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[ecrea] CfP 8th Chinese Internet Research Conference, Beijing
Wed Nov 04 19:24:01 GMT 2009
The 8th Chinese Internet Research Conference
School of Journalism and Communication, Peking University, China
June 29-30, 2010
Internet and Modernity with Chinese
Characteristics: Institutions, Cultures and Social Formations
By June 30 2009, the number of netizens in China
has reached 338 million, surpassing the total
population of the United States. Already the
country with the largest number of Internet
users since 2008, Chinese Internet now boasts of
2.1million websites and more than 100 million
blogs. The fast changing landscape of Internet
usage in China has seen both quantitative and
qualitative developments. In fact, the visions
and thrills of getting online parallel Chinaâ??s
ambition to build a modern society with Chinese
characteristics. The Internet has penetrated
into social institutions, political processes,
cultural activities and peopleâ??s everyday
life. It is time we look beyond numbers and
events and delve deeper into the fabric of
Chinaâ??s social life in order to understand how
the Internet integrates, counteracts or
cooperates with institutional, cultural and
social forces in seeking and creating a modern
form of existence. The theme of the 8th Chinese
Internet Research Conference, â??Internet and
Modernity with Chinese Characteristics:
Institutions, Cultures and Social Formations,â??
is designed to bring together scholars, experts
and leaders in the field to explore these fascinating developments and trends.
This will be the very first time this conference
is held in mainland China. We aim to open a
forum where different perspectives and
expectations meet, communicate and interact, and
where the agendas and hopes of the Chinese
population are heard, discussed and analyzed on
an international scale. The working languages of
the conference will be both English and Chinese,
and we will provide translation service if
necessary. The forms and contradictions in which
China tries to conceptualize and materialize
modernity, and how the Internet is helping out
in this process are the main focus of this
conference. Specific topics include but are not limited to:
Mediations between the global and the local
The political economy of the Internet and information industry in China
Internet as alternative media
Virtual communities and identity formation
Social relations on the Internet
With these topics, we hope to explore the
following questions: How global influences and
local initiatives meet, interact and converge
through and about the Internet? Is Internet the
agent of globalization and homogeneity or that
of local independence and particularity? With
increasing capitalization and commercialization
of the Internet in China, what is the dynamic
relationship among state, market and civil
society? What creative uses of the Internet are
made by Chinese netizens? Does the Internet
serve as an alternative media that meets new
challenges of a society in transformation? What
are the different relationships that exist
between the Internet and the so-called
traditional media? How do people interact and
form groups through the Internet and other
information technologies? How do various virtual
communities operate? What is the significance of
virtual communities in the formation of
identities and values for different social groups in China?
What power relations are maintained, challenged
or undermined by the Internet? What
institutional, social and cultural experiments
are being conducted on the Internet that can
enlighten our imagination of a just form of social organization?
Paper Submission
We welcome proposals of quantitative,
qualitative and critical studies from all
disciplines. Panel proposals are welcome too.
Both English and Chinese proposals will be
considered. We assume that the language of
proposal will also be the language of
presentation. Preference will be given to papers
and panels that significantly advance
understanding of the role and impact of the
Internet and associated technologies in China,
including advancing theoretical understandings,
methodological approaches, and sophistication of
analysis. A proposal of approximately 1000
English words or Chinese characters is due by
Jan. 15, 2010. Submissions should be sent to Dr.
Wang Weijia at (wwj /at/ pku.edu.cn) and Dr. Wang Xiuli
at (xiuli.wang /at/ pku.edu.cn). Accepted papers will
be announced on February 15, 2010. Completed
papers should be submitted by April 24, 2010.
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