Call for papers
China Perspectives / Perspectives Chinoises: Special Feature on Internet Governance in China
Deadline for proposals: 31 July 2014
Edited by Séverine Arsène, Ph.D.
chief editor of China Perspectives
The exponential increase of Internet connectivity in China has generated a great deal of journalistic and scholarly works, which have essentially documented the emergence of the Internet as an unprecedented, though censored, platform for public expression. Analyses have focused on the emergence of online public opinion, youth popular cultures, online dissent and civil society organizations, as well as their interactions with the authorities and the media. Much attention has been paid to censorship and propaganda.
Much less is known, however, about the more diversified forms of power that are embedded in Internet governance, broadly conceived as the incremental conception, implementation, regulation, management and uses of Internet networks and services. Political positions and ideological visions are embedded in technological choices, from the layout of physical networks and routers to the development of applications like search engines or expression platforms. The crafting, implementation and interpretation of regulatory measures are also of crucial importance in framing the users’ agency, and so do business models, funding or pricing issues among other aspects.
These issues are not only in the hands of central and local governments, but also of a variety of more or less independent agencies like registrars, self-regulation associations, private companies, individual developers and hackers. Users, either individually or collectively, also contribute to building the characteristics of the Chinese Internet, as they may adopt or not online services, complain about particular features or even use them in a way that was not foreseen by the developers or regulators. In other words, these various aspects of Internet governance offer insights on the complex and often ambiguous (power) relationships between the local and central government, private actors and Chinese citizens.
It is all the more important to further document these aspects as China has become more assertive on the global stage, and now strives to push Chinese interests through technological standards, economic and cultural domination and global Internet governance schemes. As a result, Chinese positions carry increasing weight on such global issues as net neutrality, copyright, privacy, or freedom of speech, to mention but a few.
China Perspectives thus plans to publish a special feature on Internet governance in China, which will cover these aspects from a multidisciplinary perspective, including law, political science, political economy, political sociology, communication, or international relations.
Contributions are welcome on such topics as:
– the political and ideological foundations of Internet development in China
– the political stakes of technological choices
– the central / local relationship within the Chinese administration and Internet service providers
– the role of businesses
– the political economy of the Internet in China
– the motivations and stakes of the Chinese positions on global Internet governance
– innovative usage of Internet services, apps etc.
– the maker / hacker movement and its role in the development of the Chinese Internet
(list not exhaustive)
In conformity with China Perspectives‘ editorial policy, papers should be rigorous, original contributions to their respective disciplines, while providing readable insights on contemporary China for the general public and scholars from other scientific backgrounds. Submissions are particularly welcome from researchers at an early stage of their careers.
Format of submissions:
Full name, title and institutional affiliation
Contact details
800-1000 words abstract
Submissions must be sent to Séverine Arsène. Upon acceptation, full papers of 8000 words shall be written according to China Perspectives’ Style guide.
Timeline:
31 July 2014: deadline for proposals
15 August 2014: notification of accepted contributions
01 December 2014: deadline for full papers
Expected publication date: Summer 2015
All full papers will need to pass the double blind peer-review process. Final acceptance of papers cannot be confirmed until their validation by both peer-reviewers and the editorial committee.
About the editor:
Séverine Arsène holds a Ph.D in political science from Sciences Po, Paris. Her work focuses on Internet uses and Internet governance in China. She is currently a researcher at CEFC and chief editor of China Perspectives. She previously held positions at Georgetown University (Yahoo! Fellow), the University of Lille 3, and France Telecom R&D Beijing.
About the journal:
An interdisciplinary quarterly journal published in both French and English, China Perspectives provides insightful analysis of the latest political, economic, social and cultural trends in the Chinese world. China Perspectives is an anonymously peer-reviewed academic journal. Its authority is ensured by an editorial board made up of reputed scholars. A serious yet readable journal, China Perspectives has already proven essential for sinologists and Asia analysts, but its broad scope and highly informative articles may be of interest to anyone keen on improving their knowledge about Greater China.
About the CEFC:
The French Centre for Research on Contemporary China (CEFC) is a public research centre with a regional remit (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan,) supported by the French ministry of Foreign Affairs and the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research).
[Original publication: China Perspectives website]
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