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Media has played a leading role in the rapid transformation of societies, politics, economies, and culture in the Gulf. Over the past five decades, the far-reaching effects of the media transformation have crossed all boundaries between the GCC member-states to become a regional phenomenon. Perhaps most significant has been the rise of new and social media, which have seen steady growth in the Arab Gulf states. Online platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have provided a wide space for discussion. This has widened participation of a large public in key fields, and played a role in shaping public opinion on societal, cultural, and political issues.

Given the significance of the subject, the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS) has decided to devote the main theme of the Fourth Annual Gulf Studies Forum to the media landscape. The Forum will be held from December 2-4, 2017.

In preparation for this event, the Academic Committee of the Forum invites Arab academics, researchers, and media workers to prepare and submit abstracts of approximately 400 words by May 1, 2017. Please see the conference background paper for a full list of themes that the Forum will consider. Abstracts should state a research problem, its significance to the field, and explain the new insights provided by the research. The submitted abstracts should be accompanied by a list of sources and references.

Complete drafts of the papers for which the Academic Committee accepts the abstracts should be ready for peer review no later than September 1, 2017, and must meet ACRPS specifications for research papers. The Forum’s Academic Committee will notify researchers of their acceptance or otherwise, and may make suggestions for revisions where necessary.

All correspondence should be directed to gulf.forum@dohainstitute.org.

The ACRPS will cover travel expenses and accommodation in Doha during the Forum.

For the Forum background paper and the main themes and topics, click here.

For ACRPS research paper specifications click here.