[Commlist] "ICTs for Community Development": call for papers (American Behavioral Scientist)

Special Issue Call for Papers
American Behavioral Scientist
https://journals.sagepub.com/home/abs

The American Behavioral Scientist invites submissions for a special 
issue on:

ICTs for Community Development: Bridging conceptual, theoretical and 
methodological boundaries

Guest Editors
Mauro Sarrica (Sapienza University, Rome)
Francesca Comunello (LUMSA University, Rome)
Simone Mulargia (Sapienza University, Rome)

Community Informatics (CI) (Denison et al., 2014) and Information and 
Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) projects focus on the 
appropriation of ICTs and the design of information systems to meet the 
needs of communities.
Ten years ago, Donner suggested that projects are often developed “in 
relative isolation from each other, separated by regions, and by 
disciplines” (Donner, 2008, p.140). While this situation has improved, a 
better integration between ICT4D and non-ICT4D models is still necessary 
in order to better grasp the socio-technical processes ICTs activate at 
the individual and community level, and beyond.

In particular, this special issue will address three main issues 
connected with CI and ICT4D projects:
1) There is a dearth of middle-range theorization capable of providing 
broader interpretative frameworks for ICT4D (Sarrica et al., 2017). 
Indeed, cross-fertilization is needed between CI, ICT4D, and broader 
theories on ICTs, in order to generate stronger interpretative 
frameworks. Moreover, theoretical models and method developed in the 
‘global north’ and for a ‘general user’ could be refined by their 
application to marginalised communities and in a variety of cultural 
contexts.

2) CI and ICT4D projects typically consider “lived-in and situated 
communities not as passive recipients of technological opportunities, 
but as actors engaged in the comprehension and ‘doing’ of community 
problem solving directed to social progress” (Stillman and Linger, 2009, 
p. 256). However, the role of power in all the different phases of 
projects often remains in the background.

3) CI and ICT4D projects typically involve a range of researchers and 
participants reflecting different cultures, theoretical backgrounds and 
levels of training. These projects depend for their success on the 
ability to bridge differences. However, the harmonization between 
theoretical backgrounds, methodologies and practical constrains have 
heretofore proved problematic.

An emic approach to culture characterizes the three critical points 
outlined above and is at the base of the special issue. Its aim is to 
foster a thorough reflection of the importance of localized or 
context-specific issues in the design of research and intervention, with 
the purpose of improving the effectiveness and sustainability of 
community informatics and ICT4D projects.

Following these suggestions, aim of the special issue is to collect and 
put into dialogue theoretical, methodological, critical and applied 
contributions dealing with the variety of ICT uses in community development.

Potential topics include the following (contributions that cross several 
sections are encouraged):

1st Section – Theoretical advancement
Papers in this stream will focus on advancing theoretical models in CI & 
ICT4D. We expect papers which show how CI & ICT4D can challenge current 
models and further theoretical development in communication research. 
Issues relevant to this stream include: power in theory and 
implementation of ICT-based projects (e.g. critical approaches; power 
and CI projects); long term sustainability of projects (e.g. community 
ownership); impact, engagement and participation (e.g. engaging policy 
makers; top-down and bottom-up transformations); challenging power (e.g. 
advocacy; citizen journalism; social movement).

2nd Section – Methods and Epistemologies
Papers in this stream will focus on methodological choices in CI and 
ICT4D projects, including: methodological issues in ICT4D (e.g. entering 
the field; reliability and replication problems); innovative and 
cross-disciplinary methods (e.g. mixed methods approaches; use of social 
media; cross-disciplinary methodological insights); participation and 
co-design (e.g. lessons learned from participatory intervention; 
co-design and user’s experience); cultural diversity and intersectionality.

3rd Section – Lessons from the field
Papers in this stream will present evidences from particular cases (e.g. 
case studies, research-interventions, international cooperation 
initiatives); examples of community intervention (e.g. working with 
rural, marginalized and vulnerable communities); group processes and 
cultural aspects (e.g. ICTs and myths; cultural specificities).


Submission Schedule

Abstract submission – 30 June
You are cordially invited to submit an abstract of no more than 500 words.
Notifications of acceptance to prepare a full paper will be made by 
mid-July.
Please email your abstract to: (f.comunello /at/ lumsa.it) 
<mailto:(f.comunello /at/ lumsa.it)>

The deadline for submissions of full papers is 30 October 2019
Manuscripts must adhere to the APA 6th Edition Style  and should contain 
between 5000 and 6000 words (including abstract and all references, 
notes, tables, etc.).
Manuscript will undergo blind review process.

Notification of 1st round of review 20 January 2020

Submission deadline for revised manuscript 16 March 2020

Final decision, end of April 2020


In the event of any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the 
co-editors.
Francesca Comunello (f.comunello /at/ lumsa.it) <mailto:(f.comunello /at/ lumsa.it)>
Simone Mulargia (simone.mulargia /at/ uniroma1.it) 
<mailto:(simone.mulargia /at/ uniroma1.it)>
Mauro Sarrica (mauro.sarrica /at/ uniroma1.it) <mailto:(mauro.sarrica /at/ uniroma1.it)>


References:
Denison, T., Sarrica, M., & Stillman, L. (Eds.) (2014). Theories, 
Practices and Examples for Community and Social Informatics. Melbourne: 
Monash University Publishing
Donner, J. (2008). Research Approaches to Mobile Use in the Developing 
World: A Review of the Literature. The Information Society, 24(3), 
140–159. http://doi.org/10.1080/01972240802019970
Sarrica, M., Denison, T., Stillman, L., Chakraborty, T., & Auvi, P. 
(2017). “What do others think?” An emic approach to participatory action 
research in Bangladesh. AI & SOCIETY. 
http://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-017-0765-9
Stillman, L., & Linger, H. (2009). Community Informatics and Information 
Systems: can they be better connected?. The Information Society, 25(4), 
255-264.

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