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New CDT research report - Opening the Book: A Rubric to Support Effective Transparency for EdTech Products that Incorporate AI
by Dhanaraj Thakur 04 Nov '25

04 Nov '25

Hi everyone, Today we published the latest research report from theCenter for Democracy & Technology: Opening the Book: A Rubric to Support Effective Transparency for EdTech Products that Incorporate AI <https://cdt.org/insights/opening-the-book-a-rubric-to-support-effective-tra…>. Led by my amazing colleaguesHannah Quay-de la Vallee,Morgan Badurak, andElizabeth Laird, we started with a concern about the current state of transparency in edtech products in the K–12 context that incorporate AI. We developed a rubric of eight key elements of AI transparency, and then used that to assess over 100 edtech companies. We found that: - On average, edtech companies offer very little transparency about their products incorporate AI. - When they attempt to be transparent, the information is often focused on select categories, such as Use and Context Limitations and Information Accessibility. - When we grouped companies based on their performance across categories in our rubric, we found that some companies were trying to make information available and understandable, but were not doing so in a comprehensive way. If this is the case, we argue that these and other edtech companies could benefit from using our rubric to improve their transparency and help school administrators make more informed decisions about which edtech products to use. As always, we welcome feedback and feel free to share. take care, Dhanaraj -- *Dhanaraj Thakur* (he/him) | Research Director Center for Democracy & Technology |*cdt.org <https://cdt.org/>* **dthakur(a)cdt.org | **+1 202 407 8849

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New issue of CyberOrient is published
by Vit Sisler 04 Nov '25

04 Nov '25

Dear colleagues, A new issue of CyberOrient: Journal of the Virtual Middle East and Islamic World has been published. CyberOrient, Vol. 19, Iss. 1, 2025: https://cyberorient.net/ CyberOrient is a semi-annual interdisciplinary journal published by the American Anthropological Association, the Faculty of Arts of Charles University, and Lund University. CyberOrient presents original, peer-reviewed articles, comments and books reviews on the online representation of any aspect of Middle Eastern cultures, Islam, the imagined “Orient” and the use and impact of the internet and new media in the Middle East and Islamic countries. All articles are freely available at https://cyberorient.net/. The journal is also archived and indexed by AnthroSource: https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/18043194. Vít Šisler Editor-in-Chief CyberOrient

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Manchester book launch: Influencer Creep by Dr Sophie Bishop feat. Scottee - November 13th @ 2-4pm GMT
by Daniel Joseph 04 Nov '25

04 Nov '25

Dear air-list-serv friends and colleagues, Join the Digital Society Research Group (DISC), the School of Sociology and Criminology and the School of History, Politics and Philosophy to celebrate the launch Dr Sophie Bishop’s book ‘Influencer Creep: How Optimization, Authenticity and Self-Branding Transform Creative Culture’ (University of California Press here at Manchester Metropolitan University next week on November 13th, 2-4pm. To make this event extra special Manchester-based artist and content creator Scottee will be joining Sophie to discuss his own practice and relationship to the techniques that define influencer culture and artistic production. Please sign up to our event here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launch-influencer-creep-by-sophie-bisho… We will also be live-streaming our event online if you cannot make it in person. Sign up and look out for a link on the day. Daniel James Joseph (he/him) Senior Lecturer of Digital Sociology Co-lead of Digital Society Research Group (DISC) Department Ethics Lead Department of Sociology Manchester Metropolitan University "Before acting on this email or opening any attachments you should read the Manchester Metropolitan University email disclaimer available on its website http://www.mmu.ac.uk/emaildisclaimer "

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Jobs at Illinois : 2 Tenure track positions in UX/UI Design (Asst/Assoc Professors)
by Sharath 03 Nov '25

03 Nov '25

Dear list Please see below a unique opportunity at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign (Deadline December 8t, 2025). Link and Expanded Description below: https://illinois.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/15333?c=illi… The School of Art & Design, housed within the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, invites applications for two full-time tenure-track faculty positions in User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) Design at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, with an anticipated start date of August 16, 2026. Application Link : https://illinois.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/15333?c=illi… These positions will play a central role in the development and instruction of the BS in Computer Science + Design degree, a collaborative program that bridges design and technology. Faculty will contribute to three programs including Graphic Design, Industrial Design and Studio Art to foster interdisciplinary teaching and research. We seek a candidate with a terminal degree (MFA, PhD, or equivalent) in a field engaging art, design, and computation. The ideal candidate will be both a practicing artist/critical designer—with a strong record of public engagement through exhibitions, installations, and/or performances—and a researcher whose writing and publishing investigate the social, cultural, and aesthetic dimensions of computation. Candidates should demonstrate expertise in computational media and contribute through creative interventions in areas such as but not limited to: • Artificial Intelligence as medium and cultural system • Platform culture, computational logics, and interface aesthetics • Digital rights, privacy, and ethics of computation • Race, gender, and technology • Algorithmic bias, equity, and social justice • Design for Accessibility • Bio-art, Art–science, Data Visualization, and emerging crossover disciplines, including Behavioral Sciences • Code as art We are looking for an artist-designer-researcher whose creative practice and critical inquiry together advance new ways of engaging with computation, interface, and interaction in their wider cultural, social, and political dimensions. Context: The School of Art & Design The School of Art and Design supports interdisciplinary and socially engaged creative practices and offers a range of programs, including undergraduate and/or graduate degrees and concentrations in Art Education, Art History, Fashion, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Design for Responsible Innovation, New Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Studio Art. Our School emphasizes both technical excellence and conceptual rigor, encouraging students to challenge themselves and use their creative skills in building a better, more just and sustainable world. In all areas, student and faculty work is supported by state-of-the-art labs for traditional and contemporary media, including spaces for digital imaging and printing, audio-visual production, rapid two- and three-dimensional prototyping, and darkroom photography. Facilities for bookbinding, letterpress, printmaking, and fashion design are also available. Teaching Responsibilities: The teaching load includes two courses per semester. The successful candidate will teach courses that position computation as an artistic and critical design medium, ranging from introductory coding for creative practice to advanced, research-driven practice and method-based seminars. Areas of teaching could include (but are not limited to): computational art, critical interface design, interactive art, data art, information art, net art, and related emerging practices. The candidate will contribute to both undergraduate and graduate curricula, mentor students across disciplines, and help shape the evolving identity of computational art and critical design within the School of Art and Design. Minimum Qualifications • Terminal degree (MFA, PhD, or equivalent) in a relevant discipline. • Evidence of an active creative practice with a strong record of public engagement through exhibition, installation, and/or performance. • Evidence of critical research through writing, publishing, or equivalent scholarly contributions that engage computational media, design, and the arts. • Demonstrated potential for excellence in teaching, mentoring, and curriculum development at both undergraduate and graduate levels. • Commitment to fostering an inclusive academic environment and contributing to the diversity of the School and University. Preferred Qualifications: • PhD in relevant discipline. • Familiarity with and a critical perspective on historical approaches to experience design. • Practice, teaching, and/or research that connect to one or more of the following areas of design: Gender and Design, Equity and Design, Indigenous Design Knowledges, and Design Futures. • Familiarity with liberatory pedagogical approaches. • A critical perspective on social biases embedded in technological systems. • Experience teaching in a program that integrates Design, Technology, and Science. Application Materials: • A cover letter addressing qualifications and research/creative practice. • Curriculum vitae. • Portfolio of scholarly and creative work. • Research Statement. • A teaching portfolio, including a teaching statement, one or two sample syllabi, and (if possible) student work. • Names and contact information for three references. Appointment Information This is a 100% full-time Assistant/Associate Professor position, appointed on a nine-month basis. The expected start date is August 2026. The budgeted salary range for the position is $75,000 to $80,000 at the Assistant Professor level and $88,000 to $95,000 at the Associate Professor level, for a nine-month service basis. Final salary offered will be determined by a thorough assessment of available market data, internal salary equity, candidate experience and qualifications, collective bargaining agreements, and budget constraints. Application Procedures & Deadline Information To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 6:00 pm (CST) on December 8, 2025. Interviews may begin prior to the initial closing date; however, the review of applications will continue until suitable candidates are identified. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact Bobbie Clegg at bjclegg(a)illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137. -- *SHARATH CHANDRA RAMAKRISHNAN* *Perceptual Futures Laboratory * *Assistant Professor, School of Art & Design* *Affiliate Assistant Professor, School of Information Sciences* University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scram(a)illinois.edu <http://illinois.edu/>

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RECORDING – St. Vincent and the Grenadines 7th Internet Governance Forum “The Role of AI in Cybersecurity”
by Joly MacFie 03 Nov '25

03 Nov '25

[image: ISOC LIVE] <https://isoc.live/> *YOUTUBE <https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQqm7508XLxnUPdl05rAghQz7BVIe5icV>* | *PATREON <https://www.patreon.com/posts/142733948/>* | *ARCHIVE <https://archive.org/details/svgigf2025>* | *PERMALINK <https://isoc.live/19825>* On *October 30, 2025,* the *Internet Society St. Vincent and the Grenadines Chapter <https://www.isoc.vc/> *hosted its *7th Internet Governance Forum* (IGF) <https://www.isoc.vc/category/events/> in Old Montrose, SVG, under the theme “*The Role of AI in Cybersecurity”*. The Forum brought together government, industry, academia, and civil society to examine how AI is reshaping cybersecurity, highlighting benefits for threat detection, risks from deepfakes and automated attacks, and the need for public education, governance frameworks, and regional cooperation. *01 Welcome & Opening Remarks* *Decima Corea* – ISOC SVG *Marcellus Constance* – Coordinator, SVG IGF *Simone Joseph-Ollivierre* – President, ISOC SVG YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/mMKUqNJVHik> | TRANSCRIPT <https://archive.org/download/svgigf2025/01_Welcome_%26_Opening_Remarks.EN.T…> *02 Feature Address – Rodney Taylor* *Rodney Taylor* – Secretary General, Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/JPlG2okgQO4> | TRANSCRIPT <https://archive.org/download/svgigf2025/02_Feature_Address_-_Rodney_Taylor.…> *03 The Role of AI in Cybersecurity* *Petrus Gumbs* – Director, NCTI *Caswallon Duncan* – Assistant Director, Network Systems and Services Unit, ITSD *Amit Uttamchandani* – Technology Consultant Moderator: *Simone Joseph-Ollivierre* – President, ISOC SVG YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/w6S6n3WKB0A> | TRANSCRIPT <https://archive.org/download/svgigf2025/03_The_Role_of_AI_in_Cybersecurity.…> *04 Practical Uses of AI tools* *Petrus Gumbs* – Director, NCTI YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/dNoqHHIp36E> | TRANSCRIPT <https://archive.org/download/svgigf2025/04_Practical_Uses_of_AI_tools.EN.TR…> *05 Building a Secure AI Future* *Marcellus Constance* – SVG IGF Coordinator *Simone Joseph-Ollivierre* – President, ISOC SVG *Winston George* – Coordinator, Caribbean Digital Transformation Project (CARDTP) *Caswallon Duncan* – Assistant Director, Network Systems and Services Unit, ITSD YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/nrhkprT1p-E> | TRANSCRIPT <https://archive.org/download/svgigf2025/05_Building_a_Secure_AI_Future.EN.T…> *06 Vote of Thanks and Closing* *Roxanne John* – Vice President, ISOC SVG YOUTUBE <https://youtu.be/yhOUpvvpLjE> | TRANSCRIPT <https://archive.org/download/svgigf2025/06_Vote_of_Thanks_and_Closing.EN.TR…> -- -------------------------------------- Joly MacFie +12185659365 -------------------------------------- -

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Job Call - Department Chair - Humanities - Michigan Technological University
by Jason Archer 03 Nov '25

03 Nov '25

The Department of Humanities <https://www.mtu.edu/humanities/> at Michigan Technological University <https://www.employment.mtu.edu/en-us/job/494059/mtu.edu> seeks an experienced scholar and leader with a commitment to interdisciplinarity to serve as department chair at the rank of full professor or associate professor nearing promotion to full in line with Michigan Tech. The Chair will lead our collaborative, multidisciplinary department in implementing a shared vision for excellence in scholarship, creative work, and teaching. The Chair will be responsible for developing and supporting new departmental initiatives as well as ongoing efforts to foster innovative interdisciplinary research and advance graduate and undergraduate program success. The Chair will also facilitate the involvement of Humanities in the new Michigan Tech Forward 2.0 and 100 PhD’s initiatives currently underway. Our department offers undergraduate degrees in Communication, Culture and Media; English; and Scientific and Technical Communication, as well as graduate degrees in Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture. (For a complete list of our major and minor degree programs, please go to: https://www.mtu.edu/humanities/.) Our faculty specialize in communication, composition, creative writing, gender studies, literature, media studies, modern languages, philosophy, rhetoric, visual studies, technical communication, technology studies, and user experience, which are all integral to our university and broader community. The department houses the MTU First Year Writing Program, which prepares students for reading, writing, and information literacy at the university level and beyond. The department also stewards the Walker Labs for Arts & Humanities, WLAH, a unique media-production, computing, game studies, and language-resource center, a vital resource for students across campus. The Chair is supported by an Associate Chair, two administrative staff, a Director of Graduate Studies, Director of Composition, and Directors of the Undergraduate Degree Programs. The position will remain open until filled; review of applications will begin December 1, 2025. Please submit application materials to: http://www.employment.mtu.edu/cw/en-us/job/494059. -- Jason E. Archer Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Technologies Department of Humanities <https://www.mtu.edu/humanities/> Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Culture and Technology <https://www.mtu.edu/circt/> <https://www.mtu.edu/circt/> Michigan Technological University Website: jasonearcher.com

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Re: [Air-L] submission deadline approaching: Social Media Access Days in Frankfurt, Germany
by Nagy, V. (Veronika) 03 Nov '25

03 Nov '25

________________________________________ From: Air-L <air-l-bounces(a)listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Weller, Katrin via Air-L <air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org> Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2025 8:29:56 PM To: air-l(a)listserv.aoir.org Subject: [Air-L] submission deadline approaching: Social Media Access Days in Frankfurt, Germany CAUTION: This email originated from outside of Utrecht University. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Social Media Access Days Social media data between research and infrastructure - sustainable archiving, cataloguing and access 17.3.-19.3.2026 Submission deadline: 31.10.2025 German National Library (Frankfurt am Main) Webseite: https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dnb.d…<https://www.dnb.de/EN/smad> --------------------------------------------------------------------- Social Media Access Days Social media data between research and infrastructure - sustainable archiving, cataloguing and access KEY NOTE: We are delighted to announce our keynote speaker: Prof Axel Bruns (Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane). https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.qut.e…<https://www.qut.edu.au/about/our-people/academic-profiles/a.bruns> CONFERENCE TOPICS Online platforms, especially social media platforms, are both research objects and sources of data for a variety of research approaches in the humanities and social sciences, computer science, and the natural and life sciences. The historical evolution of social media makes them a part of our digital cultural heritage. However, the processes used by institutions to archive and document social media data are still only rudimentary, not least because of their economic, social and aesthetic characteristics and the unique attributes of media technology. Researchers, research institutions and cultural heritage institutions therefore face a wide range of problems in terms of their archiving, indexing and use. Researchers who wish to work with social media data also encounter numerous new challenges, especially when fundamental changes such as the elimination of application programming interfaces (APIs) impact access to specific data from online platforms. The archiving, indexing and use of dynamic data from social media are therefore fraught with problems which researchers, research institutions, libraries and archives have to tackle in a consistent manner. Ideally, solutions to these problems should be developed cooperatively, since this requires extensive effort which would be beyond the scope of a single data community or discipline. The aim of the conference is therefore to enable libraries, archives, infrastructural facilities, research institutions and researchers to network and exchange experiences with archiving and the sustainable use of data and digital objects from social media. We explicitly welcome case studies and presentations on solutions and their practical implementation as well as reports on research findings. We are particularly interested in contributions on the following key topics: · Sustainable infrastructure for collecting and providing access to social media content · Interaction between researchers and archiving institutions · Ethical issues and best practices · Legal issues and solutions · Challenges posed by restrictive data access from social media platforms · Experiences with data access in the context of the Digital Services Act · Status and preservation of social media from an archival and cultural-historical perspective, e.g. posts, interactions, platform elements · Consolidation of collections, corpora, holdings · Metadata, data documentation and cataloguing social media data · Use of AI & LLMs for data documentation and indexing purposes · Initiatives focusing on archiving and access · Concepts for the provision and use of derivatives (aggregated or derivative formats) from social media · Experiences with the reusability of available data DATE & LANGUAGE: The conference will take place from 17 to 19 March 2026 at the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main. The main conference language is German. However, contributions can also be submitted in English. We aim to schedule all English-language presentations together in one day, if possible. SUBMISSIONS: We look forward to receiving your submissions for presentations and your proposals for tutorials, workshops or interactive formats. PRESENTATIONS/POSTERS: Please submit your proposals in the form of abstracts containing a maximum of 500 words (plus bibliographies and max. 1 illustration). Contributions can be based on research findings or personal experience and may be presented in German or English. The programme committee will decide which contributions to accept as oral presentations and which as posters. Proposals for TUTORIALS, WORKSHOPS, themed sessions and other interactive formats should not exceed two pages and should contain the following information: proposed format and realisation, language, target group (potential number of participants), motivation and goals. In addition, please tell us whether you require special technical equipment or facilities. We will then determine how these can be provided on site. Please send your submissions as a PDF document to: twarchiv(a)dnb.de<mailto:twarchiv@dnb.de> TIMELINE: Deadline for submitting abstracts: 31 October 2025 Response by 30 November 2025 Conference: 17.-19.03.2026 PARTICIPATION: The conference will take place in person at the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main. There are currently no plans to stream the event online. The participation fee is approx. 50 euros. Speakers who do not have their own travel funds may apply for up to 300 euros to cover travel and accommodation expenses (per presentation for max. one person). ORGANISATION: German National Library Frankfurt am Main Dr. Britta Woldering twarchiv(a)dnb.de<mailto:twarchiv@dnb.de> PROGRAM COMMITTEE Stefan Dietze (GESIS and HHU Düsseldorf) Dimitar Dimitrov (GESIS) Philippe Genêt (German National Library) Tatjana Scheffler (Ruhr University Bochum) Claus-Michael Schlesinger (UB der HU Berlin) Katrin Weller (GESIS and HHU Düsseldorf) Britta Woldering (German National Library) COOPERATION PARTNERS: BERD@NFDI German National Library GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences NFDI4DataScience Text+ ---- Prof. Dr. Katrin Weller (she/her) Scientific Director "Data Services for the Social Sciences" GESIS Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences Unter Sachsenhausen 6-8 D-50667 Cologne https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gesis…<https://www.gesis.org/en/institute/staff/person/katrin.weller> _______________________________________________ The Air-L(a)listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Faoir.org%2…<http://aoir.org/> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flistserv.a…<http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org> Join the Association of Internet Researchers: https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aoir.o…<http://www.aoir.org/>

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Online Seminar Series of the Data Methods Initiative
by Marcel Garz 03 Nov '25

03 Nov '25

The Data Methods Initiative (https://datamethodsinitiative.org/) is a collaborative academic group committed to promoting the use of computational methods (e.g., deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision) in political science, communications, internet research, and other disciplines. Next talk: "Linking individual, meso, and macro data: A relational comparative approach to survey-based research" by Qinfeng Zhu (University of Groningen) on November 5, 1:15 - 2:45 pm CET, on Zoom: https://ju-se.zoom.us/j/67448948642 In this research seminar, Qinfeng will present a relational comparative framework that infers structural patterns inductively by analyzing individual-level survey data, which can be linked to meso-level data (e.g., media outlets) and macro-level data (e.g., country characteristics). The talk will showcase how social network analysis is used to examine audience overlap between alternative and mainstream media outlets, by linking survey data on media consumption with content analysis of the outlets. Additionally, Qinfeng will demonstrate how non-metric multidimensional scaling can be applied to participants' thermometer ratings of political party supporters, to identify different dimensions of affective polarization and explore how these are influenced by media and political systems. The seminar will highlight how these computational methods can be applied to traditional survey data, offering valuable insights into the relationship between individual behavior, media systems, and political contexts.

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The Annual ACM Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI 2026): First Call for Doctoral Consortium
by Announce 02 Nov '25

02 Nov '25

*** First Call for Doctoral Consortium *** The Annual ACM Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI 2026) March 23-26, 2026, 5* Coral Beach Hotel & Resort, Paphos, Cyprus https://iui.hosting.acm.org/2026/<http://www.cs.ucy.ac.cy/~george/GPLists_2021/lm.php?tk=YWlyLWwJCQlhaXItbEBs…> The ACM Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (ACM IUI) is the leading annual venue for researchers and practitioners to explore advancements at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). IUI 2026 attracted a record number of submissions for the main conference (561 full paper submissions after an initial submission of 697 abstracts). The IUI 2026 Doctoral Consortium (DC) provides students an opportunity to present their research and receive feedback from a panel of mentors comprising senior researchers in the field. We invite students who want to benefit from the guidance given by the experienced mentors for planning the future steps in their research project. The ideal participant is a doctoral student about two years from finishing their Ph.D. However, we will also consider advanced Master students and junior Ph.D students provided their research plan is sufficiently developed to benefit from the discussion at the DC. The IUI Doctoral Consortium will provide students with an opportunity to: • present and discuss the status of their research with experienced scholars in a supportive, formative, and yet critical environment; • explore and further develop their research ideas through constructive feedback provided by the mentors and other DC students; • network and build collaborations with other members of the community; • discuss various professional aspects and career opportunities. Submission and Participation Submissions will be reviewed and selected by the DC committee and DC mentors. DC candidates should have developed a clear topic and research approach and have made some progress, but are not too far along in their research so that they can still reshape their research topic or approach. The final version of accepted Doctoral Consortium submissions will be included in the IUI companion proceedings published in the ACM Digital Library. DC participants are expected to attend in person the Doctoral Consortium workshop that will take place as a separate session during the conference (date to be announced). DC participants will also have the opportunity to present their research in the poster session during the main program. Complimentary/reduced conference registration will be available for DC participants under the precondition that they agree to assist as student volunteers in the organization of the conference. They will also be given priority when applying for the student travel awards (for details, see the Travel Funding page on the conference website). Submission Instructions If you are unsure about eligibility or submission requirements, please do not hesitate to email us at dc2026(a)iui.acm.org! To apply for the Doctoral Consortium, two steps are required: • Please submit a single PDF containing your technical submission (for details see below) via PCS by December 17, 2025. • In addition, your doctoral or thesis advisor should send a separate, brief letter of recommendation to the DC chairs at dc2026(a)iui.acm.org by December 17, 2025. For the technical submission, please upload a single PDF containing the following four items to https://new.precisionconference.com/~sigchi<http://www.cs.ucy.ac.cy/~george/GPLists_2021/lm.php?tk=YWlyLWwJCQlhaXItbEBs…> . 1. Cover Letter (1 page max): Please include your full name, contact details, affiliation, web page, expected graduation date and target degree, the name of your thesis advisor, gender (optional), home country (optional), and whether you are a member of an underrepresented minority group (optional). 2. DC Submission (4 pages max including references): A document describing your thesis/dissertation topic and research plan and your progress thus far. Key points the submission should include: • motivation for your dissertation research • goal and research questions • related work that frames your research • methods/approach to reach the goal • results, if any • next steps for your research 3. Questions to mentors and co-students (1 page max): List the main questions and discussion points regarding your thesis/dissertation topic for which you expect to receive feedback from the Doctoral Consortium mentors/ participants. 4. Your CV (3 pages max): Provide an academic curriculum vitae (CV) document. How to Format and Submit Prepare your submission for review in a single column format, using the latest templates: Word Submission Template, or the LaTeX template using \documentclass[manuscript,review,anonymous]{acmart} for the LaTeX template. All materials must be submitted electronically to PCS 2.0 https://new.precisionconference.com/~sigchi<http://www.cs.ucy.ac.cy/~george/GPLists_2021/lm.php?tk=YWlyLWwJCQlhaXItbEBs…> by the Doctoral Consortium deadline. In PCS 2.0, first click "Submissions" at the top of the page, from the dropdown menus for society, conference, and track select "SIGCHI", "IUI 2026" and "IUI 2026 DC", respectively, and press "Go". Notifications and Possible SIGCHI Funding Acceptance notifications will be sent by January 6, 2026. Note that SIGCHI offers travel funding via the Gary Marsden Travel Awards. The application deadline for this is Jan 9th. More information can be find at https://iui.acm.org/2026/travel-funding/<http://www.cs.ucy.ac.cy/~george/GPLists_2021/lm.php?tk=YWlyLWwJCQlhaXItbEBs…> . Important Dates • Paper Submission: December 17, 2025 • Acceptance Notification: January 6, 2026 All dates are 23:59h AoE (anywhere on Earth). Organisation General Chairs • Tsvi Kuflik, The University of Haifa, Israel • Styliani Kleanthous, Open University of Cyprus, Cyprus Local Organising Chair • George A. Papadopoulos, University of Cyprus, Cyprus Doctoral Consortium Chairs • Bart Knijnenburg, Clemson University, USA • Osnat (Ossi) Mokryn, University of Haifa, Israel • Martijn Willemsen, Eindhoven University of Technology & JADS, The Netherlands

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CFP Playable Southeast Asia (One month to go until abstract deadline)
by iskandar zulkarnain 01 Nov '25

01 Nov '25

Apologies for cross-posting! Update: We have received initial interest from a major university press to publish our edited collection under their Asian Media series Call for Contribution: Playable Southeast Asia: Gaming Cultures, Politics, and Aesthetics in a Multiethnic Region edited volume Editors: Peichi Chung, Byron Fong, Iskandar Zulkarnain Deadline for abstract: December 1, 2025 Notification of abstract acceptance: February 1, 2026 Deadline for full chapter: December 1, 2026 Expected date of publication: 2027 While video games have always been a global phenomenon, they have been received, played, and created differently in different regions and localities (Hjorth and Chan 2009; Huntemann and Aslinger 2013; Penix-Tadsen 2019). These differences add multiple levels of complexity to how we experience them. Games can be, and often are more than just an entertainment medium, capable of serving as a subversive means of self-expression under authoritarian regimes (Svelch 2018), or being converted into cultural currency for both game designers and players (Penix-Tadsen 2016). Games can also exist as platforms of ideological protest, representing voices from below (Mukherjee 2017), or can reveal the “upside/down” logics that have defined the Asia/America geopolitical relationship since the 19th century (Patterson and Fickle 2024). Especially important is how they can also be used as a lens to explore how nations struggle with the legacies of war, colonialism and religious strife that define part of the nation-building process (Kang, Yang, Mochocki, Majewski, and Schreiber 2024). Yet, despite these valuable insights, much of the purportedly global focus of video game studies still emphasizes the experience of regions in the Global North and other conventionally prominent centers for the production and consumption of games, while largely omitting the experiences of the Global South from consideration. By following the path of scholars who focus on regions that have traditionally been underserved by dominant industry players, and thus aiming to rectify the broadly lacking examination of these regions by journalists and academics, this edited collection will focus on gaming cultures, politics, and aesthetics in Southeast Asia. As a region, Southeast Asia offers layered, vast levels of complexity. It is a geopolitical and economic construct deeply rooted within the history of global colonialism. It invites multiple approaches in its mapping and description. The region’s nuances are evident in its most prominent geopolitical construction, ASEAN, as an anti-communist bloc while also having two nominally communist countries in the region (Vietnam and Laos). There is mainland Southeast Asia and there is also maritime Southeast Asia. The southern region has a predominantly Muslim population and the northern region is predominantly Buddhist. Meanwhile, the Philippines and East Timor are the only predominantly catholic countries in the region. The region also has the largest number of Chinese diaspora in the world, mostly living in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. All these cultural connections and political configurations have shaped and are currently being shaped by the production, circulation, and consumption of video games both from within and outside the region. In terms of video game theory, for instance, a specific play practice in Southeast Asia–Balinese cockfight–contributes to the theoretical formulation of “gamic action” (Galloway 2006), even though it is somewhat underexplored. Furthermore, within the video game industry framework, there is a conscious effort–driven by data analytics–of “mythifying” Southeast Asia as “the world’s fastest growing game region” to attract foreign (i.e. western) investors, creating a depoliticized configuration of the region and flattening cultural and racial differences (Wong 2023). Meanwhile, in an effort to collectively re-imagine Southeast Asia’s regional identity through game art, some independent game studios in the region have adopted two types of approaches: following the production formula of global popular media to achieve “niche globality,” or presenting their version of “contested regionalism” (Chung 2016). In some cases, game developers and professional players in Southeast Asia also participate in the promotion of digital nationalism (Zulkarnain 2014; Jiwandono 2024). In this context, this edited collection aims to further study gaming practices in Southeast Asia that reflect and reshape cultural paradigms in local and regional settings while simultaneously attending to global gaming progression. Here, we want to frame the concept of “Southeast Asia as a method,” following the theoretical formulation of Kuan-Hsing Chen (2010), to emphasize the use of Southeast Asia as an imaginary anchoring point that allows for inter-referentiality between countries within and outside of the region in terms of their gaming cultural practices (e.g. E-sports, industry, indie games, streaming, etc). We are also interested in having a mix of contributions from scholars from the region (or in close proximity to the region, geographically and/or culturally) and perspectives from/interviews with people who are involved in Southeast Asian gaming cultures (e.g. game developers, studios, archivists, gaming communities, etc). Possible topics might include, but not limited to: - Early histories of video game cultures - Identity (e.g. national, gender, racial, sexual, religious) - “Asiatic” style or form in SEA games - Nostalgic aesthetic/themes in SEA games - Labor exploitation and unionization (or lack of) in SEA gaming industry - Historical and counterhistorical representation in SEA games - Inter-regional citation practice among indie or AAA game developers - Significance of paratextual elements in SEA games (e.g. streaming, game magazines, gaming clubs) - Cultural representations in SEA games (e.g. religious, linguistic, or national) - The roles of the state in SEA gaming cultures - Archival initiatives of SEA games - Decolonizing SEA in video games - Gaming platforms in Southeast Asian context - Video games as a heritage - Gaming preservation - E-sports cultures in SEA - Mobile gaming cultures - Video game bans by the state/state apparatuses Abstract submissions should comprise of: 1. Abstract (250-500 words) 2. Author information (short biographical statement of 200 words) Submissions should be sent to playablesea(a)gmail.com. Abstract submissions will then undergo an internal editorial review process. Authors will be notified of the outcome as soon as reports are received. Chapter submissions should comprise of: 1. Full-length article (5000-9000 words), including references and a bibliography, or 2. Perspectives/Interviews (3000-5000 words) in English or translated 3. Final author information (short biographical statement of 200 words) Feel free to send us questions regarding this proposed edited collection. References: Chen, Kuan-Hsing, Asia as Method: Toward Deimperialization, Duke UP (2010) Chung, Peichi, “The Globalization of Game Art in Southeast Asia,” in Hjorth, Larissa, and Olivia Khoo (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of New Media in Asia, Routledge (2016) Galloway, Alexander, Gaming: Essays on Algorithmic Culture, University of Minnesota Press (2006) Hjorth, Larissa, and Dean Chan (Eds.), Gaming Cultures and Place in Asia-Pacific, Routledge (2009) Huntemann, Nina B., and Ben Aslinger (Eds.) Gaming Globally: Production, Play, and Place, Palgrave Macmillan (2013) Jiwandono, Haryo Pambuko, “Mobile Game Esports as an Indonesian National Identity,” in Kang, Yowei, Kenneth C.C. Yang, Michal Mochocki, Jakub Majewski, and Pawel Schreiber (Eds.), Asian Histories and Heritages in Video Games, Routledge (2024) Kang, Yowei, Kenneth C.C. Yang, Michal Mochocki, Jakub Majewski, and Pawel Schreiber (Eds.), Asian Histories and Heritages in Video Games, Routledge (2024) Mukherjee, Souvik, Videogames and Postcolonialism: Empire Plays Back, Palgrave Macmillan (2017) Patterson, Christopher B., Open World Empire: Race, Erotics, and the Global Rise of Video Games, NYU Press (2020) Patterson, Christopher B., and Tara Fickle (Eds.), Made in Asia/America: Why Video Games Were Never (Really) About Us, Duke UP (2024) Penix-Tadsen, Phillip, Cultural Code: Video Games and Latin America, The MIT Press (2016) ___________ (Ed.), Video Games and the Global South, ETC Press/Carnegie Mellon University (2019) Švelch, Jaroslav, Gaming the Iron Curtain, The MIT Press (2018) Wong, K. T., “The Data-Driven Myth and the Deceptive Futurity of ‘The World’s Fastest Growing Games Region’: Selling the Southeast Asian Games Market via Game Analytics,” Games and Culture, Vol. 18(1), 2023: 42-61 Zulkarnain, Iskandar, “‘Playable’ Nationalism: Nusantara Online and the ‘Gamic’ Reconstructions of National History,” SOJOURN, Vol. 29(1), 2014: 31-62 -- Iskandar "Izul" Zulkarnain, Ph.D. (He/him) Assistant Professor of Media and Society Global Digital Media Hobart and William Smith Colleges Personal website: https://www.digitalperipheries.com/ "Ilmu itu untuk dibagi, bukan untuk dimiliki!"

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