CARP April Newsletter 

Hello colleagues and friends,

You are receiving this newsletter because you have expressed interest in news and updates from the CARP team. The Research Lab for Character Assassination and Reputation Politics (CARP) includes scholars studying public character, reputation, and multiple issues concerning reputational challenges and defenses.  

We are very excited to launch this newsletter which will keep you updated on a monthly basis of our most recent developments, publications, and events. We want this newsletter to be valuable to you so please, share your feedback via email provided below and suggestions to help us improve. 
 

CARP 2021 Conference: "Cancel Culture and Character Assassination"

Location: Virtual
Dates: September 24-26, 2021
Submission deadline: May 3, 2021

While character assassination has taken a variety of forms throughout history, a particularly current and controversial practice of social ostracism has bred “cancel culture.” Cancel culture refers to when a person, typically a public figure, is expelled from their social or professional circles as a result of offensive behavior, real or alleged. As a form of public shaming, those who are “canceled” may be scapegoated or stigmatized and exposed to the judgment and bullying of the public. While cancel culture is often linked to the rise of social media, practices of silencing and social exclusion have many historical antecedents, ranging from public scapegoating rituals to rebellious mobs tearing down the statues of disgraced individuals.

To better understand this phenomenon and its historical antecedents, we invite scholars to submit research and works in progress which will discuss character assassination and cancel culture from a variety of disciplinary and cultural angles. We welcome both theoretical work and case studies.
Submit a 250-word abstract of your paper by the deadline listed above to Sergei A. Samoilenko at ssamoyle@gmu.edu

JAST Special Edition: Character Assassination and Social Theory

This special issue of Journal of Applied Social Theory takes a compelling step toward an advanced reconceptualization of character assassination as a new line of research in the social sciences. The purpose is to broaden our understanding of character assassination as a social process and its outcomes as defined by everyday issues stemming from power struggles, competition, conflict, coercion, violence, and resistance, to name a few.

Journal of Applied Social Theory, Vol 1, No 3 (2021): Special Edition: Character Assassination and Applied Social Theory (Open Access). URL: https://socialtheoryapplied.com/journal/jast/index 

CARP Routledge Handbook Now in Paperback

Our Routledge Handbook of Character Assassination and Reputation Management is now available for pre-order in paperback at a reduced price. Moving beyond studying corporate reputation management and how public figures enact and maintain their reputation, this lively volume offers a framework and cases to help understand, critically analyze, and effectively defend against such attacks. Written by an international and interdisciplinary team of experts, this handbook will prove invaluable to undergraduate and postgraduate students in communication, political science, history, sociology, and psychology departments.

CARP New Website

Our new website features the most detailed information about CARP research and activities. Learn about our past and upcoming conferences, books, scholarly publications, and media engagements at https://carpresearchlab.org/ 

Watch CARP events and webinars on our new YouTube channel: https://carpresearchlab.org/webinars/