Event: First International Sociological Association (ISA) Forum of Sociology
Date of Conference: 5-8 September 2008
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Due Date for Submissions: 30 November 2007

Technological surveillance has become a charged symbol of contemporary life. Broadly defined, surveillance systems are those that afford control of people through the identification, tracking, monitoring, and/or analysis of individuals, data, or systems. As with all technologies, surveillance functions in multiple ways to mediate and regulate interactions among people, organizations, and the built world. Surveillance technologies can be found in urban infrastructures, transportation systems, cell phones, identification documents, computer programs, frequent shopper cards, televisions, medical and consumer products, and much more.

Whether mobilized by law enforcement, industry, or others, surveillance modulates experiences of the world. Rather than perceive surveillance systems as universal in their application or function, this panel seeks to identify the differential operations of power and control enabled by them. Through such inquiry, we hope to broaden collective understandings of the politics engendered by the design, deployment, and interpretation of surveillance devices.

Submission instructions available at:
http://www.publicsurveillance.com/papers/ISA_CFP_2008.pdf

For more information on ISA’s section on the Sociology of Science and Technology:
http://www.dsa-ateneo.net/rc23/

For more information about the conference:
http://www.isa-sociology.org/barcelona_2008/