April 2026 - Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Book launch: The Many Faces of Data Access: Legal and Policy Implications for Research
by André Ramiro 27 Apr '26

27 Apr '26

Dear AoIR members, Pleasure to share with you the open access book "The Many Faces of Data Access: Legal and Policy Implications for Research <https://networkcultures.org/blog/publication/themanyfaces/>", published by the Institute of Network Cultures <https://networkcultures.org/>. My colleagues Pedro Amaral, Marcos César, and I have contributed with a chapter on surveillance and government transparency called: "Keys thrown away? Challenges in Brazil on Accessing Public-Interest Data on State Surveillance Tools via Transparency Portals and Requests for Information". The chapter explores a study we published in 2022 on contracts between the Brazilian government and hacking tools' vendors, especially the structural challenges on accessing the minimum information from the administration. Hope you enjoy it. Best regards, -- *André Ramiro* PhD Candidate in Informational and Public Law at Hamburg University. Stanford University's Digital Civil Society Lab Fellow - Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society (PACS) (24-25). Fellow Researcher at Weizenbaum Institute - "Technology, Power, and Domination" Research Group (23). Visiting Researcher at the Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society - Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's Fellow (22-23). Member of LAVITS - Latin American Network of Surveillance, Technology and Society Studies. Co-Founder and former Director of IP.rec - Law and Technology Research Institute of Recife.

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Building a Feminist Research Career in Anti-Feminist Times - 10 June at King's College London
by Zeena Feldman 27 Apr '26

27 Apr '26

Dear UK friends and colleagues, This event may be of interest to PhD students and postdocs working around gender and sexuality. Warm wishes, Zeena Building a Feminist Research Career in Anti-Feminist Times Roundtables Wednesday, 10 June 9.00-16.00 (followed by a networking reception) King’s College London, Strand Campus Register here<https://forms.gle/mGMi8516kLQpGP1e7> Registration deadline: 22 May 2026 at midday BST Building a Feminist Research Career in Anti-Feminist Times is a one-day programme of roundtables organised by the CHASE Gender & Sexuality Research Network<https://www.instagram.com/chase_gsrn/> and hosted by Queer@King’s<https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/queeratkings>. The day will focus on the unique challenges faced by early-career researchers (and activist scholars) doing work around gender and sexuality in UK universities today. Topics we will cover include: * The contemporary funding landscape of UK academia * Emerging political shifts and how they affect our work * Navigating the job market as an early-career queer and/or feminist scholar * Safeguarding against burnout, isolation and exploitation * Care and community-building in the neoliberal university * Resisting careerism (while having a career) We will close the day with an Ask Us Anything expert panel with the option to submit questions anonymously. This event is designed to offer advice and community-led support to later-stage PhD students (i.e. those preparing to enter the job market) as well as postdoctoral researchers and other early-career scholars. The day will conclude with a networking social at a local pub. Please note that registering<https://forms.gle/mGMi8516kLQpGP1e7> may not guarantee a place and we will operate a waitlist if needed. If selected, you will be emailed invitations with joining instructions in advance of the event. About CHASE Gender and Sexuality Research Network Struggles over the rights and freedoms of women, queer and transgender people are increasingly at the centre of the political zeitgeist, yet academic research that equips us to understand and navigate these struggles is increasingly politicised and systemically threatened. CHASE GSRN<https://www.instagram.com/chase_gsrn/> is a peer-to-peer support infrastructure for scholars engaged in gender and sexuality research, with a particular emphasis on building capacity across institutions and uplifting postgraduate researchers (PGRs) who are working in a national context of decreased prioritisation and institutional support for producing robust knowledge about non-normative sexualities and genders, and the inequalities attendant to those identities. The co-directors of CHASE GSRN are Professor Tanya Serisier<https://www.bbk.ac.uk/our-staff/8858733/tanya-serisier> (Birkbeck), Dr Zeena Feldman<https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/dr-zeena-feldman> (King’s College London) and Dr Kat Higgins<https://www.gold.ac.uk/media-communications/people/higgins-kathryn-claire/> (Goldsmiths). If you would like to join our mailing list, you can sign up at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A0=GENDER-SEXUALITIES.

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4S Open Panel: Technopolitics of Knowledge Mobilization in Datafied Societies
by Lucas Wong 26 Apr '26

26 Apr '26

Dear AoIR community, Apologies for cross-posting. This is a reminder that the 4S call for abstracts closes in one week, on 30 April. Our open panel, “Technopolitics of Knowledge Mobilization in Datafied Societies,” is still accepting abstracts. We especially welcome contributions on platformized knowledge production, AI-mediated knowledge transfer and mobilization, digital academic labour, public intellectualism, and scholar activism. In addition to theoretical discussions and scholarly studies, we are also keen to hear from those directly involved in these practices, or even those who identify as public intellectuals or scholar-activists and would like to share reflections from their own experience. Please feel free to reach out with any questions. You can find the full list of open panels and submit your abstract here: https://www.4sonline.org/accepted_open_panels_toronto.php. Best, Lucas

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Programme Announced: 10th GIG-ARTS Conference, Dublin, 14–15 May 2026
by Mauro SANTANIELLO 26 Apr '26

26 Apr '26

Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce that the programme for the **10th GIG-ARTS Conference** is now available. The **Tenth European Multidisciplinary Conference on Global Internet Governance Actors, Regulations, Transactions and Strategies** will take place on **14–15 May 2026** at **Dublin City University, All Hallows Campus**. This year’s theme, **“Digital Futures, Sustainable Freedoms: Rights, Responsibilities and Governance,”** will bring together scholars and practitioners to discuss key issues in global internet governance, including digital rights, sustainability, digital authoritarianism, digital sovereignty, AI governance, data centres, and the future of digital regulation. The programme includes keynote speeches, thematic panels, a poster session, and a roundtable on governing digital futures. The full programme is available here: https://gig-arts.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/10th-GIG-ARTS-Conference_Pro… **Please note that the registration deadline is 30 April 2026.** Participants can register via Eventbrite at the following link: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/10th-gig-arts-conference-dublin-2026-tickets-19… We look forward to welcoming participants to Dublin for this special tenth edition of the GIG-ARTS Conference. Best regards, The GIG-ARTS Conference Organising Committee

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Appeal for one e-book
by Samuel Bello 24 Apr '26

24 Apr '26

Dear all, Please, I want to appeal to anyone who has access to the following e-book to help me send a copy: The Complete Guide to Competitive Intelligence (Fourth Edition), 2022, by Kirk W. M. Tyson. Thank you Samuel Bello

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CFP special issue on mobile disconnection and online events
by Trine Syvertsen 24 Apr '26

24 Apr '26

Dear all This is a reminder about the CFP for the special issue on mobile disconnection in Mobile Media & Communication. Extended abstracts due on 31 July 2026: https://journals.sagepub.com/page/mmc/mobiledisconnection<https://journals.sagepub.com/page/mmc/mobiledisconnection?_gl=1*1fkzr8*_up*…..> The editors are holding two online events on the 18 and 19 of May, tailored to different time zones to reach potential contributors. You are welcome to join and get feedback on your ideas from other participants and editors. More on the special events and register here: https://www.hf.uio.no/imk/english/research/projects/digital-disconnection/e… Best regards from the editors, Morgan Quinn Ross, Mora Matassi and Trine Syvertsen —— Trine Syvertsen, professor, IMK, UiO DIGITOX: Intrusive media, ambivalent users and digital detox The Digital Backlash and the Paradoxes of Disconnection | Nordicom<https://www.nordicom.gu.se/en/publications/digital-backlash-and-paradoxes-d…> (open access, 2024)

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Invitation to report launch "Data Frictions and Inclusive Digital Skills"
by Zoetanya Sujon 24 Apr '26

24 Apr '26

******apologies for cross-postings******* Dear AoIR colleagues, I am very pleased to announce the launch of two new reports, 'Data Frictions: Inclusion and Data Skills for Arts, Humanities, and Culture' and 'Transforming the Gap: Inclusive Digital Arts and Humanities Research Skills (DAReS)'. You are warmly invited to the in person or online launch will include presentations from the DAReS team and partners, followed by a roundtable on 'Inclusive Data Futures'. For those attending in person, the event will be followed by light bites and informal networking, where we can hopefully exchange ideas and plant seeds for future collaborations. *Key information:* Date: May 14, 2026 Times: 14:00-15:20 - Public Launch of “Data Frictions” and "Transforming the Gap" reports 15:40-17:00 - Roundtable discussion on “Inclusive Data Futures" with Lexi Webster, Phoenix Perry, Nessa Keddo and Eamonn Bell 17:00-18:00 - Networking Location: University of the Arts London, 272 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EY *or *online Room: HH203-202 *Free but registration is required: * *https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/data-frictions-inclusion-and-data-skills-for-arts-humanities-and-culture-tickets-1986522597565* <https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/data-frictions-inclusion-and-data-skills-for…> Please share with any interested colleagues. We hope to see you there! -- 'You are marvellous. The Gods wait to delight in you.' ('The Laughing Heart' by Charles Bukowski).

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Hype Literacy Toolkit
by Jascha Bareis 24 Apr '26

24 Apr '26

Dear colleagues, Hype Studies <https://hypestudies.org/> is delighted to present /The Hype Literacy Toolkit/ <https://akademie.dw.de/hype-literacy/>, a free, publicly available online course created in cooperation with Deutsche Welle Akademie <https://akademie.dw.com/en/the-hype-literacy-toolkit-for-journalists/a-7671…>, which introduces “the study of hype as an urgent force that shapes technological development, economics, politics, and journalism”. Journalists, students, academics, policymakers can learn about how tech hype transforms society. The aim is to recognize hype, unmask its playbook and to understand how to talk and research better about emerging technologies like AI, Quantum or Nanotech and their impact on the world. The course was presented at the International Journalist Festival in Perugia <https://www.journalismfestival.com/programme/2026/hype-literacy-reporting-o…> last week. Warmly, Jascha Bareis in the name of the hypestudies group

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CfP: Boundaries, boundary concepts, and datafication (Digital Culture & Society)
by louisravn.cph＠gmail.com 24 Apr '26

24 Apr '26

*** apologies for cross-posting *** Dear colleagues, We warmly invite proposals to our Special Issue “Boundaries, boundary concepts, and datafication” in Digital Culture <https://digicults.org/> & Society. This special issue brings together articles that examine the relationship between boundaries and datafication practices through the use, critical evaluation, and reconfiguration of boundary concepts. It aims to advance systematic exploration of boundaries and boundary concepts in the context of datafication. It investigates the potentials and limitations of analytical concepts such as boundary objects, boundary work, boundary infrastructures, boundary organisations, and related terms as well as boundaries more broadly. The special issue will include empirical analyses, conceptual/theoretical reflections, and methodological explorations on the interplay between datafication and boundary dynamics. Schedule and Submission * Abstracts (max. 300 words) and short biographical note (max. 75 words) with specification of section: 31st May 2026 * Notification of authors/invitation to submit full/short paper: 15th June 2026 * Submission of full papers: 15th September 2026 * Publication of special issue: Spring 2027 Please send your abstract and short biographical note by 31st May 2026 to boundaryconcepts(a)gmail.com <mailto:boundaryconcepts@gmail.com> . Based on the abstracts, the editors will pre-select authors that will be invited to submit a full paper. All full papers will be double-blind peer reviewed. For more details, please see the full call for papers: https://www.sowi.uni-stuttgart.de/abteilungen/tu/aktuelles/CfP_Boundaryconc… All the best, Yana Boeva, Louis Ravn, and Sarah R. Davies (guest editors)

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CfA 4S Toronto: Technological Frontiers of Body & Land
by Jillian (Lee) Crandall 23 Apr '26

23 Apr '26

Dear Colleagues: We invite you to submit an abstract to our Open Panel <https://www.xcdsystem.com/4sonline/abstract/abstract.cfm> at the next 4S Annual Meeting in Toronto. *Title: *TECHNOLOGICAL FRONTIERS OF BODY AND LAND *ID* # 38 *Deadline: *April 30, 2026 *Organizers: *J. Lee Crandall, UC Berkeley (Geography); Ajung Ryoo, UC Berkeley (Anthropology) *Session Description* In this open panel, we seek to critically explore the concurrent forms and formations of technological “frontierism” on land and body. We will analyze the evolving role of technopower and technological experimentation on the long duree of frontierism as connected with settler colonialism. The technological frontier has long had implications on land and lives, including ontological questions concerning nature and the human. Re-mobilizing Frederick Jackson Turner’s “frontier thesis” (1920), we posit that the frontier has always been technologically mediated in various forms of conquest and dispossession, enacting a strategic emptying-out of land through the “elimination of the native” (Wolfe, 2006). This process opens up a so-called blank slate on which a privileged group of “technologically advanced” settlers can remake the land and, in so doing, remake and cultivate themselves and future populations. Turner’s thesis remains highly relevant considering the confluence of Silicon Valley and the US federal government’s recent call to “reopen the frontier” to build new high-tech “freedom cities,” claiming to revitalize the American dream. Technological frontier imaginaries extend beyond Westward expansionism and Manifest Destiny, and bring curious political convergences of reactionary conservative and technologically progressive Silicon Valley mindsets toward jurisdiction-shopping and the acquisition of new territories (e.g. charter cities, network states) on which to experiment with new AI/drone/military/bio technologies. These efforts aim to contest and supersede not only the limits of economic and urban growth, but also limits of the body and life, by developing new eugenic and life-extending technologies. This interdisciplinary panel traces the “nexus[es] of power” (Ginsburg & Rapp 1995), “global assemblages” (Ong & Collier 2005) and mediating “surrounds” (Landecker 2016) that configure the concurrent technological frontiers, and questions the new ontological conditions and implications created by them (Haraway 1991). *Extra Details:* While Silicon Valley frontier logics are often centered on the United States, we are interested in submissions that consider technological frontiers of the body and land transnationally, taking into account the geographic specificities of legal, regulatory, political, and spatial constraints and affordances. Relevant paper topics might include, but are not limited to, research on: case studies of new-tech cities and technological frontiers; transhumanism, gene-editing, and technological experimentation on/for longevity; projects on space flight and space infrastructure. We are particularly interested in cultivating an inter/multidisciplinary panel. While much work has been done independently in the fields of geography, urban studies, anthropology, and feminist STS on geographic and bodily frontiers, fewer research has brought these trajectories together with multi/interdisciplinary perspectives. We see this cross-disciplinary conversation through an STS lens as the panel’s primary affordance, which will offer a unique contribution to our respective disciplinary fields. Please reach out to me with any questions, and we look forward to your submission. All Best, Lee -- Jillian (Lee) Crandall (they/them) PhD Student <https://geography.berkeley.edu/jillian-crandall>, Department of Geography University of California, Berkeley *Recent Publication*: Crandall, J. (2025). Plotting cryptoeconomic imaginaries and counterplotting the network state <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peg.2024.100028>. Progress in Economic Geography, 3(1).

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