[Air-L] second call for papers: special issue on war, conflict and commemoration in the age of digital reproduction

[Adi Kuntsman]

Digital Icons: Studies in Russian, Eurasian and Central European New
Media 
http://www.digitalicons.org/forthcoming/

**Call for papers for the Special Issue War, Conflict and
Commemoration in the Age of Digital
Reproduction ( Autumn 2010)**

 
Wars,
conflicts and commemoration occupy the minds of today's users of new
media across the globe, especially those in Russia, Eurasia and Central
Europe: from digital accounts of 'wars on terror' to virtual museums of
political terror under communism; from cyberwars against websites and
databases to computer war games; from on-line anti-war organising to
virtual memorials to WWII soldiers; from photo-and video- reporting on
warfare in Kosovo, Chechnya, Gaza or Georgia to flash-mobs of political
protest or racist incitement; from digitalised personal memories and
family histories to YouTube clips featuring victorious presidential
speeches.

The aim of this special issue is
to explore the ways wars and conflicts are mediated, commemorated,
reported and discussed on the Internet as well as in other forms of new
media, including mobile phones, digital broadcasting and computer
games. What is the role of new media in understanding, representing,
negotiating and remembering (or forgetting) war and terror? What is the
status of testimony, evidence and reportage in the age of digital
reproduction? What practices of memory do new information and
communication technologies entail? What structures of feeling operate
in on-line reports and debates around military operations and human
suffering? How can digital mediations of conflict bring people and
communities together, while tearing others apart? And lastly, how can
the embodied, physical violence intensify in digital interactions, and
how can it be resisted? 


This special issue of Digital Icons aims to create a forum for scholars working in the fields of war,
conflict, commemoration, digital media, and new media, while
simultaneously addressing linguistic, cultural, historical and
political aspects of new media use in Russia, Eurasia and Central
Europe. We invite original articles that focus on one or more countries
of the region, or on their diasporas. We also welcome theoretical
essays, reflection by media practitioners on their own practices,
contributions from artists and authors, and reviews of relevant
projects, books and events.

Deadline for submissions: 1 May 2010
Anticipated date of publication: October 2010
Please contact Adi Kuntsman warconflictcommemoration at googlemail.com 
or DI editors editor at digitalicons.org to discuss your submission.
When
submitting your work, please include the following information: a
biographical statement (100-120 words in English) and an
abstract/description of the submission (or the first paragraph of the
essay if appropriate) (about 150 words in English).