(apologies for cross-posting)

International Conference on
CULTURAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATION (CATaC'06)

**Submission deadline extended: 27 February 2006**

28 June - 1 July 2006
University of Tartu, Estonia
http://www.catacconference.org

Conference theme:
Neither Global Village nor Homogenizing Commodification:
Diverse Cultural, Ethnic, Gender and Economic Environments

The biennial CATaC conference series continues to provide an
international forum for the presentation and discussion of current
research on how diverse cultural attitudes shape the implementation and
use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The
conference series brings together scholars from around the globe who
provide diverse perspectives, both in terms of the specific culture(s)
they highlight in their presentations and discussions, and in terms of
the discipline(s) through which they approach the conference theme.

The 1990s' hopes for an "electronic global village" have largely been
shunted aside by the Internet's explosive diffusion. This diffusion was
well described by Marx - all that is solid melts into air - and was
predicted by postmodernists. The diffusion of CMC technologies quickly
led to many and diverse internets. A single "Internet", whose identity
and characteristics might be examined as a single unity, has not
materialised. An initially culturally and gender homogenous Internet
came more and more to resemble an urban metropolis. Along the way, in
the commercialization of the Internet and the Web, "cultural diversity"
gets watered down and exchanges strong diversity for a homogenous
interchangeability. Such diversity thereby becomes commodified and
serves a global capitalism that tends to foster cultural
homogenization.

CATaC'06 continues our focus on the intersections of culture,
technology, and communication, beginning with an emphasis on continued
critique of the assumptions, categories, methodologies, and theories
frequently used to analyse these. At the same time, CATaC'06 takes up
our characteristic focus on ethics and justice in the design and
deployment of CMC technologies. We particularly focus on developing
countries facilitated by "on the ground" approaches in the work of
NGOs, governmental agencies, etc., in ways that preserve and foster
cultural identity and diversity. By simultaneously critiquing and
perhaps complexifying our theories and assumptions, on the one hand,
and featuring "best practices" approaches to CMC in development work,
on the other hand, CATaC'06 aims towards a middle ground between a
putative "global village" and homogenizing commodification. Such middle
ground fosters cultural diversity, economic and social development, and
more successful cross-cultural communication online.

Original full papers (especially those which connect theoretical
frameworks with specific examples of cultural values, practices, etc.:
10-20 pages) and short papers (e.g. describing current research
projects and preliminary results: 3-5 pages) are invited.

Topics of particular interest include but are not limited to:
- Culture isn't 'culture' anymore
- The Internet isn't the 'Internet' anymore
- Gender, culture, empowerment and CMC
- CMC and cultural diversity
- Ethics and justice
- Free/Open technology and communication
- Internet research ethics
- Cultural diversity and e-learning

SUBMISSIONS
All submissions will be peer reviewed by an international panel of
scholars and researchers and accepted papers will appear in the
conference proceedings. Submission of a paper implies that it has not
been submitted or published elsewhere. At least one author of each
accepted paper is expected to present the paper at the conference.

Full papers (10-20 formatted pages) - 27 February 2006
Short papers (3-5 formatted pages) - 27 February 2006
Notification of acceptance  - mid March 2006
Final formatted papers  - 29 March 2006

There will be the opportunity for selected papers from this 2006
conference to appear in special issues of journals. Papers in previous
conferences have appeared in journals (Journal of Computer Mediated
Communication, Electronic Journal of Communication/La Revue
Electronique de Communication, AI and Society, Javnost- The Public, and
New Media and Society) and a book (Culture, Technology, Communication:
towards an Intercultural Global Village, 2001, edited by Charles Ess
with Fay Sudweeks, SUNY Press, New York). You may purchase the
conference proceedings from the 2002 and 2004 conference from
www.it.murdoch.edu.au/catac.

CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS
   Charles Ess, Drury University, USA, [log in to unmask]
   Fay Sudweeks, Murdoch University, Australia, [log in to unmask]
PROGRAM CHAIR
   Herbert Hrachovec, University of Vienna, Austria,
[log in to unmask]
CONFERENCE CO-VICE-CHAIRS
   Pille Runnel, Tartu University, Estonia