CALL FOR PAPERS

Fourth International Conference on CULTURAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION (CATaC'04) 27 June-1 July 2004 Karlstad University, Sweden http://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/catac/

Conference theme: Off the shelf or from the ground up? ICTs and cultural marginalization, homogenization or hybridization

The biennial CATaC conference series provides a continuously expanding international forum for the presentation and discussion of current research on how diverse cultural attitudes shape the implementation and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The conference series brings together scholars from around the globe who provide diverse perspectives, both in terms of the specific culture(s) they highlight in their presentations and discussions, and in terms of the discipline(s) through which they approach the conference theme. The first conference in the series was held in London in 1998, the second in Perth in 2000, and the third in Montreal in 2002.

Beginning with our first conference in 1998, the CATaC conferences have highlighted theoretical and praxis-oriented scholarship and research from all parts of the globe, including Asia, Africa, and the Middle-East. The conferences focus especially on people and communities at the developing edges of ICT diffusion, including indigenous peoples and those outside the English-speaking world.

Understanding the role of culture in how far minority and/or indigenous cultural groups may succeed - or fail - in taking up ICTs designed for a majority culture is obviously crucial to the moral and political imperative of designing ICTs in ways that will not simply reinforce such groups' marginalization. What is the role of culture in the development of ICTs "from the ground up" - beginning with the local culture and conditions - rather than assuming dominant "off the shelf" technologies are appropriate? Are the empowering potentials of ICTs successfully exploited among minority and indigenous groups, and/or do they rather engender cultural marginalization, cultural homogenization or cultural hybridization?

Original full papers (especially those which connect theoretical frameworks with specific examples of cultural values, practices, etc.) and short papers (e.g. describing current research projects and preliminary results) are invited.

Topics of particular interest include but are not limited to: - Culture: theory and praxis - Culture and economy - Alternative models for ICT diffusion - Role of governments and activists in culture, technology and communication - ICTs and cultural hybridity - ICTs and intercultural communication - Culture, communication and e-learning

SUBMISSIONS

All submissions will be peer reviewed by an international panel of scholars and researchers and accepted papers will appear in the conference proceedings. You may purchase the conference proceedings from the 2000 and 2002 conferences from http://www.it.murdoch.edu.au/catac.

There will be the opportunity for selected papers from this 2004 conference to appear in special issues of journals and a book. Papers in previous conferences have appeared in journals (Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, Electronic Journal of Communication/La Revue Electronique de Communication, AI and Society, Javnost- The Public, and New Media and Society) and a book (Culture, Technology, Communication: towards an Intercultural Global Village, 2001, edited by Charles Ess with Fay Sudweeks, SUNY Press, New York).

Initial submissions are to be emailed to catac@it.murdoch.edu.au as an attachment (Word, HTML, PDF). Submission of a paper implies that it has not been submitted or published elsewhere. At least one author of each accepted paper is expected to present the paper at the > conference.

IMPORTANT DATES

Full papers (10-20 pages): 12 January 2004 Short papers (3-5 pages): 26 January 2004 Notification of acceptance: end February 2004 Final formatted papers: 29 March 2004

CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS Charles Ess, Drury University, USA, cmess@drury.edu Fay Sudweeks, Murdoch University, Australia, catac@it.murdoch.edu.au CONFERENCE VICE-CHAIR Malin Sveningsson, Karlstad University, Sweden, malin.sveningsson@kau.se

Jeremy Hunsinger Center for Digital Discourse and Culture