“Manuel Castells The Information Age Trilogy has been one of the most influential works to understand the societal change in the awake of the digital revolution of the last decades. It is, as Frank Webster (2002: 97) points out, one of “the most illuminating, imaginative and intellectually rigorous account of the major features and dynamics of the world today”. The theory of the network society developed in these books “open[ed] up new perspectives on a word reconstituting itself around a series of networks strung around the globe on the basis of advanced communication technologies” (Stalder, 2006: 1). Indeed, the work of Manuel Castells has influenced a generation of scholars, shaped a research agenda and has got important repercussions beyond academia (Bell, 2007).

Yet, more than two decades after the launch of his theory, the network society and the information age have been developing at a faster pace that anyone suspected in terms of: socio-technological and economic transformation (e.g. platform capitalism, sharing economy, robotization, algorithmic driven society, artificial intelligence and IoT, etc.), power geometries, new identities and socio-political contestation (e.g. populism, indignados, gilet jaunes, alt-right, technopolitics, buen vivir, #meetoo, LGBTIQ, black-lives-matters, youth for climate change, etc.) and new geopolitics and geographies of inequality and power (the rise of China as global power, multipolarity, the emergence of the Global South, the uneven impact of environmental crises, etc.).

At the same time, during the last decades a number of theoretical and epistemological trends have developed or consolidated in the social sciences that can be read as either influenced by or challenging the Trilogy position. Among others, the rise of network theories, mobilities paradigm, communication and power theory, technopolitics, post-colonialism or the relation between digital societies and nature.

In this regard, as 2021 will mark the 25th anniversary of the publication of the first volume of Manuel Castells’, it is time to revisit the trilogy and explore the relevance of Castells’ pioneering work in the light of the current state of the network society and of the ways to research about it. Thus, our aim is to gather together scholars from a wide range of disciplines – Including Castells himself – to engage with the Trilogy and debate on its contributions, legacies but as well shortcomings and new developments not envisioned at the time of its launch to try to develop a critical perspective on future trajectories of the network society and the information age.

We welcome contributions that sympathetically and/or critically engage with the Trilogy in any theoretical, methodological or empirical topic around the contemporary developments of the network society. Examples of areas and themes that we would like to discuss (but are not limited to) are:

• Information, data, datafication and the (new) sources of economic value;
• Networks, space-times, economy and society;
• Contesting the network society power configurations: politics, social movements and new identities;
• The network society in the world: uneven geographies and geopolitics of the information age;
• The Trilogy of the Network Society in front of the new turns in social sciences;
• The influence on the epistemic communities either geographically (e.g. Latin America, Europe, Asia…) or disciplinary (Sociology, media, geography, STS…).

Important dates

Workshop: Barcelona, 10-11 June 2020

• 23/06/2019 → Abstract submission. 500 words + up to 5 keywords
  Submit your proposals to [email protected]
• 23/07/2019 → Communication of abstract acceptance
• 20/3/2020 → Full paper submission: 5.000 – 8.000 words (mandatory). Papers will be the basis for the comments and discussion during the workshop. They will be submitted to a special issue / edited book

Practical Information

Confirmed keynote speakers:

• Prof. Manuel Castells (Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, University of Southern California)
• Prof. Fernando Calderón (FLACSO, Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Nacional San Martín Argentina) 
• Prof. Ida Susser (The City University of New York) 
• Prof. John Thompson (University of Cambridge)

The workshop is free of charge. Food will be provided at the conference for presenters. Accommodation and transportation are not included. 

The workshop presentations should be the basis for a special issue in an international peer-review journal by 2021 to discuss the work of Manuel Castells in the 25th anniversary of the launch of the first volume.

 Organization Committee (IN3)

• Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol
• Ramon Ribera-Fumaz
• David Megías

 Organization

This workshop is organized by the IN3 – Internet Interdisciplinary Institute, Open University of Catalonia. The workshop constitutes a central part of the IN3’s 20th anniversary.”

Further info and queries: [email protected]

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“Our aim is to promote real freedom, equality and human flourishing. We are a team of researchers from various disciplines looking to develop this project in collaboration with researchers in relevant fields – but particularly with those working within political philosophy, critical theory, heterodox political economy, sociology, and geography.

Work is at the core of modern society. However, the nature and function of work is continually changing. Currently we see accelerated changes occurring as the result of political, economic, social, and especially technological developments. Through collaborative conscious research we aim to:

1. Diagnose the developing crises of work in all of its facets.
2. Propose solutions and generate ideas adequate to a future society and organisation of work that is free, equitable and just.

We believe that in order to face the new challenges that technology and the global economy pose to our working lives, we cannot draw on out-dated analyses or put forward traditional responses: the state of work today requires new thinking on the ground that seeks concrete and progressive solutions. We see the reorganisation of work and society as an opportunity for us to propose programs and policy for a more autonomous world. We seek cutting-edge empirical and theoretical expertise from different disciplines – political economy, philosophy, cultural studies, sociology, robotics and beyond – in order to build alternative models. To that end, Autonomy is a laboratory for new ideas and a platform for innovation on the issue of work.

We are opening a call for abstracts for papers on topics around work – critiques of its present and/or speculations as to its future. The paper should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words, be referenced according to the Chicago referencing system (footnotes: bibliography) and come with a short abstract. The deadline for abstracts is May 15th, please submit the abstract to: [email protected]

Topics could include, but are not limited to:

– Individual case studies of work

– Specific policy proposals on work

– Technologies of social reproduction

– Classes, mobility, and work

– Migration, labour markets and work

– Racial and gendered divisions of labour

– International/comparative political economy of work

– Histories of the philosophy of work

– Theories of value and work

– Classical economic debates about work

– Contemporary legal issues with work

– Lessons and limits of automation

– Dashboards and surveillance at work

– Political economy of a post-work society

– Designs and proposals for a post-work world

– The future of industrial and employment relations

– Unions and their future

– Debates about universal basic income

– The culture and ethics of work

– The architecture of the workplace

If your abstract is accepted, the full paper will be published through our monthly research publication, advertised via our social media channels and, depending on the case, via press releases for the news media.

Any queries, please email: [email protected]”

Photo by a.dombrowski

The post Autonomy Institute: A new research platform (CFP) appeared first on P2P Foundation.

The selection of the papers for publication will be done by the editors of this special issue: Alexander Hamedinger (Assistant Professor, Centre of Sociology, Department of Spatial Planning) and Lukas Franta (Assistant, Centre of Sociology, Department of Spatial Planning).

Full papers (4.000-8.000 words) will undergo a double-blind peer review process.

“In context of the economic and financial crisis, which is profoundly reshaping Europe and its Cities and Regions, alternative forms of social and economic organisation are increasingly discussed in urban and regional research and practice. Particularly commons are (again) hotly debated as an alternative way to organize the production, distribution and consumption of certain resources. Recently, a number of urban, regional as well as planning studies have been devoted to the analysis and evaluation of commons in spatial development, using a range of different theoretical rationales. These include amongst others research inspired by the pioneering work of Elinor Ostrom to theories which deviate from methodological individualism e.g. more political-economic (David Harvey) and sociologically coined strands of thought. Commoning basically means the processes and practices of collectively self-regulating the production and/or distribution and/or consumption of resources, often with the aim of improving social cohesion and solidarity in societies. From a planning perspective commons are often interpreted as a new way of steering and coordinating collective action between state and market, of improving the efficiency of production and consumption of environmental resources, facilitating the accessibility of basic goods and services, empowering of local residents, improving social cohesion through building social capital or strengthening citizens’ participation in planning projects. However, they also are described more critically as part of a neoliberal spatial development or as niche product for a small urban elite.
This special issue wants to contribute to this discourse through critically reflecting on the potentials and challenges of commons and commoning practices mainly in the space- and planning-related fields of housing, public space and regional food. It welcomes theoretically and empirically as well as practice-focused/-oriented papers; contributions are welcome from across the social sciences and the application of different scientific angles to explain commons in urban and regional development is encouraged, e.g. economics, sociology, political science, geography, spatial planning, development studies, feminist studies, community studies or law.
The papers should address some of the following questions in the context of commons in housing, public space or local/regional food systems:

• Spatiality of Commons: How is spatiality constructed through commoning and collective action?
• Governance of the Commons: which actors and regulatory systems are characteristic for which action field of commoning?
• Legitimation of Commoning: who benefits from commoning practices? Who is included in/excluded by these practices?
• Contextualisation of Commons: which factors are influencing success or failure of commons?
• Planning and Commoning: how is state-led spatial planning related to commoning in urban and regional development?
• Commons and the city region: how do commoning practices influence economic and social relations between city and region?
• Added value of Commons: how do commons contribute to achieve the goals of social cohesion and environmental protection in spatial development? How can commons contribute to alter local and regional economic and social structures?
• Financing of Commons: Where do monetary and nonmonetary resources in commons come from, how is their internal and external exchange organized, and which provisions are taken to ensure long-term financial sustainability?”

The timetable for this special issue is:

• Aug 9, 2016 – Deadline for the submission of abstracts
• Sep 9, 2016 – Notification of acceptance, invitation for full papers
• Dec 9, 2016 – Deadline for submission of full papers start of review process
• Feb 2017 – End of review process information for authors
• April 7, 2017 – Final deadline for revised papers
• June 2017 – Publication (open access and print)

Photo by denisbin

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1. What is Design for the Next? and
2. What is the ‘Next’ focus for Design?

Conference theme

“Contemporary shifts in society, technology, production are reframing design processes, approaches and tools. While professionals, educators and researchers are questioning the next stage of innovation, design is evolving as a wide open field with many applications and meanings. More than ever it is important to investigate through design research and practice in order to tackle the societal, technological and industrial shifts of the future. The 12th EAD Conference is hosted by Sapienza University of Rome in Italy, and it will foster discussion among designers, academics and experts about the articulated scenario of contemporary design and its perspectives, with intent to nurture diversity and interdisciplinarity.

‘Design for Next…’ is the title and topic of the Conference: ‘Next’ implies the concept of proximity as well as of destination, related to time and to physical space. The conference seeks to discover future fields of investigation in design, as well to discover and to connect the space and the people who share common interests in design research.

We invite contributions from professionals, academics and students to address the following questions with their own research, projects and experiences: What is Design for the Next? And what is the ‘Next’ focus of Design?

The Conference is organized into 9 parallel tracks in order to address 9 wide fields of Design for Next… Aesthetics | Economy | Education | Environment | Health | Industry | Society | Technology | Thinking. Each track will center around a keyword to engage and tackle the different fields of Design research and practice. Together, in this process, we will draw the big picture of Next Design…

Key Dates

• Aug 15, 2016 – Deadline for Paper Abstract
• Sep 15, 2016 – Notification of acceptance of Paper Abstract
• Nov 15, 2016 – Deadline for Full Paper, Poster and Workshop
• Jan 15, 2017 – Notification of acceptance of Full Paper, Poster and Workshop
• April 12-14, 2017 – Design for Next Conference

General information

– The language of the conference is English and all submissions must be in English.

– A double blind peer review process will be used both for abstracts and full papers.

– Initial submissions must be anonymous and must not contain the name(s) of the author(s) or any reference to their affiliation. This information must be included only in the camera-ready paper after the full paper acceptance notification.

– Proceedings will be published digitally with an ISBN by Taylor and Francis and best papers will be included in a Special issue of Design Journal.

– Submissions will be published in the proceedings if (at least one of) the authors register to the conference to present the work.

– Submissions of proposals are to be made through the Conference Management System, where registered authors will have access to the evaluations of their works. For more information and a link to the conference management system, please click on the ‘SUBMIT!’ button provided on the conference website (designfornext.org).

– Submissions that do not comply with the submission rules will be excluded from the evaluation process and proceedings publication.”

Additional information on this call for proposals can be found here.

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The smart city discourse has become a ‘used future’. It is spouted by consultants and tech advocates, but it does not seem to have much humanity, nor does it include a critical understanding of sustainability and civic engagement.

Inspired by Michel Bauwens in his recent trip to Melbourne, I am putting together a policy advocacy paper to explore and promote the vision for a ‘city as commons’.

The paper will bring together specialists and advocates in a range of area, including: tax policy, co-working, co-ops, food production/consumption, peri-urbanism, sharing, political space, place-making, cultural diversity, de-gentrification, anticipatory governance, social enterprise and making / industry (to name a few). Overall about 20 authors can be accepted in this first round.

The intention is to bring together a sample of diverse city commoning visions and practices, that can give policy makers concrete pathways when conceiving of public policy.

This is an ‘idea leadership consortium’ that is intended to bring advocates, specialists and activists together specifically to develop short policy statements that outline ‘city as a commons’ visions, and the policies that support those visions.

The paper will offer a competing and more progressive vision to the ‘smart city’ vision, one that helps legitimate ‘city as commons’ ideas within the domain of civic public policy. The policy think paper can provide clear pathways toward ‘partner state’ ideas promoted by Bauwens and others in the context of civic development, toward public-p2p commons partnerships.

Each contributor will develop a one page overview (only!!) of the area of ‘city as commons’ they want to develop. The reason to limit this to a page is to make it succinct and readable to policy makers.

Policy makers should be able to quickly scan through and find relevant subject areas that can provide them with new ideas. As such it is a plain language publication, it will not be written in an academic style.

The ‘policy think paper’ will be professionally formatted with artwork, in a contemporary and attractive style.

It will be licensed creative commons and allow non-commercial use and circulation.

Expectations for authors

• Each contribution will be one page detailing a specific civic area “x and city commons”.
• Written in plain language, no in text citations, but with use of endnote links.
• Authors can add specialist terms to a glossary section.
• Authors can add exemplar projects from around the world, located in an appendix. This will provide a space where leading examples can be pointed to.
• Timely production of drafts and edits.

The policy paper will be logo-free, meaning that no company logos associated with authors can be included. This is to remove elements of marketing, and for authors to speak personally as advocates and experts promoting the vision for city as commons. This includes the editors. However, there will be an ‘about the authors’ section at the end where authors can name their associations (companies, businesses, social enterprises, etc.).

The timeline for publication

It does not take long to draft a one page document, therefore I want to work on a fast cycle timeline, and would like the one page document from authors by the end of January 2016. From then I will give feedback within the first week of Feb. and will expect final drafts by the end of Feb. 2016. The publication date should be the end of March 2016.

Feedback

As a starting point I am seeking feedback on this proposal. If you have ideas you would like to share, or would like to contribute, please contact me.

The post Proposal for Public Policy Paper: “From Smart Cities to Smart Citizens: City as a Commons” appeared first on P2P Foundation.

We are witnessing today a steady growth in the impact of user-generated content and peer-production on the so-called sharing or collaborative economy. These emergent practices are an indicator of radical changes in the mode of production in an age of ‘prosumerism’, characterized by two main trends. On the one hand, corporations such as Google, Uber or Facebook are capturing the value created by the actors contributing to the collaborative economy, in a way that has been described by some scholars as an exploitation of free labour. On the other hand, projects such as Wikipedia or GNU/Linux are emblematic of a new model of production that relies on the contribution of many individuals collaborating to a collective project that is not owned by any given entity but rather by the community as a whole (Commons-Based Peer Production or CBPP). These individuals organise themselves without relying on traditional hierarchical and mercantile organisational structures, to produce a set of commons resources which are made freely available to the public for use and reuse. In the last few years, CBPP has expanded beyond the field of software and encyclopedias to also cover the realms of information (OpenStreetMap, Wikihow), hardware (FabLabs, Open Source Ecology), accommodation (Couchsurfing, BeWelcome) and currency (Bitcoin, Altcoins).

The concept of decentralisation is a key requisite for the protection of these commons — from their governance system, including the allocation of power and functions in the organisation of labour; to the characteristics of the socio-technical means of collaboration, in terms of both the underlying technical infrastructure and the ownership structure of such infrastructure. Despite the original design of the Internet as a decentralized network, with the advent of the Web 2.0, centralized (and often proprietary) platforms — typically driven by corporate interests — have progressively taken over the web. These centralized choke-points can be used by governments to increase surveillance (as disclosed by the Snowden revelations), to blackout the Internet (e.g. Egypt, Syria, or San Francisco’s BART), or to restrict the activities of activist organizations (such as Wikileaks). It has now become clear that it is not enough to develop free/libre/open source (FLOSS) alternatives, if we do not as well endeavor to re-decentralize the Internet. New decentralized software tools may ultimately be useful to support the operation and the long-term sustainability of CBPP communities.

In view of this, we organised the second FLOSS4P2P workshop (@Fablab London, supported by P2Pvalue), gathering a wide spectrum of people working on decentralized FLOSS projects that could help or support the activities of peer production communities. Given the success of the workshop, we would like to prepare a book in collaboration with the Institute of Network Cultures (on the model of the former MoneyLab Reader) to explore the topic of decentralisation in the commons sector.

We welcome proposals from academics, activists, researchers and practitioners interested in exploring the topic from a wide set of perspectives, ranging from computer science, engineering, sociology, philosophy, organisational theory, cultural studies, digital studies, etc. Contributions can cover a variety of topics, including tools for grassroots communities, commons-based peer production, both online and offline wikis, maker culture, activism, hacktivism, free culture, citizen science and hospitality exchange. Contributions can take a variety of formats, e.g. a story, a sci-fi tale, a comicstrip, a manifesto, a critical essay, an interview, a study, a poem, a conversation, a debate, a combination of the former… we would like you to experiment and surprise us!

We invite you to submit an initial abstract (max. 750w; count each image as 200w, if any) explaining your idea by January 30, 2016. Examples of possible topics are:

• Dynamics of (de)centralization in CBPP communities
• Decentralized software applications for online/offline communities
• Decentralized solutions to tackle specific communities concerns
• Guidelines for developers and/or researchers
• Comparison of centralized/decentralized processes in CBPP (e.g. decision-making, infrastructure ownership, value generation, value distribution)
• Practical experiences around centralized/decentralized structures (in the form of stories, research, interview, etc.)

The more compelling ideas will be selected to be included in the book.
Please upload your contribution using the following Easychair link:
https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=floss4p2p

If you have further questions about the expected content, format, etc. do not hesitate to let us know. We look forward to hearing about your ideas!

• Primavera De Filippi
• Samer Hassan
• David Rozas

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