 5, 2025

Publication period: continuous edition (January to June 2026)

LANGUAGE

Articles can be submitted in English or Portuguese. Articles selected for publication will be translated into Portuguese or English, respectively, and must be published in full in both languages.

EDITING AND SUBMISSION

Comunicação e Sociedade is an open-access academic journal, operating according to the demanding standards of the peer review system and operating in a double-blind review process. Each work submitted will be distributed to a minimum of two reviewers previously invited to evaluate it, according to academic quality, originality and relevance to the objectives and scope of the theme.

Originals should be submitted via the journal’s website. If you are accessing Comunicação e Sociedade for the first time, you must register in order to submit your article (directions for registering here).

The guide for authors can be consulted here.

For more information, please contact: comunicacaoesociedade@ics.uminho.pt

[Posted:09-05-2025]