[Sigifp-l] Fwd: [ciresearchers] Prato 2011 Community Informatics Conference--Call to Papers, Presentations, Ideas

[M.J. Menou]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	[ciresearchers] Prato 2011 Community Informatics
Conference--Call to Papers, Presentations, Ideas
Date: 	Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:37:06 +1100
From: 	Larry Stillman <larrys at fastmail.fm>
Reply-To: 	ciresearchers at vancouvercommunity.net, "Larry Stillman"
<larrys at fastmail.fm>
To: 	ciresearchers at vancouvercommunity.net,
communityinformatics at vancouvercommunity.net



*"To measure or not to measure: that is the question" **( attributed to
a lost work of William Shakespeare)**
**
*
CIRN Confernece - 9-11 November 2011, Monash Centre Prato, Italy
*cirn.wikispaces.com/prato2011*
*(please forward to colleagues and lists)*
Call to Papers
We are seeking submissions from academics, practitioners and PhD
students for a conference at the Monash University Centre, Prato Italy
(near Florence). The Centre for Community Networking Research, Monash,
in conjunction with the Community Informatics Research Network, has held
many highly successful events since 2003 in Prato, as well as associated
workshops over the years, in the UK, France, and Portugal. The
conference is a great opportunity for exchanging ideas in an Italian
environment, and a wonderful chance for PhD students to get feedback on
their work.
This year is the 10th Anniversary of the Monash Prato Centre, and this
conference is a special event.
Community Informatics is the theory and practice of empowering
communities with information and communication technologies. There is a
widespread expectation that Community Informatics will cultivate civic
intelligence, enhance democracy, develop social capital, build
communities, spur economies and empower individuals and groups, and
result in many different forms of positive social change. Community
Informatics, in bringing together communities and technologies, works
across at least three dimensions, though there may be others which are
relevant.
* The Context and Values held by different stakeholders in Community
Informatics
* The Processes and Methodologies which are brought to bear in Community
Informatics enterprises
* The Systems (both technical and social) which influence Community
Informatics and those which Community Informatics influences
The question of measurement kept coming at CIRN 2010 as it has at other
other conferences in the past. Everyone struggles with how to develop,
measure and justify social-technical outcomes to different audiences.
The conference is intended to explore the issue in all its complexity
and /or simplicity, from grounded practice, to policy and high level
theorizing.
The concept of measurement, linked concepts of validity, truth and
exactitude have been hallmarks over discussions over the nature of
research in both traditional scientific, quantitative research, as well
in the social sciences. Thus, the attempts of the Vienna Circle in the
1920s to develop a universal theoretical framework which could express
all scientific propositions in a logical manner came under attack for
its positivist and flawed understanding of the complexities of human
reality. Not everything is logical and rational, and in the social
sphere, non-predictability, and the use of open forms of language to
create and describe activity are fundamentally different to scientific
activity (Winch). In addition, the tradition of nineteenth century
social science also came under the thrawl of a methodology drawn from
the experimental sciences, and this has been subject to considerable
controversy.
While some consider all forms of measurement and truth to be cultural
constructs, others take the view that there are certain axioms that can
be accepted for particular forms of endeavour. Or others argue that
there are no axioms and 'truth' is relative, and that talk of 'science'
may even be voodoo (Feyerabend) or that communities of research develop
paradigmatic ways of thinking that are challenged and develop into new
paradigms (Kuhn).
Culturally, the public sphere, and political and agency funding and
evaluation appears to be strongly affected by a scientific paradigm:
that most effects are objectively definable and measurable, and this
form of analysis of effect should be given a priority as a form of
'truth'. Of course, the reality of project research, grounded in the
interaction between communities and technology is often very different.
However, interpretive and qualitative research is often greeted with a
certain scepticism or qualification, based upon a belief in that the
only truth that is acceptable is that which is 'verifiable'. This, of
course, is a familiar story for all disciplines which use interpretive
research in its encounters with strong beliefs in such things as
objectivity and absolute measurability.
In order to contribute to an open discussion on this topic, please also
see this page
How do we deal with this problem?
* What methods do we use to convince people that 'reality' is quite
complex else, and qualitative work can be strongly indicative of
particular effects?
* For those who do use quantitative and mixed methods in Community
Informatics, how do you work to incorporate the unpredictable, the
measurable and non-measurable in your work?
* What are the different theories concepts and audiences for measurement
that you work with?
* Is measurement static or evolving?
* In the world of practice, does it really matter?
* What bodies of theory are most relevant in working through these problems?
* What are strategies to win the academic, funder, and policy argument?
* How can your project or research contribute to this discussion?
We welcome refereed papers, practitioner papers, speculative papers,
poster sessions, and PhD presentations for the conference, as well as
workshop proposals. There will also be a session devoted to ideas and
project exchanges.
As well, contributions from all areas of Community Informatics or
Development Informatics are sought.
Keynotes
In order to provide us with guidance, and possibly the measured truth on
these matters, the conference will feature two excellent keynotes.
*Dr Andy Williamson, Hansard Society, UK*. Andy has led the Hansard
Society’s Digital Democracy Programme since January 2008.. He has an
extensive background in research and consultancy relating to digital
media and social policy, with a focus on digital engagement, digital
inclusion and broadband. Andy holds a PhD from Monash University,
Australia in which he developed a model for emergent eDemocracy in local
government. Andy was previously Managing Director of a New Zealand-based
research and consultancy company focussing on policy and strategy
relating to information and communications technology and has been the
inaugural Director of a research centre, where he headed projects in
community informatics and ICT for development. Andy has held numerous
public and private board positions, is the former Deputy Chair of the
New Zealand Government's Digital Strategy Advisory Group and advisor to
a number of governmental and parliamentary agencies. An internationally
respected writer and presenter, Andy is well known as a thought leader
on eDemocracy.
*Professor Geoff Walsham* worked for four years as an operational
research analyst at BP Chemicals before taking up academic posts in
operational research and then information systems. He has extensive
international experience having worked as a teacher, researcher or
consultant in over 25 countries in Europe, the Americas, Africa and
Asia. He was part of the senior management team for the
telecommunications company Analysys during its start-up and early growth
phases. Professor Walsham has also held university management posts
including being Director of the Cambridge MBA. He has wide editorial
experience, having been a Senior Editor of both MIS Quarterly and
Information Systems Research, and he is currently an editorial board
member of a number of other academic journals. Geoff is the author of
many highly respected articles about the nature of research, including
Walsham, (2006) "Doing interpretive research." European Journal of
Information Systems, 15(3): 320-330.
Key Dates
* Call for papers & proposals. Expressions of interest up to 500 words
via conference website. System up and Running early March 2011
* Acceptance/modification/ rejection notices 1 April 2010
* Full papers and abstracts for all streams due 1 June 2010
* Papers in the peer review section reviewed by 15 August.
* Referee reports to participants by 15 August 2010
* Final version of papers, based on peer review and program committee
decisions due 15 September 2010
* Conference proceedings CD Available at the conference
* Registrations Available from 1 July
For further details (costs, travel, committee etc, see
http://cirn.wikispaces.com/prato2011)
*
*
*Inquiries to prato2011 AT fastmail DOT fm .*



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