CfP Networked Democracy (Cluj, June ‘10)

A three day symposium to be held at Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj, Romania, 25-27 June 2010
From the CfP, Deadline Dec 7:

New media innovations in participatory politics
Democratic politics worldwide are increasingly being conducted and re-configured through the domain of digital communications networks. The socio-technical developments, such as Web 2.0, facilitating these media-saturated public spheres are in little doubt. What is highly contested however is the interpretation of what these profound changes offer for democratic governance in the twenty-first century. At its heart is the recognition that these new media networks are themselves the crucial site for a historical confrontation between opposing political and/or business interests and discourses intent upon forging new forms of social relations.

CfP: General Online Research 10

May 26-28, 2010
University of Pforzheim

GOR 10: Brief portrait

The focus of the General Online Research (GOR) is the discussion of basic research, innovative developments, and practical experiences in the field of online research. Online research covers a) all methods, instruments and theories that are dealing with the collection of data via online networks and b) effects of online applications and technologies on all levels of society. That involves mobile communication as well. The annual GOR conference involves research mainly within the social and behavioral sciences. GOR 10 supports the exchange of knowledge not only in an interdisciplinary way, but also between researchers and practitioners as well as between universities and companies.

more: http://www.gor.de/gor10/index_en.php

CfP: EMCSR 2010

April 6 – 9, 2010
University of Vienna

organized by the Austrian Society for Cybernetic Studies
in cooperation with the
International Federation for Systems Research

Cybernetics – „the study of communication and control in the animal and the machine“ (N.Wiener) – has recently returned to the forefront, not only in cyberspace and cyberpunk, but, even more important, contributing to the corroboration of various scientific theories. Additionally, an ever increasing number of research areas, including social and economic theories, theoretical biology, ecology, computer science, and robotics draw on ideas from second order cybernetics. Artificial intelligence, evolved directly from cybernetics, has not only technological and economic, but also important social impacts. With a marked trend towards interdisciplinary cooperation and global perspectives, this important role of cybernetics is expected to be further strengthened over the next years.

Since 1972, the biennial European Meetings on Cybernetics and Systems Research (EMCSR) have served as a forum for discussion of converging ideas and new aspects of different scientific disciplines. As on previous occasions, a number of sessions providing wide coverage of the rapid developments will be arranged, complemented with daily plenary meetings, where eminent speakers will present latest research results.

more at: http://www.osgk.ac.at/emcsr/

CfP: Hannoverscher Workshop, März 2010

Call der Universität Hannover auf Mediensprache.net für eine Tagung zur „kritischen Prüfung“ der Entwicklungen im Web 2.0 „aus sprach-, medien- und kommunikationswissenschaftlicher Perspektive“. Themen:

• Vernetzung von Kommunikationsformen
• Vernetzungen von Modalitäten 
• Vernetzungen von Individuen

Abstracts bis zum 30. November 2009. >Call

CfP: E-Democracy – Online Youth Participation And Engagement

The International Journal of E-Politics (IJEP) has issued a call for papers for an special issue on E-Democracy – Online Youth Participation And Engagement. They are searching for papers on the following issues (from the call):

Adoption of Web 2.0, social networking, and other technologies by young people and the opportunities and challenges for extending this adoption for their engagement in deliberative civic processes

Assessing communicative and political action via the Internet from democratic theory perspectives

Examples of youth online participation and innovative practices of youth engagement in political and civic matters by governments, political parties, non-government organizations or groups of young people

How and why does technology enable/support one way of engagement rather than another: searching beyond technological and social determinism?

How does technology ‘produce’ social interaction and young people as participants in online consultation and engagement processes or alternatively how the participants (perhaps at the same time?) socially construct technology to serve their interests?

Reviews and critique of existing theoretical approaches, assumptions, and conceptualizations of e-democracy, youth online participation, and engagement in social matters; agendas for future research.

Studies investigating social, political, cultural, technological, and other conditions stimulating or obstructing young people’s participation and engagement in online debates and actions

Studies of practices and patterns of youth online activism, political action, and organizing as new emerging forms of e-democracy

Technology as politics or “the question of technology” – what motivates and informs the development and adoption of the Internet, web-based and other social technologies for youth civic online participation and engagement?

What is social technology and why does it matter in imagining and practicing e-democracy by young people?

Young people s’ roles, behaviors, identities, interaction, and contribution in electronic spaces; exploration of creation of meanings, construction of individual and group identities and trust (communities?), (re)visions of citizenship and citizenship education, relationships with governments, etc.

Youth engagement in e-democracy and the possibility of realizing theoretic (normative) proposals for democratic governance (e.g. Habermas’ public sphere)

Deadline is 15 August 2009.