[Air-L] Call for Chapters: Digital Inequalities in the Global South

[Massimo Ragnedda]

Apologies for cross-posting



Dear Colleagues,



My colleague Anna Gladkova and I (we are both vice chair of the Digital
Divide Working Group, IAMRC) are editing a book on the topic “Digital
Inequalities in the Global South”.



We are organizing an edited volume which will examine how digital
inequalities are affecting the cultural, economic and social development of
the Global South. Contributions are invited for this edited international
collection of original chapters engaging empirical case studies on digital
inequalities in the Global South.



The book will be submitted to Palgrave and if all goes well will be included
into the IAMCR/Palgrave Global Transformations in Media and Communication
Research (*Palgrave and IAMCR Series*).



Please see the attached Call for Chapter Proposals for details on the
scope, timing, and mechanics of this project. Also, please feel welcome to
post this call for papers widely and to forward it to interested colleagues
and students. We hope to see some proposals from many of you, and for now,
please feel welcome to be in contact if you have any questions for us.



With best regards,

Massimo Ragnedda, Northumbria University, Newcastle (UK)

(also on behalf of) Anna Gladkova (Lomonosov Moscow State University,
Russia)





*Call for Chapter Proposals for an Edited Volume on*

*“Digital Inequalities in the Global South”*

*Editors: *

*Massimo Ragnedda (Northumbria University, UK)*

*Anna Gladkova (Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia)*



This book will focus on the rising digital inequalities in countries from
geographical areas insufficiently covered and underrepresented. While in
the so called Global South (Mahler 2015) access to the Internet has risen
tremendously in the last years (shrinking the first level of digital
divide) new inequalities are emerging between those who have access to
broadband Internet and those who do not, between gender, between different
socio-economic backgrounds and between users with different levels of
education. Furthermore, going beyond the first level of digital divide, new
forms of inequalities also emerged in relation with different digital
skills, digital competencies, different motivations in using ICTs and
different support. Both limited access to and use of the Internet affect
citizens’ existential opportunities (van Dijk, 2005) and negatively
influence the process of social inclusion (Warschauer, 2003), and thus
contributing to offline disadvantages (Chen, 2013). Finally, new forms of
digital inequalities are related with the so called third level of digital
divide (Ragnedda, 2017), namely the capacity/ability to fully exploit the
Internet and to transform its use into tangible outcomes. Such inequalities
in the returning social benefits of using the Internet, are growing
everywhere but especially in the Global South. This book, therefore, fits
in the lively debate, opened by the advent of ICTs, on inequalities in
access (first level of digital divide), uses (second level of digital
divide) and outcomes generated online and valuable in the social realm
(third level of digital divide).

*Digital inequalities in the Global South *will focus on the social,
cultural and economic consequences of digital inequalities where the
majority of the world’s internet users now live (Asia, Africa and Latin
America). These communities are a distinct disadvantage when digital
technologies are introduced (Boas, Dunning & Bussell, 2005). The main idea,
therefore, is to underline, with specific case studies, how marginalized
communities are now attempting to participate in the information age,
despite high costs, the lack of relevant content and technological support.
How these barriers are preventing (or limiting) disadvantaged communities
in using computers and the Internet? Is the Global South still risking to
being left behind? How has the Global South changed in the last years? How
is the Global South facing these challenges?

The rapid progress of the digital technologies infrastructure is crucial
for countries seeking to combat poverty, exclusion, and guarantee basic
services. The development of ICTs opens new opportunities to attain higher
levels of progress and growth, and may help in creating an environment that
fosters innovation, nurture science, empowers active citizens and spurs
business growth and has become a priority for developing countries. However,
these advantages are often overemphasised and seem the reflection of the
Western’s gaze in relation to peripheral societies. The Global South is
caught in a growing paradox. On the one hand, the rapid technological
advancement is fostering economic prosperity, creating greater
communication and information possibilities, helping in fighting for
democracy. On the other end, not everybody is enjoying the possibilities
offered by the digital technologies, and digital inequalities are
increasingly hindering economic and social development, exacerbating
already existing inequalities. There is, therefore, a need to go beyond
this techno-evangelist and western centred approach that sees the
development of ICTs as the main leading force able to drive economic,
cultural and social development, by adopting a critical approach that
underlines also the disadvantages that digital inequalities are bringing to
the Global South.

In order to expand both the theoretical and the empirical perspectives
brought to bear on digital inequalities in the global context, we are
inviting scholars from different research fields (e.g., Sociology, (New)
Media Studies, Communications, etc.) to apply social theories of
stratification, inequalities, postcolonialism, poststructuralist and
post-development theories etc. to develop new perspectives on the rise and
persistence of digital inequalities in the Global South. These approaches would
question the assumptions of development and progress that underlie the
discourse on digital technologies as a panacea for solving poverty and
shrinking inequalities. Authors are invited to investigate how different
axes of power and privilege – income, ethnicity, age, gender – are
intertwined with digital inequalities. We intend to stimulate innovative
ways to study digital and social inequalities in developing countries.

Potential contributors are invited to explore the importance of social theories
in analysing the development of digital inequalities and how these
inequalities, if not addressed, slow the achievement of the Sustainable
Development Goals. Our aim is to connect this collection to a critical
review of inequalities that may interact with /have some impact on the 2030
agenda, Sustainable Development Goals.

Chapters must contain illustrative empirical evidence or examples and must
be theoretical based. Submissions are welcome from scholars at all stages
of their careers, and from various relevant disciplines.



*Proposed structure*

The aim of this edited volume is to bring together perspectives and areas
in digital inequalities that are under-explored. The book will explore a
range of empirical case brought to the fore by the digital revolution. Each
chapter should detail its theoretical trajectory and provide at least one
case study exemplar. We therefore welcome chapters that focus, but are
certainly
not limited, to the following issues:



·       Who and why benefits and who does not from the development of
digital technologies?

·       What have been done so far and what could be done to bridge digital
inequalities in the Global South?

·       Which role the development of digital technologies may play for
health and education in the Global South?

·       Which role the development of digital technologies may play for
agriculture and water?

·       Which role the development of digital technologies may play for
democracy, online activism and civic participation?

·       Which role the development of digital technologies may play for
reducing and preventing conflict?

·       How the development of digital technologies may help during
humanitarian emergencies?

·       Which role the development of digital technologies may play for the
economic growth and financial inclusion?

·       Do new digital jobs offer opportunities for the Global South and
how marginalized communities are taking advantage of these opportunities?

·       How to create a democratic and inclusive digital economy?



The specific case studies may also:

·       Propose a theoretical framework to critically understand the role
of information and digital technologies in the development process.

·       Critically discuss the potential disruption caused by access to
digital communications;

·       Generate evidence on digital inequalities issues facing citizens
among marginalized communities.

·       Promote evidence-informed policy change for improving access, use,
and application of ICTs for social and cultural development and economic
growth.



Abstracts should include the following information:

·         Proposed article title

·         Proposed author names and affiliations

·         Theme being addressed

·         Purpose/aim of the chapter

·         Principal body of literature/theoretical framework

·         Indicative case study


Submission Procedure

You are invited to submit a word document with a brief author or authors CV
(no more than 250 words with titles, affiliations, and contacts), title of
the proposal and the abstract (500-700 words). All proposals should be
submitted to the following addresses:  massimo.ragnedda at northumbria.ac.uk
and gladkova_a at list.ru

*Deadline is 20 September 2018.*


The final decision will be notified to the authors by *30 September 2018*.
Authors will be invited to send a full text *by 20 February 2019*. The
chapter’s length will be 6000 words, including references. Submitted
chapters should not have been previously published or sent to another
editor.



Abstracts will be judged on criteria of relevance and originality of topic.
Notification of initially-approved abstracts will be announced in
mid-September, after which contributors will be asked to move forward to
the peer-review submission phase. We will submit the book proposal to
Palgrave.

Contributions of 6000 words (maximum including abstract, footnotes,
tables/figures with captions, references, and appendices, if any) will be *due
20 February 2019.* Chapters will be subject to double-blind peer review,
and to encourage coherence in the special section, all contributors will be
requested to act as a peer reviewer for one other article.

Also, please feel welcome to post this call for papers widely and to
forward it to interested colleagues and students. We hope to see some
proposals from many of you, and for now, please feel welcome to be in
contact if you have any questions for us.



Our tasks and the proposed timeline are as follows:

•           30 September 2018 – Completion of Proposal and Submission to
Palgrave

•           20 February 2019 – Manuscripts Due to Editors from All
Contributors

•           30 March 2019 – Review of Manuscripts Completed & Manuscripts
Returned to Contributors

•           30 May 2019 – Revised Manuscripts Due from Contributors

•           30 June 2019 – Final Manuscript Delivered to Publisher

•           X/XX/XX – Final Appearance in Print Will Depend on Publisher’s
Timeline



With best regards,



*Massimo Ragnedda and Anna Gladkova*

-- 
Massimo Ragnedda
Senior Lecturer in Mass Communication
Northumbria University (Newcastle, UK)
mragnedda.wordpress.com
skype: massimo.ragnedda

http://northumbria.academia.edu/MassimoRagnedda
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