[Air-l] CATaC'06 - final CFP

[Charles Ess]

Dear AoIR-ists,

My venerable co-chair Fay Sudweeks and I would like to remind you of the
upcoming 13. February and 20. February submission deadlines for CATaC'06.

Please distribute as appropriate - apologies for duplications and
cross-postings:

International Conference on
CULTURAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION (CATaC'06)

**Submission deadline: 13 February 2006**

28 June - 1 July 2006
University of Tartu, Estonia
http://www.catacconference.org

Conference theme:
Neither Global Village nor Homogenizing Commodification:
Diverse Cultural, Ethnic, Gender and Economic Environments

The biennial CATaC conference series continues to provide an international
forum for the presentation and discussion of current research on how diverse
cultural attitudes shape the implementation and use of information and
communication technologies (ICTs). The conference series brings together
scholars from around the globe who provide diverse perspectives, both in
terms of the specific culture(s) they highlight in their presentations and
discussions, and in terms of the discipline(s) through which they approach
the conference theme.

The 1990s' hopes for an "electronic global village" have largely been
shunted aside by the Internet's explosive diffusion. This diffusion was well
described by Marx - all that is solid melts into air - and was predicted by
postmodernists. The diffusion of CMC technologies quickly led to many and
diverse internets. A single "Internet", whose identity and characteristics
might be examined as a single unity, has not materialised. An initially
culturally and gender homogenous Internet came more and more to resemble an
urban metropolis. Along the way, in the commercialization of the Internet
and the Web, "cultural diversity" gets watered down and exchanges strong
diversity for a homogenous interchangeability. Such diversity thereby
becomes commodified and serves a global capitalism that tends to foster
cultural homogenization.

CATaC'06 continues our focus on the intersections of culture, technology,
and communication, beginning with an emphasis on continued critique of the
assumptions, categories, methodologies, and theories frequently used to
analyse these. At the same time, CATaC'06 takes up our characteristic focus
on ethics and justice in the design and deployment of CMC technologies. We
particularly focus on developing countries facilitated by "on the ground"
approaches in the work of NGOs, governmental agencies, etc., in ways that
preserve and foster cultural identity and diversity. By simultaneously
critiquing and perhaps complexifying our theories and assumptions, on the
one hand, and featuring "best practices" approaches to CMC in development
work, on the other hand, CATaC'06 aims towards a middle ground between a
putative "global village" and homogenizing commodification. Such middle
ground fosters cultural diversity, economic and social development, and more
successful cross-cultural co!
 mmunication online.

Original full papers (especially those which connect theoretical frameworks
with specific examples of cultural values, practices, etc.: 10-20 pages) and
short papers (e.g. describing current research projects and preliminary
results: 3-5 pages) are invited.

Topics of particular interest include but are not limited to:
- Culture isn't 'culture' anymore
- The Internet isn't the 'Internet' anymore
- Gender, culture, empowerment and CMC
- CMC and cultural diversity
- Ethics and justice
- Free/Open technology and communication
- Internet research ethics
- Cultural diversity and e-learning

SUBMISSIONS
All submissions will be peer reviewed by an international panel of scholars
and researchers and accepted papers will appear in the conference
proceedings. Submission of a paper implies that it has not been submitted or
published elsewhere. At least one author of each accepted paper is expected
to present the paper at the conference.

Full papers (10-20 formatted pages) - 13 February 2006
Short papers (3-5 formatted pages) - 20 February 2006
Workshop submissions  - 20 February 2006
Notification of acceptance  - mid March 2006
Final formatted papers  - 29 March 2006

There will be the opportunity for selected papers from this 2006 conference
to appear in special issues of journals. Papers in previous conferences have
appeared in journals (Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, Electronic
Journal of Communication/La Revue Electronique de Communication, AI and
Society, Javnost- The Public, and New Media and Society) and a book
(Culture, Technology, Communication: towards an Intercultural Global
Village, 2001, edited by Charles Ess with Fay Sudweeks, SUNY Press, New
York). You may purchase the conference proceedings from the 2002 and 2004
conference from www.it.murdoch.edu.au/catac.

CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS
  Charles Ess, Drury University, USA, catac at it.murdoch.edu.au
  Fay Sudweeks, Murdoch University, Australia, catac at it.murdoch.edu.au
PROGRAM CHAIR
  Herbert Hrachovec, University of Vienna, Austria
CONFERENCE CO-VICE-CHAIRS
  Pille Runnel, Tartu University, Estonia

with all best wishes,

Charles Ess

Distinguished Research Professor,
Interdisciplinary Studies <http://www.drury.edu/gp21>
Drury University
900 N. Benton Ave.              Voice: 417-873-7230
Springfield, MO  65802  USA       FAX: 417-873-7435
Home page:  http://www.drury.edu/ess/ess.html

Co-chair, CATaC'06: http://www.catacconference.org
Co-chair, ECAP'06: http://www.eu-cap.org

Professor II, Globalization and Applied Ethics Programmes
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
http://www.anvendtetikk.ntnu.no/pres/bridgingcultures.php

Exemplary persons seek harmony, not sameness. -- Analects 13.23