---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 1995 16:00:29 -0600 (CST)
From: howlett@SFU.CA (Michael Howlett)
Subject: Call for Papers, Internet and Social Transformation
INET'96
The Internet: Transforming Our Society Now
25 - 28 June 1996 Montreal, Canada
** Call for Papers **
INET'96, the 6th Annual Conference of the Internet Society
focusing on worldwide issues of Internet networking will be held
25-28 June 1996 in Montreal, Canada. This call for papers emphasizes
one topical area, "Internet and Social Transformation." The full
conference announcement is included below.
*Internet and Social Transformation*
The Internet promises to redistribute access to information
and communication. In so doing, it may weaken existing social
hierarchies and empower individuals and groups.
In this topical area we examine the issue of empowerment through
two broad focus areas. First, we examine practices and projects
by which empowering social change is occurring today. We seek
papers documenting Internet-based transformative activities and
relating them to larger questions of empowerment and social
transformation.
Second, we seek papers that critique existing social
structures and relate them to on-going activities with the
Internet. These papers might be more theoretically informed,
bringing concepts from the social sciences to bear on existing
hierarchies and to the real or potential effects of the Internet.
For suggestive purposes, the following areas are offered:
Internet and Politics
How has the Internet been used in political activism? How has it
been used by rebels in Chiapas, the American "militia,"
Israeli-Arab peace negotiators?
Internet and Democracy
How has the Internet changed the democratic process in terms of
group-formation, access to the policy process, on-line petitions,
and grassroots organizing?
Power, Information, and the Mass Media
Does the new technology facilitate greater editorial control in
the media or allow a thousand flowers to bloom? How has it
affected the techniques of journalists as they seek information
and viewpoints?
Science Policy and Knowledge Diffusion
What are the implications of the change from knowledge as
a free value to knowledge as merchandise? How does it affect the
production and diffusion of science and technology? What are the
present and foreseeable impacts on international cooperation at
the level of scientific and technological communities?
Political Economy and the Net
What are the implications of the change from an economy based on
labor value to one based on knowledge value? How does this
affect employment, class, and equity? How has the Internet been
used in conflict and cooperation between labor and management?
Internet and Developing Countries
Will Internet foster a single world by empowering less wealthy
countries or will it deepen the gap that divides the world in
two? Does it bridge national political boundaries or does it
reinforce old nationalisms and ethnic boundaries?
Lessons from History
The Internet is the latest in a long line of technologies hailed
as agents of social change. Is it really different from the
printing press, broadcast television, public access cable TV,
radio, or educational computing? What lessons can we learn from
history?
Identity, Culture, Community
Will the Internet transform who we are and where we belong? Will
we be enriched or impoverished by entering a realm where space
and place have less meaning?
Authors need not fit their proposals into this framework.
All proposals dealing with social transformation are welcome.
Theoretically-grounded papers are encouraged, but should be
accessible by a broad audience.
One-page abstracts for INET'96 are due on January 15. However,
this social transformation track will consider submissions until
*January 31*. Full papers are due at the end of March.
(Note: This is a change from the original conference announcement.)
Internet and Social Transformation Co-Chairs:
Hebe Vessuri, Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research
Hans Klein, CPSR and Institute of Public Policy/George Mason Univ.
Submissions.
o The official language of the conference is English.
o Papers will be selected based on one-page abstracts.
o Abstracts must include the title or topic, the names of the
author(s), organizational affiliation(s), addresses, telephone
number, fax number, and E-mail addresses and must identify a
single point of contact if more than one author is listed.
Abstracts should also include a keyword list, tied to the topics
listed above.
o Upon acceptance papers must be resubmitted in the format
required for publication in the proceedings. Detailed
instructions will be provided upon acceptance.
o Abstracts in plain ASCII text should be submitted by 15 January
1996 to: inet-submission@isoc.org
The Program Committee can be contacted at: inet-program@isoc.org
Developing Countries Workshop.
The INET'96 Conference will be preceded by a seven-day program of
intensive instruction with a hands-on emphasis on Internet set
up, operations, maintenance and management.
For information and general questions about the Developing
Countries Workshop, please send E-mail to: workshop-info@isoc.org
For an application to attend the Developing Countries Workshop,
please send E-mail to: workshop-apply@isoc.org
Primary and Secondary School Workshop.
The INET'96 Conference will also be preceded by a tentative two
day program bringing together active Kindergarten thru Secondary
School Internet innovators from around the world to share
experiences and learn new advanced tools and collaboration
techniques.
For information and general questions about the Primary and
Secondary School Workshop, please send E-mail to:
Information concerning the conference is available from the
Internet Society Secretariat:
URLs: http://www.isoc.org/conferences/inet96/
gopher://gopher.isoc.org:70/11/isoc/conferences/inet96/
ftp://ftp.isoc.org/isoc/conferences/inet96/
Email: inet96@isoc.org
Tel: +1 703 648 9888
Fax: +1 703 648 9887
Address: INET'96
Internet Society Secretariat
12020 Sunrise Valley Dr., Suite 270
Reston VA 22091
USA
Carol Gray
Internet Society - International Secretariat
12020 Sunrise Valley Drive, Suite 210
Reston, VA 22091, USA
voice: +1 703 648 9888 fax: +1 703 648 9887
http://www.isoc.org
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__________________________________________________________
Michael Howlett
Department of Political Science, Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, V5A 1S6
Phone (604) 291-3082 Fax (604) 291-4786
__________________________________________________________