[Asis-l] SIGCIS CFP | MEASURE, MODEL, MIX: COMPUTER AS INSTRUMENT | Oct 29, 2017

Tue Jun 6 15:55:35 EDT 2017

*MEASURE, MODEL, MIX: COMPUTER AS INSTRUMENT2017 SIGCIS
Conference**Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania | October 29, 2017*

The Special Interest Group in Computing, Information, and Society [SIGCIS]
welcomes submissions to their annual conference

*Proposal Due Date: June 30, 2017*

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

*Joanna Radin | Department of History, Yale University*

THEME

Computers are instruments of action. They are made to measure, model, and
mix; count and aggregate; save and surveil; pick, parse, and select; and in
a world of embedded systems, they are even designed to listen, wait, and
relay. In many instances, these actions involve the computational
transformation of other social and technological processes—from software
that compiles the census to the suites of code assisting in the digital
manipulation of sound and image. In other cases, computers register and
create information at scales and speeds we have only begun to grasp:
artificial intelligence, machine learning, and “big data” in all its local
forms. And while often leveraged as democratizing, computers have long been
known to amplify structural inequality, map over difference, and jettison
“noise” that cannot be translated into a specific form of information.

Measure, Model, Mix invites scholars and independent researchers across the
disciplinary spectrum to explore the historical conditions of computation.
Areas of engagement may include:

   - How have bureaucratic, scientific, and aesthetic computational
   instruments eroded, produced, and reproduced biopolitical and
   epistemological realities, past and present?
   - How can we analyze the relationships between computing and identity
   categories such as race, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity?
   - What are the historical foundations of computing’s contemporary
   capacity to recognize information?
   - How have cultures, subcultures, political systems and identity groups
   mobilized computational techniques for their own ends?

SIGCIS is especially welcoming of new directions in scholarship. We
maintain an inclusive atmosphere for scholarly inquiry, supporting both
disciplinary and theoretical interventions from beyond the traditional
history of technology, and with respect to promoting diversity in STEM. We
welcome submissions from: histories of technology, computing, and science;
science and technology studies; studies of women, gender, and sexuality;
studies of race, ethnicity, and postcoloniality; film, media, and game
studies; software and code studies; network and internet histories; music,
sound studies, and art history; and all other applicable domains.

The annual SIGCIS Conference begins immediately after the regular annual
meeting of our parent organization, the Society for the History of
Technology [SHOT]. SIGCIS welcomes everyone, inclusive of gender identity
and expression, sexual orientation, ability, age, appearance, race,
nationality or religion. We are committed to fostering a positive,
productive space for all participants.

SUBMISSION FORMATS

SIGCIS welcomes proposals for individual 15-20 minute papers, 3-4 paper
panel proposals, works-in-progress (see below), and non-traditional
proposals such as roundtables, software demonstrations, hands-on workshops,
etc.

WORKS-IN-PROGRESS

We are pleased to announce a new format for the 2017 SIGCIS Works in
Progress (WiP) session. This year, participants will not deliver
presentations on their WiP, and there will not be an audience. Instead, the
session will serve as a workshop wherein participants will discuss the
works in small group sessions.

We invite works in progress—articles, chapters, dissertation
prospectuses—of 10,000 words or less (longer works must be selectively
edited to meet this length). We especially encourage submissions from
graduate students, early career scholars, and scholars who are new to
SIGCIS. Authors who submit a WiP will also commit to reading (in advance)
two other WiPs, discussing them in a very small group setting, and
providing written feedback on one of those WiPs. Scholars who would like to
participate in this session without submitting their own WiP are certainly
welcome; we ask that they commit to reading (in advance) at least two of
the WiPs.

Submissions for WiP only require a 350-400 word abstract, but applicants
should plan to circulate their max-10,000-word WiPs no later than October
8, 2017. Scholars who would like to be a reader of WiPs, please email a
brief bio or 1-page CV, along with your areas of interest and expertise, to
Gerardo Con Diaz [condiaz at ucdavis.edu].

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE

Submissions are due June 30, 2017. Applicants should download, fill out and
follow the instructions on the application cover sheet at
http://meetings.sigcis.org/call-for-papers.html. All submissions will
require:

   - 350-400 word abstract (full panel proposals should additionally
   include a 300-word panel abstract in addition to 3-4 paper abstracts)
   - 1-page CV or resume

Please Note: Individuals already scheduled to participate on the main SHOT
program are welcome to submit an additional proposal to our workshop, but
should make sure that there is no overlap between the two presentations.
However, SIGCIS may choose to give higher priority to submissions from
those not already presenting at SHOT. Questions regarding submission
procedure should be sent to Kera Allen [kera.allen at gatech.edu].

TRAVEL AWARD

The top financial priority of SIGCIS is the support of travel expenses for
graduate students, visiting faculty without institutional travel support,
and others who would be unable to attend the meeting without travel
assistance. The submission cover sheet includes a box to check if you fall
into one of these categories and would like to be considered for an award.
These is no separate application form, though depending on the volume of
requests and available resources we may need to contact you for further
information before making a decision.

Any award offered is contingent on registering for and attending the SIGCIS
Conference. Please note that SHOT does not classify the SIGCIS Conference
as participation in the SHOT annual meeting, therefore so acceptance by
SIGCIS does not imply eligibility for the SHOT travel grant program.

Details of available awards are at *http://www.sigcis.org/travelaward*
<http://www.sigcis.org/travelaward>.

*SIGCIS CONFERENCE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE*
Laine Nooney <http://www.lainenooney.com/>, Georgia Institute of
Technology (SIGCIS Vice-Chair of Meetings)
Andrew Russell <http://www.arussell.org/>, SUNY Polytechnic
Institute (SIGCIS Chair)
Stephanie Dick <https://hss.sas.upenn.edu/people/stephanie-dick>,
University of Pennsylvania
Gerardo Con Diaz <https://www.condiaz.com/>, University of California, Davis
Joy Rankin <http://joyrankin.com/>, Michigan State University
Kera Allen
<https://hts.gatech.edu/people/person/e2f55e07-937a-571a-a4f8-c32c87fef19d>,
Georgia Institute of Technology (Conference Assistant)
Nabeel Siddiqui <http://nabeelsiddiqui.net/>, College of William and Mary
(Conference Assistant)