Call for Papers: Oregon Surveillance Studies Workshop 2023

Oregon Surveillance Studies Workshop 2023

October 13–14, 2023 | University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon (USA)

Conference Theme: Media, Information, and Surveillance

Organized by the Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) and hosted by the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC), with additional support from Oregon State University’s School of Communication.

Conference website: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/ssnoregon2023/

Conference Co-Chairs:

Bryce Newell – University of Oregon
Joshua Reeves – Oregon State University

Theme:

The 2023 Oregon Surveillance Studies Workshop welcomes proposals from scholars across disciplines to workshop works-in-progress papers that focus on issues of surveillance and/in society, with a particular emphasis on scholarship that brings media, communication, or information studies perspectives to these issues. Our broad theme is focused on the interconnections between “Media, Information, and Surveillance.” Proposals that align with the theme of the conference will receive some priority in the selection process. By framing the conference theme around issues of media, information, and surveillance, we hope to foster connections and dialogue about how approaching and understanding emerging surveillance practices and technologies from media studies, communication theory, information science, and critical data studies perspectives can provide new insights or open new directions for surveillance studies research. For example: How can theories, concepts, and approaches from media studies and the information sciences inform how we conceptualize, study, and regulate emerging forms of data-intensive surveillance?

More details:

Over twenty years ago, in 2002, Gary Marx presented his ideas about “the new surveillance” (Marx 2002) in the first issue of Surveillance & Society. Examining the evolution of surveillance practices and their increasing reliance on information technologies, Marx argued that the defining feature of this new surveillance was “the use of technical means to extract or create personal data” (Marx 2002: 12). Much has changed in the intervening years, both in terms of technology and surveillance practices, but this definition continues to apply to new forms of data-intensive surveillance today. At the same time, the transdisciplinary field of surveillance studies has matured over the past two decades, bringing together scholars from a variety of academic disciplines interested in conducting research at the intersections of surveillance and society. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together scholars from the fields of media studies, communication, the information sciences, critical data studies, and related fields to explore how theories, concepts, and ideas from these fields can inform transdisciplinary research and scholarship into the realities, social implications, and regulation of new and emerging surveillance and data-intensive technologies in society.

The Oregon Surveillance Studies Workshop is a discussion-based conference in which each session is dedicated to discussing and providing feedback on a single draft paper. Designated discussants briefly present the paper and provide comments and feedback, after which the author may respond (but does not present or summarize their paper), and then the room is opened for broad discussion amongst, and feedback from, everyone else in attendance. Because of this format, participants are expected to have read papers before the sessions and to actively provide constructive feedback. As such, conference participants have ample opportunities to engage and contribute to the sessions even if they do not workshop a paper (for example, as a discussant who provides commentary and feedback).

The conference will take place over two days and will include both physical and virtual attendance options. We anticipate hosting several sessions of the conference as dedicated or hybrid virtual sessions designed to allow scholars who are not able to easily travel to Oregon the opportunity to participate in at least some of the discussions at the conference. However, not all of the physical sessions of the conference will be streamed virtually, so virtual attendance is likely to provide a much more limited array of attendance options than in-person attendance. Applicants must designate on their initial application whether they are available to attend in person or only remotely. The in-person conference will include face-to-face roundtable discussions on both days of the conference as well as several meals and extended breaks to allow for networking and informal discussions to take place between participants. We anticipate being able to workshop at least 24 papers in person, with several more offered in a virtual format.

Dates and deadlines:

Abstract submission deadline: June 30, 2023
Acceptance/rejection decisions back to authors: July 22, 2023
Registration (early bird) deadline: August 18, 2023
Author/Discussant/Commenter final registration deadline: Sept. 16, 2023
Full drafts of accepted papers due: Sept. 16, 2023 (full drafts not submitted by this date will be withdrawn from the program)*
Conference dates: October 12-13, 2023

*Important note about full drafts: Proposals will be accepted on the basis of abstracts, but full drafts of accepted papers must be submitted in time for discussants and other participants to read and prepare comments as noted below. If authors of accepted abstracts do not submit a full draft paper by the Sept. 16 deadline, their paper will be removed from the program and will not be workshopped at the conference.

Submission instructions:

Authors should submit an abstract as part of their application to have their research workshopped at the conference. Your abstracts should be in English and be between 500 and 700 words. You should clearly and concisely link your ideas and research to existing scholarly literature (and fully reference cited literature in a references section following your abstract). Abstracts should identify the theories, concepts, methods, and conclusions of your paper, and should also demonstrate your awareness and understanding of the existing relevant literature and explain how your work relates to, informs, or diverges from the existing body of knowledge. If you wish to cite your own work in your abstract, you should refer to your work in the third person – for example, “As Newell and Reeves (2023) argued,” instead of something like “in our prior work….”

Note: Abstracts which reveal the identity of the author(s), are not accompanied by full references to prior work (those cited in the abstract), or which are significantly below 500 words or above 700 words will be rejected without review.

Finally, please remember that substantially completed full drafts (which need not be polished but should be complete enough for meaningful discussion and feedback during the conference) will be required for all accepted proposals.

Please indicate in your abstract/application whether you anticipate being available to attend the conference in person or whether you intend to participate remotely. (Note that there will be more limited opportunities for remote participation.)

You should submit your abstracts through EasyChair (link: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ssnoregon2023).

Questions?

Please direct any of your questions to the conference co-chairs, Bryce Newell (bcnewell@uoregon.edu) and Joshua Reeves (reevejos@oregonstate.edu). Please put “SSN Oregon 2023” in the subject line of your email. Please also check the conference website for additional information as the conference dates get closer: https://blogs.uoregon.edu/ssnoregon2023/

Our Sponsors:

Surveillance Studies Network (SSN)

University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication (SOJC)

Oregon State University School of Communication

Surveillance Studies Network Arts Prize 2024

The Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) is dedicated to the study of surveillance in all its forms. It promotes innovative and multidisciplinary work on surveillance, including research that bridges different academic fields, furthers the understanding of surveillance in wider society, and informs information policy and political debate. As a registered charitable company, the SSN is committed to the free distribution of scholarly products, including the publication of Surveillance & Society, the leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to surveillance studies.

As part of its mandate, the SSN seeks to encourage creative and artistic practices engaging with the topic of surveillance. As such, the Surveillance Studies Network Arts Prize is a bi-annual award that recognizes and publicly supports artwork centred on critical readings of surveillance. Following the success of its previous Arts Prizes in 2018, 2020, and 2022, the SSN is delighted to announce the call for nominations to the 2024 competition.

Award

All submissions are adjudicated by a committee composed of members of the SSN board. The award for first prize is £250 and up to three honourable mentions will receive £100. Additionally, the winner and each honourable mention will receive a fee waiver for conference registration at the forthcoming SSN Conference (location and date TBA) in summer 2024, as well as coverage in a Surveillance & Society forum and the blink blog discussing the work. Travel support may also be available, funds permitting. Winning artists will also receive an invitation to showcase their work, or a representation of it, in a virtual exhibition during SSN’s 2024 conference.

Please note that, due to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, the format of the 2024 SSN conference and thus the administration of the Arts Prize may be subject to change to accommodate changing public health measures.

The nominated work must be an original art project that was produced or exhibited in the 2020, 2021, or 2022 calendar years. The following criteria will be used to adjudicate the nominations:

· demonstrates a thematic fit with the critical orientation of the Surveillance Studies Network and Surveillance & Society;

· exhibits theoretical sophistication;

· produces new and unique ways of thinking about modes of surveillance;

· and promotes audience engagements.

Deadlines and Forms

The call for nominations closes on 15 July 2023 at 11:59pm EST, with the selected artworks announced in December 2023. To nominate an artwork for the upcoming competition, please download and complete the following form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ENj5aqOI5EBhoZe-4xvk8JJesr930F8lbWT8mmetkPA/edit

Self-nominations are welcome.

For further information, please contact Julia Chan, Arts Committee Co-Chair at julia.chan@ucalgary.ca and include the heading “SSN Arts Prize.”

*Submission forms are hosted by Google. For a PDF version, please send a request to julia.chan@ucalgary.ca with the heading “SSN Arts Prize form—PDF request.”

Call for expressions of interest: SSN Treasurer

The Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) is looking for a Treasurer to oversee and coordinate the financial affairs of SSN. The Treasurer will also play a role on the SSN’s Network and Editorial Board (NEB).

The Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) is a registered charitable company dedicated to the study of surveillance in all its forms. It owns the free access journal Surveillance & Society and runs the biennial Surveillance and Society conference that brings together scholars and artists from all over the world. SSN is governed by an Executive Board of Directors and its day-to-day business, alongside the management of the journal, is completed by members of the Network and Editorial Board. The success and growth of SSN is reliant on the vitality, commitment and dedication of our members who fulfill elected (unpaid) positions on the Board.

We are seeking expressions of interest from academics and scholars within the broad surveillance studies community to join our Network and Editorial Board and assume the responsibilities of Treasurer. As with all SSN NEB and Executive Board positions, this position is unpaid. We anticipate bringing a new Treasurer on board for an initial term of 24 months, with possible extension depending on mutual agreement.

For more information about SSN, see our website at https://www.surveillance-studies.net/ and the website for our journal at http://surveillance-and-society.org.

Eligibility

UK residency. Because SSN is currently registered as a charity in the United Kingdom and our financial accounts and assets are also based predominantly in the UK, this position must be filled by someone who lives and works in the UK;
Applicants should be currently employed within the academic or research community and be involved in surveillance -studies-related research and/or teaching;
Have basic experience with accounting and financial management;
Applicants need not be current SSN members at the time of application, but the successful applicant would be expected to join SSN prior to appointment and maintain SSN membership throughout their tenure in the position.

Responsibilities

Work with the SSN Executive Board and NEB to ensure financial aspects and arrangements of the organization are kept up to date and in conformance with relevant law and regulations;
Draft an annual SSN budget in consultation with the SSN Executive Board;
Communicate with and submit reports to the UK Charity Commission;
Manage and complete financial/excel sheets and work with our Accountant to ensure proper record keeping;
Manage and initiate payments to SSN prize and grant winners;
Liaising with the SSN conference organizing committee about invoices, reimbursements, and other financial matters related to SSN conferences and events.

Deadline and how to apply

The deadline for initial expressions of interest is 30 April 2023. We will review applications on a rolling basis after the deadline if needed and until the position is filled. Please direct any queries to Bryce Newell (SSN Co-Director) at bcnewell@uoregon.edu.

We ask that you submit your CV and a brief cover letter expressing your interest in the position and how your background gives you the experience or skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of this position.

Please submit your application materials via the following form: https://forms.gle/7czd7BxYDUju6rz46

Announcement: mentorship progamme

Dear Colleagues,

The Surveillance Studies Network mentorship program is calling for faculty members and PhD students who are interested to participate as mentors and mentees, respectively. One faculty member mentor will be paired with one PhD student mentee whose research concerns surveillance for a one-year period.

The time commitment for faculty is minimal, but the program greatly assists surveillance scholars in developing their scholarship and networking with established scholars in the field.

Over the one-year period, each pair will have a minimum of two discussions via phone or video chat. The focus of the discussions can be determined individually by each pair, but they might cover the mentee’s research or research interests, related literature, the academic job market, or other matters relating to their career. Please note that, as an informal mentorship arrangement, the program is intended only as a supplement and not a replacement to students’ pre-existing supervisor/mentorship relationships.

If you are interested in participating, please email Mentorship Coordinator Oliver Kayas (o.g.kayas@ljmu.ac.uk) with your name, contact information, and up to five keywords of research interests. We will do our best to match faculty members and PhD students who share similar interests.

Note: It is expected that PhD students participating in the program will become SSN members if they are not already.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Call for nominations to the SSN Board

The Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) is currently inviting self-nominations for a number of elected board member positions. As with all SSN board member positions, elected members will serve simultaneously on the editorial board for the journal Surveillance & Society. Terms for these positions will begin February 2023.

Available positions:

· Two “Associate Member Representatives” (two-year term).

Associate Member Representatives are typically graduate students or junior scholars who are looking to become more active in the field. Responsibilities may include managing the SSN and/or S&S social media streams (e.g., Twitter), updating the website, serving as editorial assistants for the journal (e.g. formatting submissions, managing logs), or serving as editorial assistants for the journal’s blog, _blink. There will also be the possibility for such members to participate on subcommittees (e.g., prize or conference committees) if they desire. The Associate Member Representatives will also be expected to participate in Board discussions, including virtual participation in our Annual General Meeting. SSN will provide some support for Associate Member Representatives who attend the biennial SSN conference held during their term (e.g. fee waiver), with the expectation that the representatives will blog for _blink and/or live-tweet during the event.

· One “Mentorship Coordinator” position (three-year term).

This position will involve coordinating SSN’s mentorship program for doctoral students engaged in research topics on surveillance. The objectives of this program are to assist junior scholars in conceptualizing their projects and networking with established scholars in the field. Tasks include soliciting student and faculty member interest, pairing one faculty member with one Ph.D. student for a one-year period (with a few virtual conversations expected of each pair), managing any issues that arise, and providing a brief annual report to the SSN Board. The Mentorship Coordinator will also be expected to assist with normal Board responsibilities and participate in Board discussions, including virtual participation in our Annual General Meeting. There will also be the possibility for such members to participate on subcommittees (e.g., prize or conference committees) if they desire.

Eligibility and Criteria

To be eligible, interested parties must be current paid members of SSN. (Membership information can be found here: https://www.surveillance-studies.net/?page_id=16.)

While we welcome self-nominations from all interested and eligible individuals*, we are particularly interested in submissions from outside of Canada, the US, and Europe, especially from under-represented demographics, as well as from scholars whose work is attentive to questions of inclusion and/or inequity—such as sexuality, race, gender, ability, class, geopolitical issues, indigenous issues, for instance.

Application / nomination process

To be considered for one of these positions, please submit to Rosamunde van Brakel Rosamunde.van.brakel@vub.be a single document listing your name, affiliation, current role, which position you are nominating for and a brief description of your interests in and qualifications for the position. For the position of Associate-Membership Representative we explicitly invite PhD students and Postdocs to apply and please indicate which responsibilities you would be interested in taking up. These descriptions will be shared with the entire SSN membership database as part of the election process. The deadline for receipt of nominations is February 7, 2023.

Terms for these positions will begin ideally 14 February 2023.

*NB: To conform to existing funding agreements, a minimum of 1/3 of the Board should be members of Canadian institutions. This requirement will be taken into account during the approval of appointments.

About SSN

The Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) is a registered charitable company dedicated to the study of surveillance in all its forms. It owns the free access journal Surveillance & Society and runs the biennial conference that brings together scholars and artists from all over the world. SSN is governed by an Executive Board of directors and its day to day running, alongside the management of the journal, is completed by the Network and Editorial Board. The success and growth of SSN is reliant on the vitality, commitment and dedication of our members who fulfil elected (unpaid) positions on the Board.

Call: SSN Book Prize 2022

The Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) invites nominations (including self-nominations) for the annual Surveillance Studies Book Award. The award is given in recognition of an outstanding monograph on surveillance published during the preceding year.

We are currently inviting nominations for 2022 (i.e., books with a ‘2021’ copyright date).

Call for tender: SSN 2024

Invitation to host Surveillance Studies Network 10th Biennial Conference 2024

The Surveillance Studies Network invites expressions of interest to host the 10^th Biennial Conference in 2024. The conference brings together scholars, artists, and activists working broadly in the area of surveillance. It has become increasingly popular year on year and always receives a very positive response from the community. Now in its 10th iteration, we are delighted to be inviting expressions of interest to host the next conference in 2024. More information about previous conferences can be found here: https://www.surveillance-studies.net/?page_id=4.

Outlined below is a draft specification for what hosting the conference would require and an indicative budget. If you and your institution would be interested in hosting the conference on this basis, we invite you to submit an expression of interest (EOI). Your EOI should contain information about your institution, your capacity and experience in administering such events, why you want to host it, an estimated conference preparation timeline, what added value you bring (especially why your institution would be an attractive venue to prospective delegates), how accessible the conference venue is (both in terms of being accessible for those with special needs, but also convenient access to mass transit and transportation hubs), and a number of proposals for the conference theme (the conference should have a broad theme so as to be attractive to the diverse range of disciplines and topics that fall under the surveillance studies umbrella). You should also include indicative costs for room hire, daily delegate catering rate, local admin support, delegate packs, technology costs, and website development. SSN especially welcomes bids from the Global South. The Directors of SSN will choose the venue for the 2024 conference based on a review of the submitted EOIs.

If you are interested in submitting an EOI or if you have questions please get in touch with David Murakami Wood, chair of the SSN2024 Organizing Committee, to receive the full application pack: david.mw@uottawa.ca

Please send your expression of interest to host SSN2024 to ssn@surveillance-studies.net and david.mw@uottawa.ca.

Basic specifications for host institution

Date: May or June 2024

Duration 3.5-4 days

Capacity 250-person capacity Lecture Theatre with full AV, plus a minimum of 7 fully AV equipped rooms available nearby with 60+ capacity each. At least 2 of the rooms including the main Lecture Theatre should be online-ready to support virtual/hybrid streaming of the events in those rooms.

Language The language of the conference is English.

Atrium/Foyer To cater for lunch/tea and coffee breaks/art installations – near to breakout room

Catering 3 X teas and coffee per day, 1 X buffet lunch per day, plus a conference dinner .

Accommodation: It is easier if delegates arrange their own accommodation at local hotels but this requires the venue to be a reasonably large city. If the host institution can arrange accommodation that is fine, but we would advise against this because the administration can be difficult, and it often requires a firm block-booking months in advance and payment up front.

Conference organisation

The conference organising committee consists of:

At least three SSN Board members (including one SSN Director)
Two or three members of the host institution (one of whom will be the conference director)

The SSN members of the committee will support the host institution in providing feedback and advice during regular organizing committee calls. Final decisions about the conference theme, registration fees, budget, programme, etc., will be made by the organizing committee. SSN will be responsible for determining the keynotes, award ceremonies of SSN prizes and promoting the conference.

Structure of conference:

A 3.5-4-day conference should enable two plenary sessions and 6-7 streams of parallel sessions each day.

Poster sessions or other activities to encourage Master and Doctoral student involvement in the conference, and are encouraged.

Additionally, the proposal and development of a doctoral student colloquium as part of the overall program is required. This could occur, for example, in the morning or afternoon prior to the regular conference.

The Host institution would be responsible for:

Reporting on budget, planning, and preparation milestones to SSN in advance of the conference
Developing and running the conference website
Securing lecture rooms, break out rooms, meal facilities, and catering on time
Creating an online conference paper archive – password protected
Producing a conference accommodation and travel guide for on the conference website
Publicizing the conference through social media and mailing lists
Fully responsible for organising, managing, and scheduling the conference sessions, plenaries, keynotes and associated activities, this includes management of the submission of abstracts, the review process, scheduling the abstracts in conference sessions, and drafting the final programme
Creating the conference pack containing a programme booklet including abstracts, delegate list, timetable etc. Organising the conference dinner.
Administering conference registration and payment preferably through electronic means, and collecting SSN membership subscriptions via the same mechanism
All preconference administration and communication including answering delegate’s queries and sending out emails to the delegates with info about the conference and communication with the keynotes with regards to scheduling, travel and accommodation.
Management of front desk and onsite logistics throughout the conference.

Cfp: SSN Small Research Grants (2022-23)

Call for Proposals: SSN Small Research Grants (2022-23)

We are pleased to announce the 2022-23 Surveillance Studies Network (SSN) Small Research Grant competition. The SSN Small Grants scheme provides funding to support junior/early-career scholars working in economically under-resourced regions of the world. This year, we will be able to fund two awards of up to £1500 each, to be used during the 2022-2023 academic year in support of surveillance studies research (for more information about what constitutes surveillance studies research, we recommend reviewing articles published in Surveillance & Society (http://surveillance-and-society.org/), the SSN’s international journal of surveillance studies). These awards will also be accompanied by a two-year SSN membership. The Small Grants Committee will review and select recipients based on the following criteria and process.

Eligibility

Surveillance Studies Network members (or non-members who conduct surveillance-related research and would like to become part of SSN) are encouraged to apply, with preference given to persons who:

justify themselves as working in an economically under-resourced region;
are early career researchers (i.e., a doctoral student or researcher who has earned their PhD in the last five years);
have not previously received funding through the SSN Small Research Grant; and,
submit all required materials prior to the application deadline.

Evaluation Criteria

We will be evaluating applications based on their articulation of specific research-related activities that would significantly augment the applicant’s program of research, but that would not be feasible without additional funding. Additionally, we will take into consideration the overall feasibility of the proposed work and the extent to which it is likely to make a significant contribution to surveillance studies

Process

Please submit a brief proposal (approximately 1 page, single spaced) outlining:

the activities to be conducted with the funding,
the importance of these activities to your program of research,
justification of your region of residence as economically under-resourced,
description of your suitability for the award based on the other criteria of preference, and
a timeline for completion of the activities planned. (All awarded funds must be spent by September 30, 2023).

Additionally, please submit a budget (1-page maximum) outlining your plans for using any awarded funds up to a maximum of £1500 (e.g., transcription services, informant/human-subjects payments, travel costs to conduct field research, technical equipment, conference fees, etc.).

Send your proposal and budget as one document (PDF preferred) to Pinelopi Troullinou at pinelopi.troullinou@trilateralresearch.com on or before September 01, 2022. Please include the following text in your email subject header: “SSN Small Grants Application.” Notification of awards will be made as soon as possible after the deadline.

Post-Award Expectations

Successful applicants will be asked to submit a post-award report outlining the research they conducted using the funds and noting how the SSN Small Grant contributed to the success and implementation of their research. These reports will be due on April 1 in the year following the award. Additionally, applicants may be invited to publish a “Research Note” on our blog Blink (https://medium.com/surveillance-and-society) or in a future issue of Surveillance & Society (for more information about this form of contribution to the journal, see the journal’s submission page at https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/surveillance-and-society/about/submissions).

SSN Arts Prize Ceremony

At the SSN 2022 conference the winners of the arts prizes from 2020 and 2022 were awarded and honoured. The presented their works and engaged in a discussion with the audience on their works and the subject of arts within surveillance studies and further afield.

The curators Julia Chab and Stéfy McKnight moderated the panel and guided through the ceremony.

Congratulations to all winners and the honorable mentions.

More on the prizes, artists and their works here: https://www.ssnartsprize.com

cfp: Dialogue on Surveillance in Contemporary Conflict

Dear Colleagues,

we invite expressions of interest to write short (2000-word) papers for an upcoming Dialogue section of Surveillance & Society focused on the topic of “Surveillance in Contemporary Conflict.” We aim to publish the section in the March 2023 issue of Surveillance & Society.

In this Dialogue, we seek contributions that examine how surveillance is part of, and has grown out of, contemporary conflicts around the world. The war in Ukraine is certainly within the scope of this call, however we are also interested in pieces that examine how, by comparison, surveillance in non-Western conflicts remains largely unnoticed and undebated. We also seek proposals for contributions that engage thoughtfully with questions of how race, privilege, and discrimination inflect contemporary conflicts or assessments of them. As usual, the focus of proposed submissions should be on surveillance (practices, technologies, ethics, etc.) itself, situated within the contexts of conflict(s) around the world. Additionally, we are open to contributions that explore ideas, theories, or methods with which to approach issues of conflict in future surveillance-studies scholarship.

Possible topics could include technologies of war; low-tech innovations; the role of social media or communication channels; or geo-political tensions. Possible regional foci could include the ongoing wars and conflicts in Yemen; Afghanistan; Palestine; Myanmar; Ethiopia; Eritrea; Paraguay; Syria; Sudan; Nigeria; or, Iraq.

We are hoping to curate a small set of papers from scholars in various parts of the world, including in the Global South and areas not as commonly the focus of surveillance studies research. As such, we will prioritize submissions against those criteria, in addition to excellence and fit with the full set of accepted papers.

If you are interested in proposing a short paper for inclusion in this discussion, please send the following to Keith Spiller (Associate Editor) and Bryce Newell (Dialogue Editor) on or before the end of day on July 1, 2022 (Keith.Spiller@bcu.ac.uk and bcnewell@uoregon.edu):