[ecrea] cfp: Alternative Media and Counter-Surveillance

*Call for papers: Alternative Media and Counter-Surveillance*

*/Bora Ataman & Barış Çoban (eds)/*

**

*Deadline for Abstracts: 15 April 2016*

*Deadline for Full Papers: 1 November 2016*

**

Neoliberal globalization is destroying the relationship of modern states
with democracy. Although highly pessimistic, this background, we
believe, is crucial for understanding the contemporary surveillance
notion. In addition, popular concepts such as “Big Brother” and
“Panoptic Society” are no longer adequate to completely comprehend the
new world. Modern societies are under the hegemony of a new paradigm
that reduces freedom life-style preferences and stipulates that citizens
can only spend their free time as consumers in the free market. “Power
elites” are not pleased with the concept of “citizenship” that includes
a reference to political rights. Citizens are enfeebled as they are
targeted by an integrated, totalitarian and global surveillance
mechanism that is invigorated by the new security paradigm of
contemporary states. What is expected from ordinary citizens is to have
a strong (auto)surveillance mechanism that either helps or at least
doesn’t cause any trouble for the government. In short, the liberal
paradigm based on privacy of the individuals and the transparency of the
state is evolving into a paternalistic and authoritarian state in the West.

Despite this pessimistic view, the struggles of some presumptuous,
persistent citizens for democracy and rights are intensifying. The
/anti-globalization /and /Occupy /movements, which spread and shook the
planet in recent years, are the best proofs of this argument.
Information and Communication technologies’ part in this struggle is vital.

Moreover, the occupy movement has affected academia as well. In our
case, the distance between alternative (new) media and (new) social
movement studies is disappearing gradually. Majority of these studies
define alternative media as both a tool for struggle and a shelter, a
nest where pre-figurative politics can be practiced. The fact that
alternative media assumes further duties and responsibilities in all
lines of the struggle, not just in the informational level also extend
the intersection set of the social movement and media studies. In fact,
alternative media struggles proactively against the surveillance
approach and security paradigm of governments more than just by
producing news. Communication practices such as citizen journalism,
video activism, muckraking, leak journalism, culture jamming and hacking
become a tool for struggles. For example, in terms of news producing,
there are new active and aggressive techniques that exceed the limits
drawn by traditional codes of journalism. Making the targeted
institutions transparent, turning their inside out, ridiculing and
rendering them dysfunctional are just a few of these techniques.
Therefore, we believe that studies defined as anti-, counter- or
sous-veillence should include alternative media theories and practices.

In this book, we aim to compile studies that interested in
counter-surveillance practices developed by media activists and
anti-surveillance tactics of alternative media initiatives against the
deployments of authoritarian strategies. This collected work aims to
contribute to reducing the distance between “alternative media” and
“surveillance” studies.

We are mainly interested in case studies (comparative if possible) and
empirical research possessing theoretical and methodological clarity.

Abstracts of a maximum of 500 words in English or Turkish outlining the
topic, theoretical and methodological approach as well as the research
question(s) should be submitted to either Barış Çoban
((bcoban /at/ dogus.edu.tr) <mailto:(bcoban /at/ dogus.edu.tr)>) or Bora Ataman
((bataman /at/ dogus.edu.tr) <mailto:(bataman /at/ dogus.edu.tr)>) until April 15 2016.

Announcement of the selected abstracts will be made by May 6, 2016.

The deadline for full paper submissions is November 1, 2016. Papers
submitted in English will be translated by Kafka’s academic translators.

The book will be published in Turkish by Kafka Book’s “Alternative Media
and Social Movements Series” that also edited by Barış Çoban and Bora
Ataman in March 2017.

After publishing in Turkish, negotiations with foreign publishing houses
will begin for the English version.



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