[ecrea] CFP "Weber and the Digital Divide"

Digital participation & political life are two possible topics for this CFP.
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16 days left to submit an abstract for a Special Section on "Weber and the
Digital Divide: Class, Status, and Power in the Digital Age"



*Call for Proposed Abstracts for a Special Section on*

*"Weber and the Digital Divide: Class, Status, and Power in the Digital
Age"*

*International Journal of Communication -** http://ijoc.org
<http://ijoc.org/> *

*Special Editors: Massimo Ragnedda, Northumbria Univ. **(UK) & Glenn W.
Muschert, Miami Univ. (USA)*

Much of the literature on stratification in the digital sphere (i.e.,
digital divides) has focused on the fundamental material relations of
inequality present in the digital divide, often relying on Marxist/conflict
schools of thought.  To broaden the scope, the current project turns to Max
Weber for new perspectives on stratification in the digital sphere. The
project will stimulate scholarly exchange about how social stratification
in the digital age is reproduced not only based on class dynamics (economic
aspects), but also by status/prestige (cultural aspects), and in group
affiliations (political aspects). Access to the economic means of
production can indeed limit digital participation; however, Weber also
posits that the process of stratification expresses itself in two other
forms, namely "status" and "party." Potential contributors are invited to
explore the importance of status and political influence in a liquid
society, such as the importance of prestige in digital participation (or
exclusion), or the influence of political affiliation upon digital divides.
Papers may be theoretical and/or analytical in nature, and should examine
digital divides in relation to dynamics social class (lifestyle and
culture), social status (prestige and market influence), and/or power
(political impact/legitimacy). Submissions are welcomed from scholars at
all stages of their careers, and from various relevant disciplines
(sociology, communications, media studies, etc.). Possible topics for
articles include, but are not limited to:



   - Interplay among economic (class), cultural (status), and/or political
   (party) factors of digital divides.
   - The role of digital participation/exclusion on individual and/or group
   life chances.
   - The relevance of skills (digital literacy), certifications, and and
   legitimating credentials in digital divides.
   - The role of status and prestige hierarchies in digital
   participation/exclusion (or vice versa).
   - Cultural meanings (including religious and/or secular value systems)
   and digital divides.
   - Political life (i.e., power relations) and dynamics of digital
   inclusion/exclusion.
   - Bureaucratic/institutional relationships and digital divides.
   - Forms of rationality in the digital (e.g., *Zweckrationalität
*vs. *Wertrationalität
   */ ends vs. means rationality).
   - The influence of worldview (*Weltanschauung) *on digital
   participation/exclusion.

Submissions should be in the form of extended abstracts of around 750 words
in MS Word, sent as an email attachment to Massimo Ragnedda (
(ragnedda /at/ gmail.com)) and Glenn Muschert ((muschegw /at/ MiamiOH.edu)).

*The deadline for submissions is 1 April 2014. *

Abstracts will be judged on criteria of relevance and originality of topic.
Notification of initially-approved abstracts will be announced in
mid-April, after which contributors will be asked to move forward to the
peer-review submission phase.  Contributions of 7000 words (maximum
including abstract, footnotes, tables/figures with captions, references,
and appendices, if any) *will be due 1 July 2014*.  All submissions must
adhere to APA (6th edition) formatting to include:

   - Any endnotes should be converted to footnotes.
   - Authors must include their profile, including affiliation and rank,
   when submitting a manuscript.
   - All articles should include an abstract of 150 words.
   - All articles must include a bibliography at the end that conforms to
   the most current APA style.
   - All spellings must be rendered in American English. To change British
   or Commonwealth spellings to their American equivalents, please see
the *Merriam-Webster
   Unabridged Dictionary*.
   - Only one submission per author will be considered at a time.

Contributions will be subject to double-blind peer review, and to encourage
coherence in the special section, all contributors will be requested to act
as a peer reviewer for at least one other article. After all necessary
revisions and editing, the special section is scheduled to publish in 2015.



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