Dear colleagues,
This is a reminder about the ICA 2026 preconference "Bridging inequality gaps in public relations and strategic communication: Power, ethics and inclusion", taking place on 3 June 2026 at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), Cape Town, ahead of the ICA Annual Conference.
The preconference is supported by the ICA Public Relations Division and welcomes scholarship and practice-oriented contributions examining how public relations and strategic communication both address and reproduce inequalities across organisational, societal, and technological contexts.
Participation tracks (extended abstracts, up to 800 words including references):
- Research papers: original conceptual or empirical work advancing theory and/or evidence
- Actionable research & practice labs: impact-oriented contributions translating research into practical tools, interventions, or policy-relevant outputs
Key dates
- Submission deadline: 15 February 2026
- Notification of acceptance: mid-March 2026
Submissions should be anonymised and sent to: bridginggapsconf@gmail.com.
Selected contributions will be considered for publication in special issues of Journal of Communication Management and Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa.
Full Call for Papers (PDF):
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.icahdq.org/resource/resmgr/conference/2026/ica26-pc-inequality.pdf
The preconference is organised by Rene Benecke (University of Johannesburg), Anca Anton (University of Bucharest), Alice Cheng (North Carolina State University), Jesper Falkheimer (Lund University), Cindy Ngai (Hong Kong Polytechnic University), Caroline Azionya (University of Johannesburg), Nirvana Bechan (Cape Peninsula University of Technology), and Deidre Porthen (Cape Peninsula University of Technology).
------------------------------
Anca Anton
Associate professor
University of Bucharest
Bucharest
Romania
------------------------------