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i think it is a very interesting and important debate to discuss the disciplinary or transdisciplinary status of icts & society research, information systems research, information science, etc. and how the disciplinary boundaries of existing established disciplines (sociology, media and communication studies, information science etc) change due to the rise of icts. this special issue is intended for discussing these questions. so if you guys are interested in reflecting on or renew past debates about information systems, i think it fits well into this issue. personally i think the terms icts and sociey or information society studies are more suited then social informatics because the term informatics is too much bound up with computer science (informatik) as a discipline, but you have researchers from all backgrounds and not only computer scientists who do research in this field. i am not the editor of this special issue, but of the journal that will publish the issue, the special issue editor is celina raffl [log in to unmask], so people interested in contributing should please contact her. overall i think that discussions on the philosophy of science-level about what we as scholars are actually doing in scholarly work and where this work belongs to and which identity it holds or can hold are very much needed. best, christian -- - - - Priv.-Doz. Dr. Christian Fuchs Associate Professor Unified Theory of Information Research Group ICT&S Center University of Salzburg Sigmund Haffner Gasse 18 5020 Salzburg Austria [log in to unmask] Phone +43 662 8044 4823 Personal Website: http://fuchs.uti.at Research Group: http;//www.uti.at Editor of tripleC - Cognition, Communication, Co-Operation | Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society http://www.triple-c.at Fuchs, Christian. 2008. Internet and Society: Social Theory in the Information Age. New York: Routledge. http://fuchs.uti.at/?page_id=40 Mike Cushman schrieb: > Bruce > > I didn't mean to imply that we had solved the problem only that we had > been working hard at it for quite some time (as have many colleagues in > the Science Studies community) and maybe we have failures others can > learn from - and maybe even some partial successes. > > As far as being a discipline IS is not and never can be. It is, like all > newly emergent fields like science studies or climate studies, a field > or domain of study. We can agree a non-exclusive list of interesting > questions and then apply approaches from the discipline of our choice. > > If we are looking for a new name I would rather resurrect Rob Kling's > social infomatics than ICT-and-Society. > > Mike > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bruce Robinson [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > Sent: 15 December 2009 18:51 > To: [log in to unmask]; Cushman,M > Cc: Helen Richardson > Subject: Re: ICTs-and-Society. A new Transdiscipline? > > I too had a sense of deja vu here and was even thinking of rehashing an > old paper about why IS was facing problems in becoming a recognised > discipline for this call. And 10 years after writing that I don't think > those problems have been resolved, certainly not from the point of view > of anyone who doesn't accept the dominant managerialist / positivist > paradigm. > > So I don't think we in IS should be too smug... If the same questions > are being asked about the transdisciplinarity of "ICTs-and-Society", > it's precisely because IS has failed to realise its claims to be *the* > discipline that deals with that field. > > Bruce Robinson > > Information Systems, Organistions and Society Research Centre University > of Salford > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mike Cushman" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Tuesday, December 15, 2009 6:09 PM > Subject: Re: ICTs-and-Society. A new Transdiscipline? > > > While I wish the editors well with their special issue this is hardly a > new transdiscipline. Many people in the Information Systems field have > been grappling with this issue over at least 3 decades. > > Much of the work has bene focussed through an IFIP working group, WG8.2. > Although its title is 'Information Systems and Organizations' its range > has been over IS and society. It has always seen its domain as IS not > ICTs as it resists a techocentric approach. The range of its work can be > seen in the themes of its conferences http://ifipwg82.org/conferences: > Social Exclusion: Societal and Organisational Implications for > Information Systems; Information Systems Research: Relevant Theory and > Informed Practice; Global and Organizational Discourse About Information > Technology; etc. > > The range of interests of IS can be seen in the archive of videos of > seminars held by the IS group at LSE > http://is.lse.ac.uk/newsAndEvents/videoArchive.htm and the work of our > doctoral students > http://is.lse.ac.uk/PhDProgramme/abstractsOfPhDTheses/since1995/ > > Mike > > Mike Cushman [ mailto:[log in to unmask]] > Information Systems and Innovation Group > Department of Management > London School of Economics and Political Science > Houghton Street > London WC2A 2AE > Phone: +44 (0)20 7955 7426 Fax: +44 (0)20 7955 7385 > http://is.lse.ac.uk/ > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Critical Approaches to Information Systems > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Christian Fuchs > Sent: 15 December 2009 08:52 > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: CfP: ICTs-and-Society. A new Transdiscipline? > > apologize for cross-postings > > ************* > > Call for Papers ??? Special Issue of tripleC (http://www.triple-c.at): > ??? > ICTs-and-Society. A new Transdiscipline? > > > Guest Editors: Celina Raffl and Joseph Brenner For inquiries about > potential papers please contact Celina Raffl ([log in to unmask]). > > Deadline for full paper submission: > February 28th, 2010. > > Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have changed our lives > significantly over the last few decades, and they will continue to do > so. ICTs influence the way we live, work, and organize. These changes we > are facing as societies (and as individuals) bear positive and negative > side effects that concern academia as well, since science and research > serve a function in and for society. > > > What kind of academic field do we need to meet the challenges of the > information age? > > Many different research approaches have emerged over the last decades > that aim at explaining, shaping, and forecasting social change related > to an increasing penetration, miniaturization, and convergence of ICTs. > > tripleC suggests the designation of this research area as > ICTs-and-Society to indicate its broad perspective. The term ICTs itself > is broad enough to capture Internet, Web, Web 2.0, Social Media, Social > Networks, new mobile technologies, ambient technologies, etc. Society > too, can refer to society at large, or to certain aspects, of society, > such as economy, ecology, politics, culture, etc., and includes both > individuals and organizations. > > However this research area is defined, and from which disciplinary > background it is viewed, there are several shared problems, since > ICTs-and-Society is not (yet?) an established discipline. ???Disciplines > share central themes, shared terminology with (assumed) common > definitions, a canon of literature considered essential. There are > agreed-on methodologies, theoretical structures, and evaluative criteria > to assess research [...]??? (Baym 2005, 230). Internet or ICT-research > therefore is more like an organization with a core problem. For Shrum > (2005, 274) it is an ???indiscipline??? where ???[e]veryone is welcome, > no matter what your perspective, no matter whom you cite, no matter what > method you choose for your research.??? Researchers such as Hunsinger > (2005), Fuchs (2008), Hofkirchner et al (2007), suggest that > ICTs-and-Society research should be considered as a transdiscipline. > > Transdisciplinarity and Transdisciplines There is still no common > understanding of the term transdisciplinarity, especially regarding > theoretical foundations, methodologies used, or evaluation criteria. > Many scholars agree that transdisciplinary research transgresses not > only disciplinary boundaries, but those of academia in general and thus > should include stakeholders in the research process. > Nevertheless, all acceptations of transdisciplinarity include the > concept of integrative research concept based on cooperation, with > greater or lesser emphasis on theory vs. the pragmatics of > problem-solving. The fact that ???ICTs-and-Society??? involves the > disciplines of information and computer science, economics, sociology > and political science, psychology and philosophy and perhaps more > suggests that ICTs-and-Society is a transdisciplinary field of research > par excellence. > > > The Special Issue of tripleC > In this special issue of tripleC we are seeking answers to the following > questions in the areas of ICTs-and Society and ICTs-and-Society as a > transdiscipline: > - Is ICTs-and-Society a research field? If not, should it be? > - What is current practice and methodology? > - What are the main questions and challenges? > - Which topics does it cover? > - What kind of models of ICTs, Society and Transdisciplines are most > appropriate? > - How can ICTs-and-Society be located in the academic landscape? > - What kinds of interdisciplinary and/or transdisciplinary theory, > empirical research, epistemology, and ethics are needed for ICTs and > Society? > > These questions are not intended to be exclusive, but as suggestions of > topics of general interest. Their answers could lead to a new > understanding of the field as such. It will allow for an assessment of > its future perspectives as well as concerns of how it should emerge. It > will help to answer the question of its possible impact on future > programs, on education of students and early stage researchers. > > In summary, this special issue of tripleC calls for high quality > research papers from any theoretical, professional, or disciplinary > perspective that offer innovative analysis that promote and provoke > further debate about ICTs-and-Society as a subject of study.??? > tripleC ??? Cognition, Communication, Co-operation: > Open Access Journal for a Global Sustainable Information Society > > The tripleC Mission: > The mission of tripleC is to encourage uncommon sense, fresh > perspectives and unconventional ideas, and connect leading thinkers and > young scholars in inspiring reflections. Therefore we ask for papers > that go beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. > > tripleC (http://www.triple-c.at) promotes contributions in an emerging > science of the information age with a special interest in critical > studies following the highest standards of peer review. tripleC accepts > theoretical as well as sound empirical research, literature reviews, or > practice examples. > > Submissions must be formatted according to tripleC???s guidelines > (http://triplec.at/index.php/tripleC/about/submissions#authorGuidelines) > , > make use of APA style, and use the style template > (http://triplec.at/files/journals/1/template-0.dot). Papers should be > submitted online by making use of the electronic submission system > (http://triplec.at/index.php/tripleC/user/register, > http://triplec.at/index.php/tripleC/login). When submitting to the > electronic system, please select ???Special issue on crisis & > communication??? as the journal???s section. > > Issue Co-Editors: > Celina Raffl ([log in to unmask]) and Joseph E. Brenner, Ph.D. > ([log in to unmask]) > > Celina Raffl is research fellow and PhD student at the University of > Salzburg. Her research focus is on free and open source software (F/OSS) > (www.celina.uti.at). > > Joseph E. Brenner has a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University > of Wisconsin. He is member of the International Center for > Transdisciplinary Research (CIRET), Paris and has published a book and > articles dealing with and metaphysics and non-standard logic. > > Deadline for full paper submission: > February 28th, 2010. > > All papers will be reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. The > special issue will be published in autumn 2010. > > Deadline for author notification: > June 30th, 2010. > > > tripleC ??? Cognition, Communication, Co-operation: Open Access Journal > for a Global Sustainable Information Society (http://www.triple-c.at) > promotes contributions within an emerging science of the information age > with a special interest in critical studies following the highest > standards of peer review. > > Submissions must be formatted according to tripleC???s guidelines > (http://triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/about/submissions#authorGuidelines > ), > make use of APA style, and use the style template > (http://triple-c.at/files/journals/1/template-0.dot). Papers should be > submitted online by making use of the electronic submission system > (http://triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/user/register, > http://triple-c.at/index.php/tripleC/login). When submitting to the > electronic system, please select ???Special issue: ICTs and Society ??? > A New Transdiscipline???? at the journal???s section. > > > References: > Baym, Nancy K. (2005). Introduction: Internet Research as It Isn't, > Could Be, and Should Be. The Information Society 21 (4): 229-232. > > Fuchs, Christian (2008.) Introduction to the special issue on ???ICTs > and > Society: PhD Students??? Transdisciplinary Research Projects???. tripleC > 6 > (2) (http:/www.triple-c.at): i ??? viii. > > Hofkirchner, Wolfgang/Christian Fuchs/Celina Raffl/Matthias > Schafranek/Marisol Sandoval/Robert Bichler (2007). ICTs and Society ??? > the Salzburg Approach. Towards a theory for, about and by means of the > information society. ICT&S Research Paper Number ICT&S Center: Salzburg > 3, URL http://icts.sbg.ac.at/media/pdf/pdf1490.pdf. > > Hunsinger, Jeremy (2005). Toward a Transdisciplinary Internet Research. > The Information Society 21 (4): 277-279. > > Shrum, Wesley (2005). Internet Indiscipline: Two Approaches to Making a > Field. The Information Society 21 (4): 273-279. > > ************* > > > _______________________________ > > Mag. Celina Raffl > ICT&S Center, Universit??t Salzburg > > Center for Advanced Studies and Research in Information and > Communication Technologies and Society > > Sigmund-Haffner Gasse 18 > A - 5020 Salzburg > > Tel.: +43/ 662/ 8044 - 4822 > Mail: [log in to unmask] > Web: http://www.icts.sbg.ac.at > _______________________________ > > Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic > communications disclaimer: > http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/planningAndCorporatePolicy/legalandComp > lianceTeam/legal/disclaimer.htm > > > Please access the attached hyperlink for an important electronic communications disclaimer: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/planningAndCorporatePolicy/legalandComplianceTeam/legal/disclaimer.htm > >