[ecrea] Digital Participation among Ethnic Minorities: Policy, Access and Engagement

*Digital Participation among Ethnic Minorities: Policy, Access and 
Engagement*

*Call for a Conference at TU Dortmund University, Germany (at the Erich 
Brost Institute for International Journalism), 8-9 September 2011*, 
jointly hosted by the Media of Diaspora Research Group (MDRG), Faculty 
15 of TU Dortmund University, the Institute for Journalism (IfJ) at TU 
Dortmund University, and the Erich Brost Institute for International 
Journalism (EBI), an affiliate of TU Dortmund University.

The digital revolution, especially the rapidly increasing impact of 
social media, is coinciding with a massive demographic shift in 
developed nations as ethnic diversity leaps upward everywhere in three 
respects: regarding numbers, regarding the diversity of groups 
represented in a given context, and regarding the degree of 
institutionalized accommodation accorded minorities -- formerly 
routinely marginalized -- by states and civil societies.

The conference aims at exploring topics at the criss-crossing of these 
two lines. Scholars across Europe and beyond are invited to present 
contributions on all aspects of the digital participation among ethnic 
minorities, including e. g.:

-- Access and participation of ethnic minorities in mainstream digital 
media (both outlets of old-style mass media and new media, including 
moderation processes and user-generated content)

- Digital media for and by ethnic minority groups, including moderation 
processes and user-generated content

- Geo-ethnic storytelling and civic engagement by ethnic minorities in 
digital media

- Transnational & diaspora-linking digital media outlets, including 
those transcending or blurring traditional majority/minorities dichotomies

- Uses and gratifications of digital media by ethnic minority members, 
including usage that transcends the traditional roles of communicators 
and audience

- What is the role of policies (states and civil society stakeholders 
including at the UN, EU, national, regional and local levels) in 
fostering internet literacy and digital participation among citizens, 
but also in regulating access?

- How visible are women in the online environment?

*Additional Conference agenda*

An edited book on the theme of the conference is planned, as is the 
formation of an interdisciplinary research group with its own scholarly 
journal (working title: Journalism of Diaspora; online, hardcopy, or 
both), building on consensus achieved at the MDRG conference in Lincoln, 
UK in September 2010, and in the subsequent debates on the group's 
weblog: http://mediaofdiaspora.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/

*Keynote speakers*

Several keynote speakers have been invited; please check for updates as 
they become available on the conference website, 
http://www.mdrg-conference2011.tu-dortmund.de

*Submissions*

Please send your abstract (300 words) on any of the thematic issues to 
(mdrg-conference2011 /at/ tu-dortmund.de). Deadline for submission is June 20, 
2011.

The members of the Scientific Committee (Ola Ogunyemi, University of 
Lincoln, UK; Susanne Fengler, Daniel Müller & Horst Pöttker, TU Dortmund 
University) will send a feedback on completion of the review process by 
July 15, 2011

*Conference fee*

The conference fee for the two-day conference is EUR 100,00 (EUR 50,00 
for students). There is limited funding to support postgraduate students 
and scholars from developing countries (cancellation of conference fee, 
subsidy for travel expenses). Please write a short application at the 
end of your abstract if you wish to apply. The Conference Committee will 
make the final decision based on acceptance of your abstract and 
availability of funds.

The Conference fee should be remitted by July 20, 2011, to the 
conference bank account, IBAN DE51500105175406481293, BIC INGDDEFF, with 
the subject "MDRG Conference Fee 2011". Please make sure any costs for 
the transaction are covered as well, and that your full name is included 
in case you don't transfer from your personal bank account.

*Accomodation***

Accomodation is not included in the conference fee. The Conference 
Office at (mdrg-conference2011 /at/ tu-dortmund.de) will assist in finding and 
booking rooms at various price levels.

*Travel information*

Dortmund (pop. 600,000) is the major city of the Eastern Ruhr area, the 
former industrial heartland of Germany, a metropolitan area stretching 
to Düsseldorf, the capital of the state of North-Rhine-Westphalia, and 
Cologne, its largest city. Dortmund has its own midsize airport and 
important railway station, and Düsseldorf and Cologne-Bonn airports are 
among the largest in Germany. From Düsseldorf there is a metropolitan 
train line (S1) with Dortmund Central Station as its terminus; the stop 
"Dortmund Universität" is on this line, so you can reach the University 
from Düsseldorf airport without changing trains. There are also good 
bus/subway connections in the city, and on campus (currently 22,000 
full-time students) there is a futuristic sky-train (just google 
"H-Bahn" if you want to take a look). The Conference Office will be 
happy to provide individual travel information, just contact 
(mdrg-conference2011 /at/ tu-dortmund.de).

http://www.mdrg-conference2011.tu-dortmund.de/