[URBANTH-L]CFP: Workshop on Surveillance and Inequality (Tempe, Arizona)

Angela Jancius jancius at ohio.edu
Sat Oct 28 13:10:20 EDT 2006


From: Torin Monahan <torin.monahan at asu.edu>

OPEN CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
Workshop on Surveillance & Inequality
March 16-18, 2007; Arizona State University; Tempe, Arizona, USA


This workshop will bring together a multi-disciplinary and international 
array of scholars studying the social implications of contemporary 
surveillance with a particular interest in questions of the public sphere, 
equality, civil liberties, privacy, and fairness.  Currently,  questions 
involving the collection of personal data command the attention of 
policymakers and the general public, both within the U.S. and beyond. 
Surveillance has become a key mechanism employed in both public and private 
sectors to contend with the uncertainty raised by threats of terrorism and 
other criminal activities.  Surveillance is also increasingly important with 
respect to issues of commerce, work, and interpersonal relations.  With 
changes in surveillance technologies and practices, public concerns have 
multiplied about potential encroachments upon privacy, civil liberties, and 
public spaces.  These tensions have not gone unnoticed by social scientists 
and humanities scholars studying surveillance, but thus far - especially in 
the U.S. - there have been few opportunities to bring researchers together 
to discuss the many social issues and inequalities surrounding new 
surveillance systems.

We will hold a three-day workshop in March 2007, centered around issues of 
social justice with regard to surveillance.  The objectives are
to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on contemporary surveillance issues,
to map core areas of surveillance research to locate collaborative 
opportunities and existing research gaps, and
to facilitate graduate student training.

Given the diversity of scholarly interest in and approaches to surveillance, 
the workshop will be structured around discussion themes that individuals 
from any disciplinary background can participate in.  The central organizing 
question will be "What research projects are needed to better understand and 
mitigate inequalities within a surveillance society?"

In order to examine differential experiences of surveillance, the workshop 
will be organized around several thematic areas, including
privacy/trust
citizenship/governance
mobility/identity
power/control
fear/danger
equality/fairness
The findings of the workshops will be disseminated by means of a special 
issue of the journal Surveillance & Society and possibly as an edited book.

Travel stipends, food, and lodging will be provided for all participants. 
Participants will be chosen to provide a balanced representation of both 
junior and senior scholars, disciplinary training, and international 
perspectives.  Graduate students and participants from outside the U.S. are 
especially encouraged to apply.

Potential participants should submit:


A 500-750 word abstract that discusses how your current and/or future 
research fits with the proposed workshop theme of surveillance and 
inequality, and
A two-page curriculum vitae or resume, listing your relevant publications 
and experience.

Deadline: December 15, 2006
Submit materials to: workshop at publicsurveillance.com

We will select and notify participants by January 15, 2007.  For more 
information, please contact Torin Monahan (torin.monahan at asu.edu) or visit 
http://www.publicsurveillance.com/workshop.html. This project is supported 
by the National Science Foundation under grant #0623122 and by the School of 
Justice & Social Inquiry at Arizona State University.

The Workshop Committee
(Torin Monahan, Gary T. Marx, Simon A. Cole, Jill A. Fisher)

Torin Monahan
Assistant Professor
Arizona State University
School of Justice & Social Inquiry
torin.monahan at asu.edu | www.torinmonahan.com 



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