-----Original Message-----
From: Yuwei Lin [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 24 May 2006 11:26
To: undisclosed-recipients
Subject: CFP on FLOSS (a special issue in Science Studies)
(Apologies for cross-posting)
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Call for Papers for a special issue 'Socio-technical Dynamics in the
Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) Social World' in the journal
Science Studies, an Interdisciplinary Journal for Science and Technology
Studies (http://www.sciencestudies.fi/), to be published autumn 2007
Guest Editors:
Yuwei Lin (University of Manchester) & Lars Risan (University of Oslo)
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The development of Free/Libre Open Source Software not only intrigues
computer scientists to review processes and methods in software
engineering, but also stimulates social scientists to look into what
have become a mythical phenomenon of our digital era. Questions around
how distributed groups of individuals work together in an on-line
environment, seemingly without formal ties, to produce high-quality
software that acquire cross-sector acceptance continue to puzzle social
scientists. Over the past years, anthropologists, economist, historians,
lawyers, philosophers, and sociologists have tried to provide various
explanations to the phenomenon of on-line social networking, on-line
collaboration and on-line knowledge creation and sharing (i.e.
common-based peer production). However, the existing body of literature
on FLOSS faces a bottleneck, namely that of lacking a STS-inspired
empirical investigation of the multiplicity of FLOSS-practices. Here, we
try to raise some provocative questions: What kind of questions do
FLOSS-practices and networks pose to STS? And does STS really possess
theoretical tools that are good enough to analyse the FLOSS development?
Might it be that the materiality - and the immateriality - of code needs
theoretical and methodological contributions from other fields in social
sciences such as politics and economics (such as network effects, lock
in and abstract objects)? But then, that challenge is also
bidirectional: How does the theoretical vocabularies and the empirical
methods of STS add something new to the more economical understandings
of FLOSS?
This special issue aims to meet these theoretical and methodological
challenges in both FLOSS and STS studies. It does so by encouraging
research based on qualitative research methodologies and methods. Such a
qualitative inquiry challenges the universally vocal and normative way
of depicting FLOSS culture and practices (e.g. a homogeneous gift-giving
and volunteering culture). The special issue will take a practice-based
view to exploring multiple cultures and practices in developing,
localizing, appropriating, commodifying, customizing FLOSS. The issue
would also like to address the diversity in FLOSS communities through
asking how seemingly global FLOSS culture is translated (un)successfully
into different contexts and locales.
We believe that this issue will demystify several stereotypes and
misunderstandings about FLOSS and shed light on many emerging and
changing cultural and socio-technical practices in our digital society
and knowledge driven economies. Thinking reciprocally, we would also
like to allow peculiar im/materialities of FLOSS practices challenge the
way STS has traditionally dealt with socio-technical networks.
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Instructions to authors
-----------------------
Manuscripts in English in any area relevant to the special issue should
be submitted electronically to the guest editor Yuwei Lin
<yuwei{at}ylin.org> and Lars Risan <lars.risan{at}tik.uio.no>. You will
normally receive an acknowledgement within a few days. Please provide
email addresses for all authors.
Papers, no exceeding 10,000 words including notes, references and
abstract, are accepted in electronic format, with Open Document Text
(.odt) or OpenOffice.org 1.0 Text Document (.sxw) being the preferred
formats (other formats are acceptable by prior arrangement). Files
should not be security protected, and should be anonymised. The editors
reserve the right to make the style of presentation uniform prior to
publication, whilst making every effort not to alter the content of an
article. Paper submission will be acknowledged via email. Subsequent
enquiries concerning paper progress should be made to the guest editor
Yuwei Lin <yuwei{at}ylin.org> and Lars Risan <lars.risan{at}tik.uio.no>.
For details of preparation of the manuscript, see the Science Studies
Journal website
http://www.sciencestudies.fi/?q=authors/#preparationofmanuscripts and
http://www.sciencestudies.fi/authors.
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Important dates
---------------
October 29, 2006: full paper submissions to guest editors.
January 15, 2007: Guest editors and authors complete manuscripts and
round robin referee each other's articles.
February 7, 2007: Guest editors submit a complete set of articles to
Science Studies for review. Science Studies may return articles for
revision if needed before sending to outside referees.
April 25: Deadline for referee reports to be sent back to Science
Studies. Reports and decisions sent to authors and guest editors.
August 22: Final Copy Due
September - October 2007: Layout and proof-reading.
November 2007: Issue goes to press.
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************************************************************************************
Distributed through Cyber-Society-Live [CSL]: CSL is a moderated discussion
list made up of people who are interested in the interdisciplinary academic
study of Cyber Society in all its manifestations.To join the list please visit:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/cyber-society-live.html
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