[ecrea] cfp Digital Citizenship and Activism: Questions of Power and Participation Online

Call for Papers: Special Issue of JeDEM (eJournal of eDemocracy&  Open=20
Government): Vol. 4 (1)

Digital Citizenship and Activism: Questions of Power and Participation Online

GUEST EDITORS

Dr. Maria Bakardjieva (University of Calgary, Canada)
Dr. Jakob Svensson (Karlstad University, Sweden)
Dr. Marko M. Skoric (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)

Nowadays, when citizens, activists and participants in social movements w=
ant=20
to voice their opinions and negotiate their political identities they=20
increasingly do so in hybrid media environments that are particularly=20
suitable for mobilisation, organisation and discussion. With a massive=20
increase in online social networking, digital infrastructures are lowerin=
g=20
the threshold for political involvement. This, in turn, is considerably=20
shifting the power dynamics of participation. Digital storytelling, for=20
example, has become part of the strategies used by contemporary political=
=20
activists. While strategies in the past revolved mainly around the attemp=
ts=20
to influence the mass media and gatekeepers, today more and more citizens=
=20
are becoming reporters and commentators themselves, often providing=20
first-hand, real-time coverage of offline political activities.

However, some have questioned the notion of social networking platforms a=
s=20
tools for social change and/or horizontal power structures, in particular=
 in=20
relation to issues of surveillance and data privacy. These sorts of criti=
cal=20
views have been voiced in public debates on the implications of corporate=
=20
ownership of social networks. Another question that has been raised is=20
whether =E2=80=9Cclicktivism=E2=80=9D is eroding the physical or embodied=
 participation=20
constituting traditional offline activism. It must be also taken into=20
account that very few movements have succeed through mediated activism=20
alone.

Hence, on the one hand we are witnessing how increasing access to the=20
internet has resulted in an array of new strategies and success stories f=
or=20
contemporary activism, in particular with regards to mobilisation. On the=
=20
other hand, we are still groping in the dark when it comes to understandi=
ng=20
the place of digital participatory activities in the shifting landscapes =
of=20
power in late modernity. For this special issue of JeDEM, we invite=20
scholarly research to shed light on the issues of power and participation=
=20
online.

TOPICS CAN INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:

Digital divides, hierarchy and marginalisation in political collectives,=20
citizen networks and social movements
Identity negotiation in digital activism and online collective action
The intersections of individual, collective and connective identities in=20
political movements online
Socio-psychological aspects of political communication online
Slacktivism, clicktivism, micro-activism and socio-political change
Empirical accounts of shifting power relations and citizen/community=20
empowerment in contemporary political participatory initiatives
Mappings of power relations in online political networks
Online platforms for mediated sociability and social capital creation and=
=20
their role in civic mobilization
The politics of privacy and surveillance in a networked world
New governmental policies and networks
Examples of new media strategies, real-time coverage and networked=20
organisation in social and ad-hoc movements
Implications and criticism of corporate ownership of social networks
Social media activism in emerging and transitional democracies
Multimedia configuations and citizens=E2=80=99 involvement in the public =
sphere
Relevant articles from different national and disciplinary perspectives a=
re=20
welcome. We also encourage authors to submit policy papers and case studi=
es,=20
as well as critical essays analyzing existing methods and approaches.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Articles submitted for consideration must be written in English.
Length of paper: 7,500-12,000 words, including footnotes.
Template and guidelines are available=20
athttp://www.jedem.org/about/submissions#authorGuidelines

IMPORTANT DATES

Call for papers 01.03.2012
Submission deadline 11.06.2012
Editor decision 16.07.2012
Camera ready paper 06.08.2012

CONTACT

Judith Schossb=C3=B6ck, Managing Editor
Centre for E-Government, Danube University Krems
Email:(judith.schossboeck /at/ donau-uni.ac.at)
Phone: +43 (0)2732 893-2309



Jakob Svensson, Ph. D.

Director HumanIT (www.kau.se/en/humanit)
Ass. Prof. in Media and Communication Studies
Karlstad University
65188 Karlstad - Sweden

+ 46 (0) 54  700 1893
(jakob.svensson /at/ kau.se)


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