This is an open invitation to all prospective authors to submit their research manuscripts towards the Special Collection to be published in the Journal for Transdisciplinary Research (TD).

Theme: Myth and fear in a post-truth age: Implications for communication and sociality in the 21st Century Southern Africa

Deadline for manuscript submission: 1 June 2022
Expected Publication Date: 1 December 2022

Guest Editors:

• Izak van Zyl – Centre for Communication Studies, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
• Nic Theo – Centre for Communication Studies, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
• Adelina Mbinjama – Centre for Communication Studies, Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Introduction:

Scholars have long studied the ontological and epistemological foundations of truth. There is no single understanding of truth, and what is “true” is historically malleable, and shaped by intersectional cultural, social, political, and scientific factors. Furthermore, the communication of truth is itself a field of interest, with rhetorical practices as well as media to conveying information, differing over time. This, in turn, has led to differing conceptions of truth, multiple ways of consuming truth, and yet new understandings of truth.
With the rapid massification of information communication in the 21st century, the notion of truth has been further obfuscated by often deliberate campaigns of misinformation that penetrate public discourse. We observe here the emergence of post-truth: one that is advocated through rhetorical (and political) appeals to authority and emotion. While concerted efforts to subvert truth have been plentiful over human history, the scale at which this occurs currently is both unprecedented and unquantifiable. The corollary is myth: truth without rational substance or empirical fact. Conversely, myth is story, anecdote, fable, and belief. In a post-truth age, myth is infinite, and fuelled by hegemonic agendas that, in turn, inspire uncertainty but more significantly, fear.
At a micro and macro level, the far-reaching polarisation of “what is true” is a phenomenon that deserves substantial consideration by scholars as regards the causes, effects and allied implications on media, communication technology, social systems, cultural norms, political and economic institutions, and the practices of people and the communications institutions on which they rely for knowledge and information.

Objective:

Globally, the fundamental changes that derive from technology shifts are well-commented on in the scholarly literature. In Southern Africa, however, the implications of an environment that is fast and drastically being migrated online, especially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, are perhaps insufficiently debated from the perspective of how communication, myth, fear and sociality intersect. The proposed 2022 Special Edition of the Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa seeks to provide a platform for scholars to consider the influences, nature of change, consequences and implications of the changing digital world, with a particular focus on the notion of ‘truth’, ‘facts’ and what these mean for sociality in its broadest sense.

Recommended Topics:

• Recommended topics and sub-themes can include, but are not limited to:
• Digital technology, social media, and the rise of post-truth communication
• Relationships between truth, fact and opinion in mass communications
• Communication in a post-truth era and the recovery of truth
  Philosophical and theoretical perspectives (e.g., Brandolini’s Law, 2013; Hitchens’s Razor, 2010; Frankfurt’s Theory of Bullshit, 1986, 2005; Popper’s Falsifiability Principle, 1934) that challenge post-truth communication
• Public trust in traditional and social media, and ethics in digital communication practices
• Relationships between digital communications and:
• Politics
  Social systems
• Cultural and linguistic practices
  Submissions will be welcomed from within and across the disciplines/fields of:
  – Communication
  – Media
  – Social studies
  – Cultural studies
  – Language studies
  – Informatics
  – Political studies

Manuscript Information:

We invite original research articles related to the topic of the special issue, presented according to the standard TDSA format: https://bit.ly/3ppy6iG

Submission Procedure:
To submit your manuscript to the special issue, go to https://td-sa.net. When you submit the article, select the “Original Research – Special Collection: Myth and Fear in a post-truth age ” as the article type. The submission portal will be accessible on https://td-sa.net after login with your personal user credentials. For more details on the editorial procedures, go to https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/pages/view/publication-procedure. All submissions will undergo anonymous review to guarantee high scientific quality and relevance to the subject. Final decision regarding acceptance/revision/rejection will be based on the reviews received from the reviewers and at the sole discretion of the Guest Editor and/or Editor-in-Chief.

Of course, we will be happy to provide you with any assistance during the submission and application process. Kindly enquire at submissions@td-sa.net