[Air-l] CfP "Building & Bridging Community Networks: Knowledge, Innovation & Diversity through Communication", Brighton 31/3-2/4 2004

[Michael Gurstein]

The Committee of the "Building & Bridging Community Networks: Knowledge,
Innovation & Diversity through  communication" conference issues a call
for your participation in an exciting opportunity to network with others
engaged in community networking, community informatics and community
technology research, practice and policy. The conference, which forms
part of an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) research project
(RES-328-25-0012), funded through the People at the Centre of
Communication and Information Technology (PACCIT) research programme, is
intended to act as a catalyst for creating communication and knowledge
linkages between those involved in community networking.

In order to create synergy and understanding between practitioners,
researchers and policy, it is important that knowledge of the issues and
problems surrounding community networking be identified, articulated,
recorded and shared in the form of a dynamic and ongoing community
networking knowledgebase. To this end the conference welcomes
contributions from practitioners, researchers and policy-makers in the
following areas:

. Community networking case studies
. Community network analysis as a methodology and theory
. Community Informatics as an emerging research agenda
. The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the role Of
Civil Society 
. Communication and Development - theory and practice 
. A human-centred approach to community technology - moving beyond
causality to purposiveness 
. Indigenous knowledge and cultural diversity 
. Grass-roots community innovation and action

These subjects are timely because in addition to the recent World Summit
on the Information Society event in Geneva, the period between March and
September, 2004 will see a number of important conferences taking place
on the subject of community network or related areas. The Canadian
Research Alliance for Community Information Networks (CRACIN) will be
launched in the form of an International Workshop in May, 2004. The
eighth biennial Participatory Design Conference will be held between
July 27-31, 2004 at the University of Toronto, Canada and will have a
strong community networking component. The second international
colloquium of the Community Informatics Research Network (CIRN) is being
convened in Prato, Italy at the end of September.

The Brighton conference provides an excellent opportunity for community
networkers - researchers, practitioners and policy makers alike - to
establish links and share experiences and knowledge with people, groups
and organisations engaged in the excitingly diverse activities that
constitute community networking.


We are looking to bring together researchers, practitioners and
policymakers to discuss/summarize/theorize/and draw conclusions or
lessons learned from some ten years of practical work and research
experience in applying information and communications technology to
enabling and empowering communities of all kinds.

Our conference will also provide an opportunity for researchers,
practitioners, and policy-makers to reflect on and draw conclusions from
a range of currently relevant areas, fields and practices.

A conference website will be developed early in the New Year.

Submissions for this conference can take the form of extended abstracts,
position papers or full papers.  Extended abstracts and position papers
should be no more than 1500 words. Full papers including citations,
tables, diagrams and references should be no more than 5000 words.
Harvard citation style is mandatory and the conference language is
English.

The Conference Committee will decide which extended abstracts or
position papers will be accepted as full papers to be presented at
conference. An opportunity will exist for a number of extended abstracts
and position papers to also be presented to conference.

Important Dates:

Conference: 31st  March - 2nd April, 2004
Venue: Old Ship Hotel, Brighton, East Sussex, England

Extended abstracts, position papers and full papers must be submitted by
15th February, 2004.  All submissions will be blind peer reviewed by two
referees. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Send  abstracts, position papers, full papers  to Peter Day
p.day at btinternet.com

Notifications of acceptance/rejection will be sent by 25th February,
2004

All amended submissions must be received by 15th March, 2004

All successful extended abstracts, position papers and full papers will
appear in the conference proceedings.  It is also anticipated that an
edited book and various journal publications will result as an outcome
of the conference.

Further details available at:  TBA

Current Conference Committee

Peter Day, SEAKE Centre, School of Computing, Mathematical and
Information Sciences, University of Brighton 
Doug Schuler, The Evergreen State College, Washington 
Jon Dron, SEAKE Centre, School of Computing, Mathematical and
Information Sciences, University of Brighton 
Karamjit Gill, Professor, SEAKE Centre, University of Brighton 
Michael Gurstein, (Visiting) Professor, School of Management New Jersey
Institute of Technology 
Don Schauder, Professor, School of Information Management and Systems,
Monash University 
Graeme Johanson, School of Information Management and Systems/Centre for
Community Networking Research, Monash University Larry Stillman, School
of Information Management and Systems/Centre for Community Networking
Research, Monash University Michel Menou, CoVITALC, Latin America &
Caribbean 
Scott S. Robinson, Depto. De Antropologia, Universidad Metropologia,
Mexico 
Stewart Marshall, Professor, Faculty of Informatics & Communication,
Central Queensland University 
Wal Taylor, Faculty of Informatics & Communication, Central Queensland
University

Send  abstracts, position papers, full papers  to Peter Day
p.day at btinternet.com

Please forward to relevant lists, and please excuse cross-postings