[Air-L] Mapping the Arab Spring: Call for Chapters

[Aziz Douai]

Colleagues,
Please circulate widely, and apologies for cross-postings.

*Mapping the “Arab Spring”: Social and Political Influence of New Media in
the Arab World*

*Call for Chapters*

*
*

Editor: Aziz Douai
                            Editor: Mohamed Ben Moussa

Faculty of Social Science and Humanities                      Art School
and Humanities

University of Ontario Institute of Technology                   Canadian
University of Dubai

Email: aziz.douai at uoit.ca
    Email: m.benmoussa at cud.ac.ae

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*

*Abstract Submission Deadline:* October 15, 2013

*Notification to Authors:* October 30, 2013

*Final Paper Submission deadline:* February 30, 2014

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*

*Introduction*

The popular uprisings in in Arab countries took the world by surprise.
Described
as the beginning of “the Arab democratic spring”, and likened to the fall
of the Arab “Berlin” wall, the wave of protests has galvanized the
attention of the world not only because of its transformative political
implications for the region, but also because of the alleged central role
of the Internet, specifically social media platforms in bringing about the
first “Facebook” and “Twitter” revolutions (Wan, 2011), and in empowering
“generation 2.0” (Hererra, 2011) to rise against tyranny and defy fear and
repression.  However, after more than two years since the beginning of the
uprisings, and the deposition of several dictators, democratic transition
in the region is facing formidable challenges, chief among them political
and economic instability, deep polarizations between Islamist and
secular/liberal movements, multiple forms of sectarian, ethnic and
religious cleavages, in addition to endemic corruption and inefficient
governance. These challenges have already shifted into full-blown civil war
in Syria and are threatening other countries, such as Egypt, Libya, and
Tunisia. Against this background, one key question that needs to be
addressed is whether ICTs in general can play a role in promoting civil
society, civic culture and trust, bridging political elites to disenchanted
young people and the general population, and enhancing governance. In
conjunction with this question, there is an urgent need to examine how
identity politics is informing and shaping how the notions of civil
society, citizenship, and pluralism are imagined and enacted online and the
implications thereof for democratic transition in the region. While the
outcome of these regional upheavals is still difficult to predict, we
believe the time is ripe for a rigorous debate and research into the
intersections of the cultural, political and technological issues that led
to the “Arab Spring.”

*Objectives of the Book*

Editors seek innovative contributions that analyze the role of ICTs,
particularly the Internet and other new media, in the ongoing upheavals in
Arab societies. We are interested in chapters that interrogate the
implications of these technologies for cultural expression, and identity
building at the individual and collective levels in these societies.  Given
how new cultural forms of self-expression from rap music to blogging have
become intertwined in the Tunisian and the Egyptian revolutions, for
instance, we seek contributions on the various linkages between
self-expression, self-reflexivity, political dissent and new media
discourses in the region.  Underscoring the linkages between identity
politics, collective action repertoire, political culture, and new
communication technologies, this book seeks to examine the Arab new media
environment leading to the Arab Spring and its aftermath.

*Sample Topics*

We encourage multidisciplinary approaches that employ social movement
theory, cultural studies, radical democracy theory, or network theory,
among others, to study and interpret dissent, resistance, collective
action, and democratic transition in Arab societies. Other theoretical,
empirical and methodology approaches are also welcome. Themes and questions
to be considered could include but are not limited to

1)    Research that theorizes/applies social movement theory to analyze the
“Arab Spring;”

2)    Cases studies addressing new cultural forms and Arab/Muslim
identities (e.g. hip hop music, digital art, and photography);

3)    Critical assessment of youth movement, youth culture, and political
consciousness;

4)    Case studies addressing ICTs, new media audiences, ethnic minorities
and identities;

5)    New empirical analyses of ICTs and political Islam/other social
movements in the Arab world;

6)    Theoretical and empirical assessments of the intersection between new
media and gender in the region (e.g. feminist movements, women identities
and self-expression);

7)    Comparative analyses of new journalism forms in the Arab world (e.g.
citizen journalism);

8)    Conceptually- and theoretically-informed evaluation of the
intersections between new media and democracy in the region;

9)    Other approaches that fit with the above themes and contribute to
theory building are welcome.



*Submission Requirements*

Interested authors should send an *abstract* of no more than 600 words and *a
short bio *to the Editors’ email addresses by*October 15, 2013*. Authors of
accepted abstracts will be notified by *October 30, 2013* and asked to
submit a *full chapter* of no more than 8,000 words by *February 30, 2014*.

Chapter proposals must be original work that has not been published.
Authors should follow the American Psychological Association (APA) style
manual and submit abstracts and chapters in MS Word. All submissions should
be sent as email attachments to *BOTH* editors at
aziz.douai at uoit.ca<https://webmail.psu.edu/webmail/blankIe.html>
 and m.benmoussa at cud.ac.ae. All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed by an
international editorial board.

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Aziz Douai, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Social Science and Humanities
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
55 Bond Street East
Oshawa, ON   L1G 0A5, Canada

Tel: 905.721.8668, ext. 3790
Fax:    905.721.3372
E-mail: aziz.douai at uoit.ca
Web:
http://socialscienceandhumanities.uoit.ca/research/researcher-profiles/dr.-aziz-douai.php

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"A popular government without popular information, or the means of
acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or perhaps both."
James Madison, 1822
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