In this blog, Dr Anca Anton (University of Bucharest, Romania) and Dr Raluca Moise (Arts University of London, UK) are publishing a call for chapters for their planned book.
Scope
This edited book is intended for the Women, Economics and the Labour Relations series, published by Emerald (editor-in-chief: Dr Martina Topić). The book will provide a much-needed exploration of the intersection of gender and freelance work in the communication industries (public relations, advertising, marketing, corporate comms, and digital communication), with a special focus on national issues and comparative international research.
This will be the first book entirely dedicated to freelance work in the communication industries, providing reliable and current insights into relevant issues that define the gig economy and flexible work in these professional fields. In addition to that, it will be the first book providing a gendered look at freelancing in the communication industries across multiple markets. We aim to publish 10+ chapters reflecting the status of freelance work and the role of gender in the communication industries in various countries. The book will be focused on communication freelancers showcasing diverse methodologies and exploring various geographic spaces through the lens of feminist economics.
Subject and topics
The subject of freelancing and its expressions in different types of industries have been developed in edited book chapters or research papers. However, there are no substantial research and publishing endeavours developing the intersections between gender, communication industries and freelancing as a dominant form of flexible work arrangements or self-employment. Exploring the experiences, practices, and discourses related to communication freelancers from a gender perspective would contribute to closing the current research and knowledge gaps, often generated by the lack of individualisation of freelancers among communication professionals in research projects. The editors invite prospective authors to develop chapters addressing the following topics through qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods approaches:
- The gendering of communication industries, with a focus on freelancers;
- Gendered freelance practices of intermediate work (between agencies and clients);
- Gendered practices of work-life conflict/balance for communication freelancers;
- Feminist perspectives on communication freelancers’ roles;
- Gendered experiences of project-based work satisfaction for communication freelancers;
- Gendered experiences of communication freelancers between precarity, insecurity, casualisation and professional individual agency;
- Intersectionality of freelance work in the communication industries, with a particular focus on gender – experiences, practices, and discourses;
- National and international (comparative) perspectives on the role of gender for communication freelancers.
Other topics relevant to the call are also welcome.
Guidance for authors
- Interested contributors are invited to send an up-to-500-word structured abstract together with up to six keywords and a 100-word biography for each submitting author by April 15th, 2023.
- If the abstract is accepted, the full paper will be required by December 2023. Acceptance of the abstract at the proposal stage does not mean an automatic acceptance of the chapter following peer review. Completed chapters will have a length of 7.000 words, including tables and references and should provide an abstract, keywords, introduction, key literature, methodology, findings, discussion and conclusions. The decision on selected proposals rests with the book series’ book editors and editor-in-chief.
- All final chapters will be peer-reviewed and contributing authors will be encouraged to join in with the peer review process, aiding cross-chapter connections.
Please send your structured abstract proposal by April 15th, 2023 to both editors:
- Dr Anca ANTON – anca.anton@fjsc.ro
- Dr Raluca MOISE – r.moise@lcc.arts.ac.uk
Deadlines
Abstract submission – 15.04.2023
500 words structured abstract (purpose and relevance to the call, methodology, findings, implications/main contribution), references not included in the word count
Decision on abstracts – 30.04.2023
Chapter submission (full paper) – 12.2023
Reviews and revisions – 01-02.2024
Manuscript submission – 03.2024
About the editors
Dr Anca Anton is a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Journalism and Communication Sciences, University of Bucharest, Romania. Her research interests are 1) the transformations of the PR/comms profession and industry, focusing on freelancers, PR agencies, PR/comms professionals and CSR/ESG) and their intersection with digital and social media; 2) the intersection of communication and democratised forms of diplomacy, with a focus on civil society diplomacy, citizen diplomacy and digital diplomacy; and 3) (digital) governmental communication.
Dr Raluca Moise is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Arts of London, UK. She developed expertise in two areas: a) PR professionalism (with a focus on flexible working formats and their intersections with communication practices and fields); b) informal organisational communication practices (with a focus on how citizen diplomats or diaspora communities develop or deploy informal strategic communication practices to enact social changes).
References
Anton, A. & Moise, R. (2021). Communication Freelancers, Facebook Groups and COVID-19. A Qualitative Analysis. Research Report. Styles of Communication, 13(1), 76-82. https://doi.org/10.31178/SC.13.1.04
Bernès, M. & Mahfoudhi, Sh. (2018). Freelancing in Europe. EFIP and Malt. Retrieved from https://web-assets.bcg.com/77/62/07a1c84f4be6b671ca10ec16f6f1/malt-bcg-freelancing-in-europe-2021.pdf
Burke, A. (Ed.) (2015). The Handbook of Research on Freelancing and Self-Employment, Senate Hall Academic Publishing. Retrieved from https://crse.co.uk/sites/default/files/The%20Handbook%20of%20Research%20on%20Freelancing%20and%20Self-Employment_0.pdf
Creedon, P. J. & Wackwitz, L. A. (Eds.) (2023). Women in Mass Communication. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/Women-in-Mass-Communication-Diversity-Equity-and-Inclusion/Creedon-Wackwitz/p/book/9781032322315
Fernandez, C. & Rupp, A. (Eds.) (2021). Freelancing in Europe 2021. Welcome to the new world order, Malt and Boston Consulting Group. Retrieved from https://web-assets.bcg.com/77/62/07a1c84f4be6b671ca10ec16f6f1/malt-bcg-freelancing-in-europe-2021.pdf
Fielden, S. L., Tench, R., & Fawkes, J. (2003). Freelance communications workers in the UK: the impact of gender on well‐being. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 8(3), 187-196. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563280310487649
Moise, R. & Anton, A. (2022). An Exploratory Study of Communication Freelancers and Online Communities. A Mixed Methods Approach. Romanian Journal of Communication and Public Relations, 24(2), 23-44. https://doi.org/10.21018/rjcpr.2022.2.342
Tench, R., Fawkes, J. & Palihawadana, D. (2002). Freelancing: Issues and trends for public relations practice. Journal of Communication Management, 6(4), 311-322. https://doi.org/10.1108/13632540210807143
Topić, M. (2020). Women in Public Relations in England. In – M. Topić (Ed.), EUPRERA Report Vol. 2, No. 1, EUPRERA report series. Leeds/Brussels: Creative Media and Communication Research Ltd & EUPRERA. Retrieved from https://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/id/eprint/6774/1/EUPRERAReportVol2No1PV-TOPIC.pdf
Topić, M., Cunha, M. J., Reigstad, A., Jelen-Sanchez, A., Diers Lawson, A., Polić, M., Moreno, A., Zurbano Berenguer, B., Damian-Gaillard, B., Sanz, P., Fuentes Lara, C., Cesarec Salopek, N., Saitta, E., Cruz, C., Simeunović Bajić, N., Vandenberghe, H., Bibilashvili, L. & Kaladze, N. (2019). Women in Public Relations – A Literature review (1982-2019). In M. Topić (Ed.), EUPRERA Report Vol 1., No. 1., EUPRERA report series. Leeds/Brussels: Creative Media and Communications Research Ltd. & EUPRERA. Retrieved from https://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/id/eprint/6138/
