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Over the
past six years Transnational Broadcasting Studies has
established itself, even as an e-journal, as the niche publication
in the ever expanding field of Arab satellite broadcasting and
has been greatly appreciated by both scholars and professionals.
Ever increasing convergence of satellite, Internet, digital,
and wireless technology means that transnational broadcasting
is not a limited field of study but the wave of the future.
Many scholars and professionals consider TBS indispensable as
both a resource and a forum for discussion about satellite broadcasting
in the Arab and Islamic worlds.
That appreciation
is shared by the Middle East Centre, St. Antony's College, University
of Oxford, which joins the Adham Center, American University
in Cairo, as co-publisher of TBS.
In light
of this new alliance, and in response to demand, particularly
from young scholars who are increasingly orienting their research
to "new media" in the Arab and Muslim worlds,TBS will
produce a hard copy edition of the material carried in its e-journal
format. The hard copy edition will appear one month after the
electronic version, and most importantly, will include an Academic
Papers section of peer-reviewed articles. By adding a peer-reviewed
element to the journal TBS will augment the scholarly attraction
of the journal. The new profile of the publication in its hard
copy edition will retain the well-respected professional status
of TBS, in addition to an enhanced academic profile. Abstracts
from the peer-reviewed portion of the hard copy edition will
appear in the e-journal and, we hope, will whet the appetite
of many of our readers to subscribe to the enhanced hard copy
edition or to order it for their university's library and bookstore.
Furthermore,
this new development, which will be implemented starting with
our next issue (TBS 14, Spring/Summer 2005), will signal to
the broader academic community that TBS welcomes contributions
from Middle East scholars who look at mass media in general
and Arab and Muslim world broadcasting in particular from a
variety of disciplinary perspectives including anthropology,
sociology, history, political science and Arabic, Turkish, Persian
and other language studies.
We are convinced
that the association with St. Antony's and Oxford's Middle East
Centre will raise the profile of the journal and help draw high-quality
contributions to the both the refereed and other sections of
the journal.
TBS already
is essential reading for academics, professionals, researchers,
and students studying the cultural, social, political, and economic
impact of transnational broadcasting technologies in the Arab
and Muslim worlds. That's why Jon Alterman, director of the
Middle East department at the Center for Strategic and International
Studies writes, "TBS is unique. It thoroughly dominates
its niche. It has no serious competition and is essential and
required reading for anyone interested in satellite TV broadcasting
to the Arab world." Fatema Mernissi wrote to us, "I
consider you one of the most avant-garde information sources
on the Arab media revolution" and Jon Anderson, one of
the founders of The Arab Information Project at Georgetown University's
Center for Contemporary Arabic Studies says, "For any scholar
interested in the new Arab media, the coverage of Arab satellite
broadcasting provided by TBS is of extraordinary value and greatly
welcome."
The new
print edition with its peer-reviewed academic section will build
on this solid reputation while augmenting the journal's depth
and broadening its scope. To this end we welcome contributions
from Middle East scholars who look at mass media in general,
and Arab satellite broadcasting in particular, from the perspective
of the academic disciplines mentioned above.
Academic
papers submitted for the hard-copy edition must be products
of formal research or scholarship in the field of transnational
broadcasting in the Arab and Muslim worlds. They will be peer
reviewed by a new editorial board chaired by Dr. Walter Armbrust,
director of the Middle East Centre at St.Antony's, Oxford, Albert
Hourani Fellow in Modern Middle East Studies, and Lecturer,
Modern Middle East Studies. Dr. Armbrust now serves as a senior
editor of TBS.
The new
TBS editorial board includes such international scholars as
Dr. Hussein Y. Amin, chair of the department of Journalism and
Mass Communication, The American University in Cairo (AUC),
Egypt; Dr. Jon Anderson, chair of the Department of Anthropology
at The Catholic University, USA; Dr. Douglas A. Boyd, chief
of staff, Office of the President and former Dean, School of
Communication, University of Kentucky; Dr. Kai Hafez, University
of Erfurt; Michael Hudson, director, Arab Information Project,
Georgetown University; Dr.Saad Eddin Ibrahim, AUC, Egypt; Dr.
Tarik Sabry, University of Westminster, UK; and Dr. Naomi Sakr,
University of Westminster, U.K.
Papers to
be considered for inclusion in this section should be no longer
than 8,000 words and should be sent to Dr. Humphrey T. Davies,
managing editor of TBS, along with an abstract no longer than
half a page, at tbs@aucegypt.edu
or at TBS, c/o The Adham Center (114), The American University
in Cairo, 113 Sharia Kasr el Aini, Cairo 11511 Egypt.
For full
submission details please email tbs@aucegypt.edu
or visit www.tbsjournal.com
and join us in making TBS a still greater resource and forum
for both the academic and professional communities.
Prof. S.
Abdallah Schleifer
Director, The Adham Center
The American University in Cairo
Dr. Walter
Armbrust
Director, Middle East Centre
St. Antony's College, University of Oxford
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