We'd like to draw your attention to a forthcoming meeting at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. The closing date for proposals is February 9. As below, please direct inquiries to Laia Jorba at UAB...
Call For Papers
International Workshop
“Citizen Politics: Are the New Media Reshaping Political Engagement?"
Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
Organiser Name Laia Jorba
Telephone +34 93 581 24 74
Email laia.jorba@uab.cat
Venue Convent de Sant Agustí, Carrer Comerç 36, Barcelona
Dates May 29th-30th, 2009 (Opening conference, May 28th)
Proposals (abstract) February 9th, 2009
Resolution February 20th, 2009
Final papers May 1st, 2009
Keynote speakers
Bruce Bimber, Andrew Chadwick, Rachel Gibson, Brian Kreuger, and Caroline Tolbert
Workshop Information
According to many scholars patterns of political engagement have been changing in the last decades: the erosion of traditional forms of involvement, such as voting and membership in political parties, is accompanied by an expansion of participation repertoires, the rise of protest politics and more individualized forms of action. This research seminar will examine whether and how the growing use of new media is related to changing attitudes and participation patterns. Internet use by citizens, parties and organisations may facilitate large scale spread of political information, reduce communication and mobilization costs, modify citizens’ political attitudes and involvement, and introduce new modes of online political participation. Although these benefits of new media are being advanced by many scholars, we still need further work to integrate the online dimension in the conceptualisation of political participation, its explanatory models, and its related normative concerns: What is the role of online resources for traditional political participation? What is the causal process by which Internet use may modify political attitudes? What is (and what is not) online participation? How do we explain it? How important are its implications for democratic politics? We welcome theoretical and empirical papers (particularly if comparative and/or combining different methodologies) addressing the following questions:
a) Conceptualisation of political participation including new repertories and particularly online modes
b) Analysis of the impact of new media on political values, attitudes and offline modes of participation
c) Analysis of the cyber activists’ profiles and characteristics and the new online modes of participation
d) Adaptation of organisations and other political and social actors to new technologies
e) Methodological challenges and opportunities concerning the study of new media and political engagement
More information
See: www.polnetuab.net
Subject to achieving additional funding, small travel grants will be awarded to PhD students