Etnografia

Visions of Humanity in Cyberculture, Cyberspace and Science Fiction

Sunday 11th July 2010 – Tuesday 13th July 2010
Mansfield College, Oxford, United Kingdom

Call for Papers
This inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary project aims to explore what it is to be human and the nature of human community in  cyberculture, cyberspace and science fiction. In particular, the project will explore the possibilities offered by these contexts for creative thinking about persons and the challenges posed to the nature and future  of national, international, and global communities.

Papers, short papers, and workshops are invited on issues related to any of the following themes;

* the relationship between cyberculture,cyberspace, science fiction
* cyberculture, cyberpunk and the near future: utopias vs. dystopias
* science fiction and cyberpunk as a medium for exploring the nature of persons
* humans and cyborgs; the synergy of humans and technology; changing views of the body
* human and post-human concepts in cyber arts and cinema
* bodies in cyberculture; from apes to androids – electronic evolution; biotechnical advances and the impact of life, death, and  social existence
* artificial intelligence and biomedia: self-organization as a cultural logic
* gender and cyberspace: new feminisms, new masculinities
* electronic persons, community and identity; cyberspace, cybercommunities, virtual worlds
* videogames and its impact on science fiction
* digital culture and interactive storytelling
* old messages, new medium: cyberspace and mass communication
* nature, enhancing nature, and artificial intelligence; artificial life, life and information systems, networked living
* human and post-human politics; cyborg citizenship and rights; influence of political technologies
* cyberpolitics, cyberdemocracy, cyberterror; old conflicts, new spaces: elections, protest and war in cyberspace
* the state and cyberspace: repression vs. resistance
* boundaries, frontiers and taboos in cyberculture
* religion and spirituality in cyberculture
* technology vs. the natural? cyberculture
and the green movement

The Steering Group welcomes the submission of pre-formed panel proposals. 300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 15th January  2010. If an abstract is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be submitted by Friday 28th May 2010.

300 word abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to both Organising Chairs; abstracts may be in Word, WordPerfect, or RTF
formats with the following information and in this order:
a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) email address, d) title of abstract, e) body of abstract.

Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using footnotes and any special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold,  italics or underline). We acknowledge receipt and answer to all paper proposals submitted. If you do not receive a reply from us in a week you  should assume we did not receive your proposal; it might be lost in cyberspace! We suggest, then, to look for an alternative electronic route or resend.

Joint Organising Chairs
Daniel Riha
Charles University
Prague, Czech Republic
E-mail: rihad@inter-disciplinary.net

Rob Fisher
Network Founder and Network Leader
Inter-Disciplinary.Net
Priory House, Freeland, Oxfordshire OX29 8HR
United Kingdom
E-mail: visions5@inter-disciplinary.net

For further details about the project please visit:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/cyber/visions-of-humanity/