[Commlist] Call for abstracts: special issue on Artificial Intelligence and Social Research: Methods, Contexts, Imaginaries

We are pleased to invite you to propose abstracts for a final 
publication on the book series Communication Processes and Cultural 
Practices, WriteUp Books 
<https://www.writeupbooks.com/communication-processes-and-cultural-practices/>.
The book will be titled Artificial Intelligence and Social Research: 
Methods, Contexts, Imaginaries and it will be out at the end of 2025.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a future horizon—it is a 
present force reshaping our ways of knowing, interpreting, and 
interacting with the world. From predictive models to generative 
algorithms, AI systems are increasingly integrated into the 
infrastructure of contemporary life, raising new questions for the 
social sciences about agency, automation, and the production of meaning. 
In research settings, AI offers extraordinary computational power and 
the ability to manage vast and complex datasets, supporting tasks such 
as pattern recognition, natural language processing, and sentiment 
analysis. These capabilities not only enhance the efficiency of data 
analysis, but also open new pathways for observing social phenomena, 
modelling behaviours, and identifying emergent trends (Kitchin, 2021; 
Taddeo & Floridi, 2018).

Yet, this technological promise comes with epistemological and ethical 
tensions. The integration of AI into social research workflows poses 
significant challenges related to transparency, accountability, and bias 
reproduction (Ananny & Crawford, 2018; Eubanks, 2018). Furthermore, AI 
itself can be studied as an object of sociological inquiry—revealing 
embedded cultural imaginaries, reinforcing social asymmetries, or 
shaping forms of algorithmic governance. Recent studies (Murray, 2024; 
Boucher, 2024) emphasize how AI is actively participating in the 
construction and transformation of collective imaginaries, redefining 
what is perceived as credible, desirable, or even real within digital 
cultural environments.

This call for papers invites contributions that explore the intersection 
between AI and social research, with a particular focus on the 
implications of AI as:

  * a methodological tool for data generation, analysis, and 
interpretation;

  * a contextual environment in which social life takes place (e.g.
    platforms, algorithms, recommendation systems)
  * an epistemic observer, capable of reflecting or amplifying
    imaginaries, biases, and cultural frameworks.

We are particularly interested in:

  * ·Empirical studies involving the use of AI in applied social research;
  * Theoretical and critical reflections on the impact of AI on research
    practices;
  * Analyses of the cultural, ethical, and epistemological implications
    of AI in the study of social processes.

Submissions should be no longer than *8,000 words*, excluding 
references, and should include original research, applied case studies, 
or theoretically grounded critiques.

Key dates:

·Abstract submission deadline: 15 July 2025

·Full paper submission: 30 September 2025

·Review and revision period: October 2025

·Final paper submission: 15 November 2025

·Planned publication date: December 2025


To submit the proposal or for any questions, please email the editor, 
Alessandra Micalizzi ((alessandra.micalizzi /at/ unipegaso.it))


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