The Practice and Theory of Community Networks/Community Informatics
An Invitation for Proposals
A Refereed Workshop and Research Track
on
The Practice and Theory
of
Community Networks/Community Informatics
A Joint Presentation of
Community Network/Community Informatics Researchers and Community Networkers
For
Global CN 2001
Buenos Aires, Argentina Dec. 5th, 2001
Session coordinators: Michael Gurstein (Vancouver), Susana Finquelievich (Buenos Aires), Artur Serra (Barcelona).
Workshop's goals:
1.Encourage and strengthen exchange and co - operation between University and other researchers working with CN members world-wide
2.Strengthen the Practice and Theory of Community Networks and Community Informatics jointly with Community Networkers worldwide.
3.Analyse case studies of co - operation between Post-Secondary Institutions working with Community Networks
Proposals and papers for this workshop can be sent to: propuestas@globalcn2001.org
Background:
Community Networking initiatives are being incubated, are in active social service and are growing in diverse geographic localities around the world. Global CN2001 follows along the path of Global CN2000 http://www.globalcn2000.org , the first international community networking conference, held late last year in Barcelona.
Buenos Aires, the 2001 host city, will provide its cosmopolitan setting for a most important sharing of ideas about the diverse development of local and regional information societies in a rapidly changing networked global environment.
The "Research Studies on Community Networking/Community Informatics" session is being organized to provide an academic - practitioner context and understanding of the practical work that lies ahead for the local sphere: Universities, government, the marketplace and civic organizations, and a better understanding of individual, and collective actions, information exchanges and knowledge building to support Community Networking.
Papers are currently being solicited that address the complex theoretical subject and practical applications of this conference session.
A few rhetorical questions meant to evoke possible responses include:
1.What are potential major trends in academic studies about CN? What are present and potential pro and con effects of joint studies on community networking that bring together Universities and CN members?
2.What is the outlook for community networking amid evolving economic, cultural, and social restructuring and values? Will community networking become increasingly reinforced by joint work with Universities? Which successes and failures have been registered in this area? Do community networks offer potential opportunities for added value and vitality for academic groups / Universities?
3.How might Universities, through research, knowledge building, education, training, in tele-technologies and information exchange, have positive effects on Community Networks? Which are the conditions and changes (organizational, financial, etc) that Universities should overcome to introduce the new academic and research areas that are mentioned?
4.Might community networking initiatives serve as 'living laboratories' and examples for newly evolving and diverse local-global social and political processes?
5.What is contemporary understanding of Academics and practitioners about the character of "communities" in CNs? What are the new mechanisms that permit new forms of social integration (community) and how these forms are different from classical neighborhood proximity? What are the potentials and limits of generating "electronic community" in social contexts of poverty and inequality?
6.How can University - CN cooperation reinforce social and political power of marginalized communities in their struggle against social exclusion? How this cooperation may help to increase communicational power of CNs in squatter or under-privileged areas? What is the role of CNs (and universities) in major social transformations?
7.How universities can play an important role in detecting non-local potential of community articulations and can provide CNs with tools which permit access to worldwide informational and consulting resources (that's not only a "hardware problem")? How to understand local - global articulations of CNs and their potentials and threads for community's identity?
8.How can academic research and discourse disseminate a broader social and political recognition of CN's importance as a mean of democratizing societies? How can they put the necessity of empowering CNs onto the public agenda? How can public policy - in the national, regional and local level - stimulate and support local (or non-local) CN initiatives?
Submission Guidelines:
Please email paper abstracts of no more than 400 words by June 19. Abstracts for papers, digital media, and other forms of participation should not exceed 400 words (one page). They should include: the session title, presentation title, author's name, institution, address, telephone, e- mail and URL. They are to describe clearly the proposed presentation, paper or activity.
Please use Arial 11 pt., at 1.5 space, page size A4.
Abstracts should be e-mailed to propuestas@globalcn2001.org, indicating the author's last name in the title of the message. The deadline for receipt of abstracts is June 19, 2001.
The abstracts will be evaluated by the Working Groups' Coordinators, with the participation of selected researchers and activists in each field. The Congress Secretariat will communicate the results of the evaluation by August 31.
Languages:
Abstracts and papers may be written in any of the Global CN2001 Congress official languages: Spanish, English and French. However, due to translation costs, discussions in the Workshop will develop mainly in English and Spanish. Plenary sessions will be translated to all three official languages.
Timetable:
June 19: Deadline for receipt of abstracts. August 31: Communication to authors regarding the approval of the proposed submissions. October 1: Deadline for the submission of papers.
Information:
For additional Congress information, write to the secretary of the Global CN2001: E-mail: secretariado@globalcn2001.org URL: http://www.globalcn2001.org