07/21/2026

2027 ECA Convention Critical/Cultural Communication Interest Group Call for Submissions

The 118th Annual Convention of the Eastern Communication Association

Full Circle  

Hyatt Regency, Reston, VA 

March 30 – April 4, 2027  

Submission Deadline: October 9, 2026, 11:59 pm PST  

Call for Submissions: 

Critical/Cultural Communication Interest Group

The Critical/Cultural Communication (formerly Intercultural Communication/Voices of Diversity/Interpretation and Performance) Interest Group is requesting paper and panel submissions for the 118th Annual ECA Convention. 

For the first time in 16 years, the Commonwealth of Virginia will host the ECA Annual Convention. The 2027 convention will be held at the Hyatt Regency Reston in Fairfax County – an area where discourse shapes national dialogue, diverse communities converge, and history unfolds. The theme, "Full Circle," invites reflection on cyclical ideas, relationships, and professional journeys.

The Critical/Cultural Communication Interest Group invites paper, panel, and round table submissions that engage creatively and rigorously with the Full Circle theme.

Submit here

Submissions may explore the following:

• How do critical and cultural communication frameworks cycle back to founding voices (Hall, hooks, Anzaldúa, the Frankfurt School, etc.) in the face of contemporary cultural struggles?
• In what ways does the concept of “full circle” itself carry ideological weight, and how can critical scholars interrogate and reimagine that framing?
• How have marginalized communities completed cycles of resistance, co-option, and reclamation within dominant cultural communication systems?
• What does “coming full circle” mean for those whose work seeks to disrupt rather than restore, and what new cycles must begin?
• How do cycles of oppression continue and how are they complicated given contemporary issues and innovations? What parts of cyclical ideas, systems, etc. are shed at the end of a cycle, and what parts remain? How is that decision made?
• How does history “repeat itself” and what can we learn from cycles of repetition, renewal, and resistance? Does the notion of cyclical history give rise to fatalism, or is it a call to action for change?
• How does our scholarship reveal or contradict the notion of cycles in communicative thought, behavior, and action?

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

A paper is a completed paper reporting original research, an extensive literature review, or other form of scholarship. Interest group planners thematically group papers to create panels and appoint a chair to introduce each paper and moderate the discussion, and a respondent to provide feedback and expert insight on the papers after they are presented.

When submitting a paper, complete the following Attendee Interactive fields: 

• Maximum 25 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins (Times New Roman preferred).
• Main document MUST be blind — remove all author/institution/contact information, including from document properties and file names.
• A one-page abstract (approx. 250 words).
• Include the Statement of Professional Responsibility at the bottom of the cover page (see below).
• Complete all Attendee Interactive fields: Title, Author(s), Abstract, Categories (student/debut), and Scheduling requests.

A panel is a program in which 3-4 speakers present individual papers on a specific topic. The individual submitting the panel should identify a chair who has agreed to introduce each paper and moderate the presentation of papers and any discussion. Respondents are optional and at the panelists' discretion. 

When submitting a panel, complete the following Attendee Interactive fields:

• A thematic title for the program.
• Names of the chair and respondents (if any). Chairs should not also be designated as
• respondents.
• Names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and institutional affiliations of all participants.
• Titles and abstracts (approx. 250 words) for each paper or presentation.
• A program copy (no more than a 75-word description) as it should appear in the final program.
• A detailed rationale for the program/panel (approx. 500 words).
• A statement of professional responsibility.

A round table is a program featuring 5-8 presenters who briefly share a position paper or summary of recent research on a focused topic, moderated by a chair with “on-the-spot” interaction and discussion by participants and audience.

When submitting a round table, complete the following Attendee Interactive fields:

• A thematic title for the program.
• Names of the chair and respondents (if any). Chairs should not also be designated as
• respondents.
• Names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and institutional affiliations of all participants.
• Titles and abstracts (approx. 250 words) for each paper or presentation.
• A program copy (no more than a 75-word description) as it should appear in the final program.
• A detailed rationale for the program/panel (approx. 500 words).
• A statement of professional responsibility (see below).

An open forum is a semi-structured public discussion of a predetermined topic of interest introduced and moderated by a chair. The goal of such a program is to share information, ideas, concerns, and special interests.

When submitting an open forum, complete the following Attendee Interactive fields:

• A thematic title for the program.
• Names of the chair and respondents (if any). Chairs should not also be designated as respondents.
• Names, mailing addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, and institutional
• affiliations of all participants.
• Titles and abstracts for each paper or presentation.
• A program copy (no more than a 75-word description) as it should appear in the final program.
• A detailed rationale for the program/panel.
• A statement of professional responsibility (see below).

Technology A/V Availability

Submitters will be asked if they would like a room equipped with a projector, screen, sound, wireless mouse and slide advancer, and Wi-Fi.

Statement of Professional Responsibility

All submissions must include the following Statement of Professional Responsibility:

In submitting the attached paper or proposal, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional responsibility. I/We agree to present this panel or paper if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend and present at ECA’s annual meeting must register and pay required fees.

Submit here.

Please send all questions to the Critical/Cultural Communication Co-Planners, Alexis de Coning at deconing.a@wvwc.edu and Eva Burklund at evb81@pitt.edu.