[ecrea] The role of social media in the Arab uprisings - past and present

*CALL FOR PAPERS
Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture (WPCC)
*
*The role of social media in the Arab uprisings -- past and present*

Social media in the Arab world before the recent uprisings had been 
described as marginal, alternative and elitist with minimal impact due 
to the Internet's low penetration rates.  The recent events have brought 
'social media' to the forefront with many crediting Facebook, weblogs 
and Twitter with facilitating the uprisings that have taken place across 
the Arab world. Yet we have not fully understood their role during the 
recent events and their convergence with not only mainstream media but 
also with street demonstrations. Moreover, the role and significance of 
social media during the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, the civil war 
in Libya, and the uprisings in Yemen, Syria and Bahrain (among others) 
vary greatly. What are the cultural, technical and political variables 
that are conducive to using social media for mobilisation? How has the 
digital divide influenced the use of social media and how do those not 
connected perceive them? Now that new media are in the vernacular of the 
mainstream, what are their uses beyond the uprisings?


Suggested topics for research papers include, but are not restricted to, 
the following:

· Strategies, techniques and technologies used by activists during the 
recent uprisings.

· Conceptualisation and theorization of the role of the media in 
political mobilisation within Arab countries.

· Historical perspectives on information and communication use in 
previous uprisings in the Middle East (e.g. cassettes in Iranian 
revolution).

· Comparison between the uses of social media in different national 
contexts in the Arab world.

· The use of social media by hegemonic institutions in the Middle East.



A 300-word abstract, full contact information for the corresponding 
author, and a biographical note (up to 75 words) on each of the authors 
should be submitted by no later than July 29 2011. Authors of accepted 
abstracts will be notified in September 2011 and will then be invited to 
submit a full paper by 16 December 2011.

Complete manuscripts should be prepared in English in MS Word and adhere 
to the Manuscript Submission Guidelines 
(http://www.wmin.ac.uk/mad/page-1201); they should be 6000 - 8000 words, 
including notes and references. Papers should be accompanied by an 
abstract of 100-150 words and up to six keywords. The manuscript must 
contain a separate title page that should include: the title of the 
manuscript; the name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s); full 
contact details of the author(s); the author's brief biographical 
statement. An invitation to submit a full paper does not constitute a 
commitment for publication; all papers will be subject to anonymous peer 
review following submission.

Please send your abstract as an e-mail attachment to the issue editors 
Maha Taki and Lorenzo Coretti at the following address: 
(mahataki /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(mahataki /at/ gmail.com)>

Deadline for abstracts: 29 July 2011

Deadline for complete manuscripts: 16 December 2011