- Air-L - lists.aoir.org

Call for abstracts: 4S/EASST 2020 - Panel 82 Human-(itarian) technologies
by Martin Perez Comisso 12 Feb '20

12 Feb '20

Please, consider submitting your work if you have relevant work or research in the area. -- An invitation/remainder for 4S/EASST 2020! Prague, Czech Republic. August 18th-21st, 2020 More details: https://www.easst4s2020prague.org/ Deadline: Feb 29th, 2020 Call for abstracts Panel 82. Human-(itarian) technologies: How to “make a better world” for humans with technologies? >From at least the WWII ideas such as technological fixes, humanitarian technologies, and tech4dev, PIT, etc. has been transnationally framed, promoted, and funded, to solve or to assist human communities with their “basic needs” based in technical solutions. In particular, during emergency context, like natural disasters or a massive migration, or in the case of “resourceless” communities (due to physical, economic or political imbalances), humanitarian technologies are a path of action to “make a better world.” At the same time, local responses have been emerging (like appropriated technologies, PLACTED or Civic tech), to contest colonial assumptions and practices around these projects. Shortcomings related to technological adoption, implementation or deploy performed by universities, international agencies, governments, and other privileged people are particularly relevant for those critiques. Imbalance and inequities of power, agency, and control have been largely discussed in study cases by STS and beyond. Nevertheless, there is an opportunity to propose alternatives, ways to engage and understand in those projects when which enact “techno-humanitarian systems” This panel welcomes contributions and experiences from researchers, practitioners and communities making and thinking questions “above and beyond” human-itarian technologies: What it means “make a better world” with using technology? Which values and paradigms share technologies to “make the world better”? Which good practices must replicate, and misconceptions must eradicate? Whose and how humans are benefited by these projects around the world? Note: The format proposed for this open panel will not be based in 10 min presentations. Instead, will encourage conversation, and sharing materials before the event from selected contributors. It is expected to dedicate a larger amount of time in this panel to work-together around common topics, to be discussed via mail after acceptation. -- Organizer: Martin Andrés Perez Comisso, SFIS – Arizona State University Questions about this panel? Please send a mail to maperezc(a)asu.edu -- -- Martín Pérez Comisso / @mapc <https://twitter.com/mapc> Ph.D. Student, Human and Social Dimension of Science and Technolgy <https://isearch.asu.edu/profile/3108937> School for the Future of Innovation in Society 土龍 Oscillating from 1988 http://about.me/mapc +1 (480) 859 2660 (US)

1 0

New book: An Internet for the People: The Politics and Promise of craigslist
by Lingel, Jessa 12 Feb '20

12 Feb '20

Hi AoIR friends, I'm excited to announce that my new book, An Internet for the People is out now from Princeton University Press<https://press.princeton.edu/ideas/jessa-lingel-on-an-internet-for-the-people>. Online since 1996 and with more monthly page visits than the New York Times or ESPN, craigslist has been incredibly successful without giving up on key tenets of Web 1.0 politics (and aesthetics), like anonymity and transparent business models. Using interviews with insiders and users, the book uses craigslist as a lens for thinking about how digital culture has (and hasn't) changed in the last 25 years. The first chapter is available at the Social Media Collective blog<https://socialmediacollective.org/2020/02/04/an-internet-for-the-people-fir…>. Thanks, Jessa Jessa Lingel {she/her/hers | assistant professor} {Annenberg School for Communication} {core faculty | GSWS<https://www.sas.upenn.edu/gsws/>} {University of Pennsylvania} {tumblr<http://jessalingel.tumblr.com> | medium<http://medium.com/@jessa.lingel>}

2 1

Conference: Log Out! 2: Workers Confronting Digital Capitalism - March 13, 2020
by Yujie Julie Chen 12 Feb '20

12 Feb '20

Sorry for cross-listing. I am happy to announce that Log Out! 2: Workers Confronting Digital Capitalism, an international conference, will take place in downtown Toronto. Please RSVP! Friday March 13, 2020 International Conference 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Faculty of Information, University of Toronto (140 George Street) Digital capitalism is a terrain of social conflict. Work is increasingly shaped by the technologies used to reorganize the labour process and devise new forms of value generation. Technologies that allow to decompose or outsource jobs make workers increasingly replaceable. New surveillance techniques are used to control and discipline workers, and despotism is on the rise. But a long cycle of struggles has shown that workers don’t passively obey the rules of the digital workplace. Look no further than drivers in the ride-hailing industry in the streets of the world, domestic workers and freelancers in North America and Asia, food-delivery couriers in Europe and Canada, warehouse workers in urban peripheries across the globe, software engineers from China to California, or game designers and tech workers in cities across North America. The ubiquitous penetration of digital technologies in warehouses, workshops, offices, and app-based workplaces is met with novel workarounds and struggles. New forms of class composition boost solidarity and organizing in the digitally-mediated work environment. Workers log out from and subvert digital labour. Building on the success of the 2018 edition <https://www.mcluhancentre.ca/logout>, Log Out! 2 brings together researchers and workers to discuss how digital capitalism can be confronted and subverted. SPEAKERS Sareeta Amrute [University of Washington and Data & Society] Sreyan Chatterjee [Vidhi Center for Legal Policy, New Delhi] Nicole Cohen [University of Toronto] Niels van Doorn [University of Amsterdam] Silvia Masiero [Loughborough University] Nataliya Nedzhvetskaya [University of California Berkeley] Rida Qadri [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] Greig de Peuter [Wilfrid Laurier University] Winifred Poster [Washington University St. Louis] Jack Qiu [Chinese University of Hong Kong] Tanay Gandhi [Center for Internet and Society, New Delhi] Noopur Raval [University of California Irvine] Michael Siciliano [Queen’s University] Jamie Woodcock [Open University] WORKER ORGANIZATIONS ROUNDTABLE Foodsters United Vice Union Tech Worker Coalition Game Workers Unite! Attendance is free. Please confirm your presence on EVENTBRITE <https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/91162915735> A detailed program will be published shortly. The conference is organized by the McLuhan Centre for Culture and Technology with support from the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology <https://www.utm.utoronto.ca/iccit/institute-communication-culture-informati…> Organizing committee: Julie Chen, Nicole Cohen, Alessandro Delfanti, Greig de Peuter, Julian Posada, Brendan Smith -- - julie _____________________________ Yujie "Julie" Chen, Ph.D. Assistant Professor University of Toronto Institute of Communication, Culture, Information & Technology (ICCIT) (Mississauga) Faculty of Information (St. George) *Latest Publications: * - “Temporal Arbitrage, the Fragmented Rush, and Opportunistic Behaviors: The labor politics of time in the platform economy <https://www.academia.edu/41110279/Temporal_Arbitrage_the_Fragmented_Rush_an…>,” *New Media & Society *(forthcoming, 2020) - "Digital Utility: Datafication, Regulation, Labor, and DiDi’s Platformization of Urban Transport in China <https://www.academia.edu/38968638/Digital_Utility_Datafication_Regulation_L…> ," *Chinese Journal of Communication *(2019)

1 0

Call for Participation for Digitranscope Spring Institute 11-15 May 2020 in Fiesole (Florence, Italy)
by Marina Micheli 12 Feb '20

12 Feb '20

*Call for Participation for** Digitranscope Spring Institute *11-15 May 2020 in Fiesole (Florence, Italy) *extended through February 15th, 2020.* *DigiTranScope <https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/communities/en/community/digitranscope>* (Digital Transformation and the Governance of Human Society 2018-2020) a research project of the JRC (Joint Research Centre), Centre for Advanced Studies <https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/en/research/centre-advanced-studies>, at the European Commission, focusing on the governance of digitally transformed human societies. The project aims to provide a deeper understanding of key aspects of digital transformation to help policy-makers address the challenges facing European society over the next decades. Core Topics of the Spring Institute will be: - *Data Governance:* This is a key battleground to find a European way to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Transformation. We need to find new ways of sharing data between the public sector, commercial sector, and civil society so that the value created out of data analytics and new algorithms is redistributed more equitably across all stakeholders to the benefit of European society. - *New Forms of Policy Design, Policy Learning:* This is a topic exploring how we can develop new forms of more participative policy design, monitoring, feedback/assessment, learning loops that exploit the characteristics of digital transformation including, smart cities, gaming, digital twins, and personalisation. - *Digital Empowerment and Social Inequalities:* How can we develop/design/foster a new path exploiting the benefits of digital transformation so that it is aimed at reducing existing social, economic, and spatial inequalities rather than exacerbating them? What is the role of local data ecosystems and co-operatives, and in general more geographically diversified policy measures, in tapping into the intrinsic characteristics of European regions and cities? If you are interested in participating in the *DigiTranScope Spring Institute*, please send (i) an abstract (up to 500-word) of your research relevant to the topics highlighted above, together with (ii) a short BIO/CV (up to 300-words), and (iii) a motivation letter (up to 300-words) to* massimo.craglia(a)ec.europa.eu <Massimo.Craglia(a)ec.europa.eu>* *Abstract submission deadline: **15 February 2020* *Acceptance/rejection notification: *1 March 2020 *Scientific Committee:* Dr Max Craglia, Dr Marina Micheli, Dr Igor Calzada, Jiri Hradec, Dr Gianluca Misuraca [European Commission DG Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy] Prof Henk Scholten [Free University of Amsterdam, Netherlands] Dr Cristina Capineri [University of Siena, Italy (local organiser)] *Format*: The Spring Institute is about critical thinking and mutual learning in a multi-disciplinary environment. It is “slow food for thought” as inspired by the slow food movement, of which practical tasting will be daily experience. It will encourage informal sharing and constructive feedback, focusing on participants’ research projects, ideas, and critical and interdisciplinary perspectives around the pivotal applied digital social sciences practices and theories. *Venue*: Fattoria di Maiano <http://fattoriadimaiano.com/>, Via Benedetto da Maiano, 11, 50014 Fiesole (Florence), Italy *Nearest airports and railway station:* Florence and Pisa; Florence, respectively. *Language:* English *Number of Participants (max): *30 *Who should attend*: PhD candidates, post-doctoral researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from inter-disciplinary backgrounds coming from the academia, industry, government, and civic society who are interested in exploring the trends and related societal challenges of digital transformations in the governance of future societies. *Fees*: No registration fees. Lunch provided but participants will have to pay for their own accommodation and travel and evening meals. A number of hotels and a camping site are available in Fiesole or surroundings. *More information about Digitranscope project: https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/communities/en/community/digitranscope <https://ec.europa.eu/jrc/communities/en/community/digitranscope> * *For questions, feel free to get in touch with me: marina.micheli(a)ec.europa.eu * Thank you and best wishes, Marina Micheli and Max Craglia -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MARINA MICHELI, PhD Scientific Project Officer European Commission DG Joint Research Centre Centre for Advanced Studies (JRC-CAS) Via Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy Office: 46i 014 Tel: +39.0332.78.6148 Mail:marina.micheli@ec.europa.eu

1 0

CFP Digital Humanities Showecase at New Jersey Institute of Technology
by Andrew Klobucar 12 Feb '20

12 Feb '20

Call for proposals: Digital Humanities at NJIT (DH@NJIT) invites proposals for the annual DH Showcase. The Showcase brings together researchers, scholars, librarians, and technologists in the humanities from around the region to present current projects and research work, while investigating broader ideas in the digital humanities as a growing field of intellectual inquiry. The Showcase is interested in proposals for short papers and digital posters/demonstrations. Potential topics include, but are not limited to: Big Data in digital humanities Digital approaches to textual studies Public digital humanities Creative coding and electronic literature Spatial analysis, mapping Digital art/architectural history Sound Digital accessibility Digital humanities pedagogy Preserving and sustaining digital humanities projects Digital gaming, critical play, game design, and gaming culture Studies on the uses and behaviors of social media sites users Community-based online media practices Digital humanities project design/management Institutional DH partnerships and project-based collaborations We hope the Showcase will stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue and cross traditional professional barriers. We are particularly interested in international and underserved populations’ perspectives on digital humanities and computer science. Interested applicants are invited to submit a title and 200-300 word abstract along with a 2-page CV by March 1, 2020 using the Submission Form (https://forms.gle/e1fPovrf4JHTSo8z8) NJIT Digital Humanities Showcase 2020 welcomes submissions in the following formats: Short paper (7 minutes) Digital poster/project demonstration The event is free and open to the public.

2 1

Deadline March 1 for 2020 Emerald/HETL Education Outstanding Doctoral Research Award
by Dr. Patrick Blessinger 12 Feb '20

12 Feb '20

Dear Colleagues, We are now accepting applications for 2020 Emerald/HETL Education Outstanding Doctoral Research Award: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/research/awards/hetl.htm <https://lnkd.in/d3s6fUX> Regards, -- Patrick Blessinger <http://www.patrickblessinger.com/> The HETL Association <https://www.hetl.org/> University World News <http://www.universityworldnews.com/search.php?query=blessinger&type=all&mod…> Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education <http://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=jar…> Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning <https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/series-detail/Innovations-in-Higher-E…>

1 0

HCI Researcher openings at Google Research India
by Nithya Sambasivan 11 Feb '20

11 Feb '20

We are excited to announce a new *HCI-AI group* at the Google Research India <https://www.blog.google/around-the-globe/google-asia/google-research-india-…> lab, Bangalore. We invite applications for full-time HCI researchers working at the intersection of HCI and AI/ML. Specifically, we are looking for those working in sub-fields of natural language processing, intelligent user interfaces, technology and global development, and data visualization. Being part of the HCI group at Google Research India provides an opportunity to do cutting-edge research on human-AI systems that aims to fundamentally amplify human capacity. Google researchers do fundamental, long-term research that is incorporated into large-scale, real-world systems that affect the lives of millions of people. Examples of HCI research from Google Research are the What-if Tool <https://pair-code.github.io/what-if-tool/>, Teachable Machines <https://teachablemachine.withgoogle.com/> and PAIR Guidebook <https://pair.withgoogle.com/> and examples of AI research are the BERT <https://ai.googleblog.com/2018/11/open-sourcing-bert-state-of-art-pre.html> model, Tensorflow <https://www.tensorflow.org/> and Federated Learning <https://ai.googleblog.com/2017/04/federated-learning-collaborative.html>, incorporated into several products. In addition to HCI, the India lab is also home to groups doing research on artificial intelligence (e.g., deep learning, AI applications for societal issues, natural language understanding, multi-agent systems), systems, computational social sciences, and more. India is home to a large and dynamic technology user base and presents unique opportunities for societal impact. Our India academic relations move forward the discipline of HCI, as well as other disciplines, through collaborations, fellowships and mentorship. Successful candidates for full-time roles will have a PhD. in HCI or related fields, a strong track record of scholarship in top-tier HCI venues, evidence of real-world impact, and an ability to successfully collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams. An understanding of or experience with AI/ML technology is a prerequisite. We also invite conversations on visiting faculty, pre-docs (exceptional Bachelor's or Master's with an intent to pursue PhDs), post-docs, and student projects. Pre-docs and Post-docs are 1- to 2-year gigs. Visiting faculty length varies from a few months to a year. Interested candidates should contact *Nithya Sambasivan at nithyasamba(a)google.com <nithyasamba(a)google.com>* with a CV and bio. We especially welcome members from under-represented communities.

1 0

Assistant Professor-Integrated Security
by Jeremy hunsinger 11 Feb '20

11 Feb '20

The Department of Political Science invites applications for a tenure-track position at the rank of Assistant Professor. This position will have a focus on Integrated Security and will begin August 10, 2020. Teaching requirements for this position will be four courses a year (2:2). This position will support the University's Destination Area Strategic Initiative on Integrated Security. Virginia Tech is seeking faculty specifically interested in engaging with research and curricular initiatives that support innovation and problem solving in areas such as cybersecurity, data analytics, privacy and ethics, network governance, and multiple forms of global (financial, election, human, infrastructure, network, transportation, and social media) security. The Department of Political Science is the anchoring host department for the Integrated Security Destination Area's Pathways minor. http://careers.pageuppeople.com/968/cw/en-us/job/512795/assistant-professor… The Department of Political Science seeks broadly trained applicants, technically proficient in transdisciplinary security studies. For further information on the Integrated Security Destination Area, see https://www.provost.vt.edu/destination_areas/areas_of_focus/da_is.html; for further information on the Integrated Security Minor, see https://www.pathways.prov.vt.edu/minors/is.html. Applicants should be prepared to offer a variety of courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. There will be occasional travel to attend national conferences and meetings. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal background check. The Carnegie Foundation classifies Virginia Tech as a university with “very high research activity,” and the Department of Political Science also has a strong record of excellence in teaching. Members of the Department work closely with faculty in transdisciplinary programs, including the Integrated Security Destination Area, the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT), the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), Women’s and Gender Studies, Africana Studies, and the Department of Science, Technology, and Society. Required Qualifications A Ph.D. in Political Science or a closely related field required by the time of appointment. Candidates must have evidence of an active research agenda and demonstrations of teaching effectiveness to meet the Department’s key teaching needs in its B.A. and M.A. programs. Applicants are required to have training in the politics of evolving contemporary systems for hybrid cyber-warfare, cyber-conflict, cyber-institutions, and cyber-defense capability, which bridge the fields of Russian, Eurasian, and global politics. Preferred Qualifications Preference will be given to those with prior experience with and/or substantive training in network analysis, game theory, data analytics, statistics, conflict modelling, text analysis, and real-time online conflict simulation experiments as well as expertise in great power strategic competition tied to Russian, Eurasian, and Southwest Asian global conflicts. more information at link above -- jeremy hunsinger Collaboratory for Digital Discourse and Culture Virginia Tech www.tmttlt.com () ascii ribbon campaign - against html mail /\ - against microsoft attachments http://www.stswiki.org/ sts wiki http://transdisciplinarystudies.tmttlt.com/ Transdisciplinary Studies:the book series I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it. -Pablo Picasso

1 0

Deadline extension announcement - GIG-ARTS 2020 Conference
by Mauro SANTANIELLO 11 Feb '20

11 Feb '20

Dear colleagues, This is to announce that the deadline for abstracts submission to the 4th GIG-ARTS Conference has been extended until next Sunday 16 February. ======== *GIG-ARTS 2020 - The Fourth European Multidisciplinary Conference on Global Internet Governance Actors, Regulations, Transactions and Strategies7-8 May 2020, Vienna* *Online Information Governance – More Expression, Less Freedom?* *Organised by:* - Media Governance and Industries Research Lab & Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence FreuDE / Universität Wien - LIP6 Computer Science Research Lab / Sorbonne Université & Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique *Call for Abstracts - Extended Deadline: 16 February 2020 * It is now 30 years since the invention of the World Wide Web, and over fifteen years since the development of the interactive Web or also known as Web2.0. Online information and communication have never seemed easier and more accessible to everyone, thanks to the mediation of social networks, search engines, and other kinds of platforms and technologies. With such capabilities “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”, freedom of speech and freedom of the press should have grown to such an extent that some of the utopian visions of full participatory democracy would have appeared to be within our reach. At the very least, some of the long-standing informational imbalances concerning information flow globally, diversity of content and authors, and the accessibility of accurate information would have been taken as a given framework against which societies would have been called to solve problems and to look after citizens’ well-being. Paradoxically, the levels of freedom and freedom of expression, as captured in global measuring instruments by a variety of institutions and organisations, do not show the expected or desired advancement. Rather there is evidence that freedom in societies and freedom of the press deteriorate. Ambitious goals of freedom to express one’s own identity and opinion at the global public sphere on an equal basis and free from fear of retaliation or misuse evaporate for many, such as those subjected to hate speech, those persecuted by autocratic authorities and the great majority of citizens whose personal data become de facto ownership of private companies. Misinformation, spread not only by politically extreme groups but also by “normal”, mainstream parties in the (desperate or calculated) attempt to influence voters, can undermine the quality and freedom of global debate. Information conflict thus becomes even more an object of state rivalry and diplomacy, but also the tool for the erosion of citizenship as the utmost form of participation in the commons. These phenomena are coupled with the fact that even values once considered unquestionable, such as the value of independent journalism, the value of human rights such as privacy and dignity, are being challenged. The technological capabilities allowed the world over to express and share information and opinions, to connect and form alliances. However, they have also enabled the spread of misinformation, have been undermining the human right to privacy on digital communication channels, subjected vulnerable groups to more vulnerability, and provided for economic models putting at stake the fundamental pillars of democracy. Within this context, policies governing the fate of users’ data, citizens’ freedoms and the integrity of content have fallen short of helping pave the path to the desired communication environment. Regulatory responses capturing communication and information have oscillated between forms of a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction to resist any attempt to provide for the normative standards of content and a tendency to securitise communication as a matter of national security. Importantly, critics argue that even where governance has allowed for more democratic processes in raising concerns and suggesting solutions, the gaps in connecting the dots are glaring. If governance refers to the role of ideas and principles, the role of actors and the processes of negotiation and solution, it is urgent to return, on the one hand, to the basic and fundamental rights questions and take stock of the achievements of hitherto frameworks. On the other hand, it seems crucial to interrogate what futures exactly are current policy frameworks shaping, especially in relation to a politics of care for young citizens and hence the future generations? After having addressed global internet governance as a diplomacy issue at its first edition held in Paris in 2017, how to overcome inequalities in internet governance at the second edition held in Cardiff in 2018, and the role of Europe in the global governance of the internet at its third edition held in Salerno in 2019, this year’s GIG-ARTS conference turns its attention to the governance of online information, to address the relation of citizens to the quality of content online as an often neglected area of regulation and governance of the internet. In that respect, the conference continues the conversation on internet governance turning its attention from institutions and structural factors to the role of content and misinformation as an object of governance, and to internet users as forces of change. GIG-ARTS is inviting you to this conversation to help shape the debate of what kinds of futures might be desirable and envisioned in the process of internet governance, who and which actors might be most suitable to help shape such governance goals and under which conditions might these be achieved. Hence, in addition to general internet governance issues and topics, submissions are particularly welcome on the following possible areas of investigation: - The governance of fundamental freedoms online between global platforms, conflicts of jurisdictions and extraterritorial legislation - The role of European and global institutions in shaping the conditions of free expression online - Responsibility and liability of platforms and other intermediaries in content regulation - Restrictive regulation and the securitization of content - Privacy, misinformation, democracy: challenges to internet governance - Structural role of individual targeting, behavioural advertising and other economic models of online platforms on the reshaping of fundamental freedoms and democracy - From nudging to manipulation: consequences on autonomy and human dignity - Successive copyright reforms and their impact on freedom of expression, freedom of the press and democracy - Changes in and challenges to journalism practice through intentional misinformation - Governance from below: how practices and principles by civil society aim to shape the conditions of technology for the advancement of democracies and human well-being - Youth and access to information; news and misinformation in the online world; the purpose of thinking towards the future *Submission Information and Publication Opportunities*Authors are invited to submit their extended abstracts (no longer than 500 words), describing their research question(s), theoretical framework, approach and methodology, expected findings or empirical outcome. Submitted abstracts will be evaluated through a peer-review process. Abstracts and authors’ information should be submitted through the Easychair conference management system at: *https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=gigarts2020 <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=gigarts2020>*Authors of selected submissions will have the opportunity to submit their full manuscript for publication. *Key dates* Extended deadline for abstract submissions: 16 February 2020 Notification to authors: 19 March 2020 Programme publication: 9 April 2020 Conference dates: 7 & 8 May 2020 *GIG-ARTS 2020 Co-Chairs*- Meryem Marzouki (LIP6, CNRS & Sorbonne Université, France) - Katharine Sarikakis (Media Governance and Industries Research Lab & Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence FreuDE, University of Vienna, Austria) *GIG-ARTS 2020 Scientific Programme Committee*- Francesco Amoretti (University of Salerno, Italy) - Wolfgang Benedek (University of Graz, Austria) - Eric Brousseau (Université Paris Dauphine, France) - Andrea Calderaro (Cardiff University, United Kingdom) - Jean-Marie Chenou (Universidad de los Andes, Colombia) - Loreto Corredoira y Alfonso (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain) - Wolfgang Hofkirchner (The Institute for a Global Sustainable Information Society, Austria) - Matthias C. Kettemann (Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut, Germany) - Joanna Kulesza (University of Lodz, Poland) - Nanette S. Levinson (American University Washington DC, USA) - Ursula Maier-Rabler (University of Salzburg, Austria) - Robin E. Mansell (London School of Economics, United Kingdom) - Meryem Marzouki (CNRS and Sorbonne Université, France) - Trisha Meyer (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium) - Michèle Rioux (Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada) - Mauro Santaniello (University of Salerno, Italy) - Katharine Sarikakis (University of Vienna, Austria) - Yves Schemeil (Sciences Po Grenoble, France) - Ingrid Schneider, University of Hamburg, Germany - Jan Aart Scholte (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) *Venue*The conference will be held at the Concordia Press Club, in the heart of Vienna (https://concordia.at/) *Conference Registration and Fees* Registration fees are 100€ for regular participants and 50€ for students showing proof of status. The conference fees include a participant kit as well as coffee breaks and meals. *GIG-ARTS 2020 Communication Details* - Website: events.gig-arts.eu - Email for information: events(a)gig-arts.eu - Submissions: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=gigarts2020 - Twitter: @GigArtsEU - Hashtag: #GIGARTS20 - Mailing list for updates: http://tinyurl.com/yc7rvxm4 Mauro Santaniello (PhD) *Internet & Communication Policy Centre * *Department of Political and Social Studies * *Università degli Studi di Salerno * *Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132 84084 Fisciano (SA) - Italy * *E. msantaniello(a)unisa.it <msantaniello(a)unisa.it> * *Skype: internetpolicy * *T. twitter.com/webvoodoo <http://twitter.com/webvoodoo>*

1 0

Special Issue CFP: "Marxist Transhumanism or Transhumanist Marxism?"
by Atle Mikkola Kjøsen 11 Feb '20

11 Feb '20

Special Issue CFP: "Marxist Transhumanism or Transhumanist Marxism?" To be published in New Proposals: Journal of Marxism and Interdisciplinary Inquiry Guest editors: James Steinhoff and Atle Mikkola Kjøsen In this special issue call, New Proposals asks authors to explore how Marxism and Transhumanism might be brought into conjunction. Could there be a transhumanist Marxism or a Marxist transhumanism? Transhumanism is defined by its proponents as an "intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally improving the human condition through applied reason, especially by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities" (Humanity+ n.d.). While this description says nothing about politics, transhumanism has been deeply pro-capital due to its popularization in the 1990s via techno-libertarian "extropianism" (More 1990). Because of this, the promethean project of improving the human condition by technological means tends to be joined with, and confused for, capital accumulation. Some of the most radical transhumanist thinkers have tended to assume to continued functioning of capital amid cataclysmic socio-technological change. For example, although transhumanist luminary Ray Kurzweil argues that the coming technological singularity (the moment when machines exceed human capacities in all respects) will irreversibly transform every aspect of human life, and even "death itself," he still expects there to be a need for "business models" (2005, 7). Today, transhumanism is tacitly represented in the operations of venture capitalists and the giant tech capitals. DeepMind, acquired by Google in 2014, seeks to "solve intelligence" by creating AI with generalized learning abilities and Elon Musk's Neuralink aims to provide a seamless machine connection to the human brain. However, transhumanism is not inherently incompatible with Marxist thought and communism. While transhumanism today appears to be a capitalist project, its historical lineage can be traced back to early twentieth century socialist thinkers such as Alexander Bogdanov, J. B. S Haldane, and J. D. Bernal (Bostrom 2005; Stambler 2010; Hughes 2012). Marx himself has many, what we might call "high modernist" moments in which he argues for overcoming human and natural limits, and advocates the socialized use of technology to achieve freedom from necessity for all humans. This high modernist Marx can be read as expressing a transhumanist impulse toward technologically augmenting the human condition (Steinhoff 2014). With a few exceptions (Armesilla Conde 2018), Marxists have shown little interest in transhumanism, other than as an object of critique (Rechtenwald 2013; Noonan 2016). One exception to this are the left accelerationists/postcapitalism theorists, who draw on transhumanist motifs, such as cyborg augmentation, terraforming and full automation (Srnicek and Williams 2015; Mason 2016; Bastani 2019). Left accelerationism has, however, picked up transhumanist motifs while dropping the capital/labour antagonism central to Marxist thought, glossing over much of the difficult question of how exactly capital is supposed to come to an end. We suggest that left accelerationism forgets its Marxist roots as it is blinded by transhumanist futures. We argue that the issues central to transhumanism should not be the purview solely of representatives of capital like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, nor of the left accelerationists. Instead, Marxist thought should seriously engage with transhumanism in order to "decouple it from its blindly capitalist trajectory, reflect on Marx's own high modernist tendencies, and delineate a social project to embrace or escape" (Dyer-Witheford, Kjosen & Steinhoff, 2019, 161). Therefore we ask how a Marxist transhumanism or a transhumanist Marxism might be possible. For this special issue of New Proposals: Journal of Marxism and Interdisciplinary Inquiry we are interested in contributions that engage transhumanism and Marxism with one another. We are not interested in Marxist dismissals of transhumanism. That is not to say that we do not welcome Marxist critiques of transhumanism. We are, however, seeking critiques which take at least some elements of the theory and/or practice of transhumanism seriously from within a Marxist framework. Possible topics include: - syntheses of transhumanism and Marxism - transhumanism and value theory (e.g. engagement with core concepts like social form, labour-power, the working day, surplus-value etc.) - critically engaging with and/or embracing the high modernist moments in Marx's thought - staking out a communist approach to transhumanism and/or the singularity (e.g. a communist version of Kurzweil's intelligence explosion) - engaging with the transhumanist kernel in left-accelerationist thought from a Marxist perspective - engaging with transhumanist projects or technologies from a Marxist perspective (e.g. radical life extension, terraforming, morphological freedom, space exploration, genetic modification, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, intelligence augmentation, brain emulation) - connecting transhumanism to the history of Marxist thought and socialist societies (e.g. Soviet space endeavours, central planning) Please send abstracts of no more than 500 words in length, plus a short biography, to Dr. James Steinhoff (jsteinh(a)uw.edu) and Dr. Atle Mikkola Kjøsen (atlemk(a)gmail.com) by February 29th, 2020. Please put "New Proposals special issue" in the subject line. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by March 31st, 2020. Full-length papers are 5,000 - 10,000 words. Timeline: 29 February - deadline for submitting abstract and biography. 31 March - notifications of acceptance 1 August - deadline for submission of full-length (5,000 to 10,000 words) paper for peer review 15 November - submission of final revised paper Early 2021 - papers published. Please note that acceptance of an abstract does not guarantee publication. All submissions will be peer reviewed once papers are submitted. References Armesilla Conde, Santiago Javier. 2018. Is a Marxist Transhumanism possible? Eikasía – Revista de Filosofía 82, 47-86. Bastani, Aaron. 2019. Fully automated luxury communism. Verso Books. Bostrom, Nick. 2005. "A history of transhumanist thought". Journal of Evolution & Technology 14:1. Dyer-Witheford, Nick, Kjosen, Atle Mikkola and Steinhoff, James. 2019. Inhuman Power: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Capitalism. London: Pluto Press. Hughes, James J. 2012. "The Politics of Transhumanism and the Techno‐Millennial Imagination, 1626–2030". Zygon 47:4, 757-776. Humanity+. n.d.. "What is transhumanism?" https://whatistranshumanism.org/ Kurzweil, Ray. 2005. The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. Penguin. Mason, Paul. 2016. Postcapitalism: A guide to our future. Macmillan. More, Max. 1990. "Transhumanism: Towards a futurist philosophy." Extropy 6:6, 11. Noonan, Jeff. 2016. "The Debate on Immortality: Posthumanist Science vs. Critical Philosophy". The European Legacy 21:1, 38-51. Rechtanwald, Michael. 2013. "The Singularity and Socialism." Insurgent Notes. http://insurgentnotes.com/2013/10/the-singularity-and-socialism/ Srnicek, Nick, and Alex Williams. 2015. Inventing the future: Postcapitalism and a world without work. Verso Books. Stambler, Ilia. 2010. "Life extension – a conservative enterprise? Some fin-de-siècle and early twentieth-century precursors of transhumanism. '' Journal of Evolution & Technology 21:1, 13-26. Steinhoff, James. 2014. "Transhumanism and Marxism: Philosophical Connections". Journal of Evolution & Technology 24:2, 1-16. New Proposals : Journal of Marxism and Interdisciplinary Inquiry represents an attempt to explore issues, ideas, and problems that lie at the intersection between the academic disciplines of social science and the body of thought and political practice that has constituted Marxism over the last 150 years. New Proposals is a journal of Marxism and interdisciplinary Inquiry that is dedicated to the radical transformation of the contemporary world order. We see our role as providing a platform for research, commentary, and debate of the highest scholarly quality that contributes to the struggle to create a more just and humane world, in which the systematic and continuous exploitation, oppression, and fratricidal struggles that characterize the contemporary sociopolitical order no longer exist. New Proposals is a fully open access journal. We do not charge publication or user fees as a condition of publication. However, if your institution provides funding to support open access publications we ask authors of accepted papers to apply for open access funding support from their institution. For authors at open access funded institutions the production fee is $350 for articles. There are no production fees for student feature articles, or for book reviews, commentaries or reflections of 5,000 words or less. If you have any questions please contact us. We fundamentally support the principles of full open access in academic publishing. It does cost money to do this, even as we rely upon a lot of good will, volunteer labour, and self-exploitation to get the publication out the door. Any support or assistance is always appreciated! Special issue editors Dr. James Steinhoff is a UW Data Science Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Washington. He researches the artificial intelligence industry, data science labour, Marxist theory and automation. He is author of the forthcoming book Automation and Autonomy: Labour, Capital and Machines in the Artificial Intelligence Industry (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021) and co-author of Inhuman Power: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Capitalism (Pluto Press 2019). . Dr. Atle Mikkola Kjøsen is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Information and Media Studies at the University of Western Ontario. He researches Marxist value theory, media theory, logistics, artificial intelligence, androids, and post-singularity capitalism. With Nick Dyer-Witheford and James Steinhoff, he is co-author of Inhuman Power: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Capitalism (Pluto Press 2019). -- Dr. Atle Mikkola Kjøsen Assistant Professor Faculty of Information and Media Studies University of Western Ontario New book out: Inhuman Power <https://www.plutobooks.com/9780745338606/inhuman-power/>.

1 0