[Air-l] Euricom Colloquium: Call for Papers

[Nicholas Jankowski]

Please post and distribute this call further.

Thanks,
Nick Jankowski
http://baserv.uci.kun.nl/~jankow/Euricom


Call for Papers

EURICOM COLLOQUIUM
ELECTRONIC NETWORKS & DEMOCRATIC ENGAGEMENT

October 9-11, 2002

The European Institute for Communication and Culture (Euricom) is hosting a
second colloquium of scholars concerned with the relation between
electronic networks and democratic engagement. This colloquium will build
on the inroads developed at the first event held in Piran, Slovenia, in
2001. A central objective of this colloquium is to lay the groundwork for
international collaborative research initiatives. Special attention is to
be given to the place of electronic networks during periods of collective
crisis such as experienced after the September 11th attacks on New York and
Washington. Contributions are welcome that are conceived within the more
general concerns of designing networks aimed at providing politically-based
information, and supporting public debate and citizen action. The arenas of
electronic community networks, digital cities, and other virtual spaces
within democratic engagement are particularly suitable for contributions to
this colloquium. 
	
Background
Interest in and experimentation with electronic networks has been ongoing
since cable television infrastructures were constructed in the late 1960s.
This concern intensified with development of opportunities for
computer-mediated communication in the 1980s and with popularization of the
Internet in the 1990s. In 1996 the European Institute for Communication and
Culture (Euricom) sponsored a colloquium concerned with 'virtual
democracy'. Contributions to the most recent Euricom colloquium, held in
2001, continue in this tradition and are currently being prepared for
publication in the journals Javnost - The Public and Communications: The
European Journal of Communication Research. 

Questions
This work, taken as a whole, reflects increasing concern about the possible
contributions of electronic networks to democratic life. Some of the
questions emerging from this work include: 
· In what manner and to what degree do electronic networks contribute to a
more informed and politically active citizenry? 
· How can electronic networks be designed to increase democratic engagement?
· In what ways are electronic networks utilized in collective crises?
The upcoming Euricom colloquium is intended to explore these and related
questions. An edited volume, assembled from contributions to both
colloquia, is to be published by Hampton Press.

Abstracts
Persons interested in participating in this event are invited to submit
extended abstracts (ca. 500 words) for proposed papers. The deadline for
receipt of abstracts is March 15, 2002; it is recommended, however, that
interested persons contact the organizers of the colloquium prior to that
date. The venue for the colloquium is still under negotiation, but will be
situated in The Netherlands.

Address queries to: 
Nicholas Jankowski <N.Jankowski at maw.kun.nl> or 
Slavko Splichal <slavko.splichal at uni-lj.si> 

Further information may be found at the Euricom Project web site: 
http://baserv.uci.kun.nl/~jankow/Euricom