7th Global Conference:Visions of Humanity in Cyberculture, Cyberspace and Science Fiction (July 2012, Oxford, United Kingdom)

Visions of Humanity in Cyberculture, Cyberspace and Science Fiction

Sunday 15th July 2012 ? Tuesday 17th July 2012
Mansfield College, Oxford

Call for Papers:
This inter-disciplinary and multi-disciplinary project aims to explore what it is to be human and the nature of human community in cyberculture, cyberspace and science fiction. In particular, the project will explore the possibilities offered by these contexts for creative
thinking about persons and the challenges posed to the nature and future of national, international, and global communities.

Papers, short papers, and workshops are invited on issues related to any of the following themes;

  * the relationship between cyberculture, cyberspace, science fiction
  * cyberculture, cyberpunk and the near future: utopias vs. dystopias
  * science fiction and cyberpunk as a medium for exploring the nature of persons
  * humans and cyborgs; the synergy of humans and technology; changing views of the body
  * human and post-human concepts in digital arts and cinema
  * digital artistic practices and aesthetics
  * mobile media, place and the telematic body
  * bodies in cyberculture; body modifications; from apes to androids ? electronic evolution; biotechnical advances and the impact of life, death, and social existence
  * artificial intelligence, robotics and biomedia: self-organization as a cultural logic
  * gender and cyberspace: new gender, new feminisms, new masculinities
  * cyberpunk and steampunk: exploring the differences and similarities
  * online cultures of virtual worlds and videogames and its impact on science fiction
  * interactive storytelling, emergent narratives, transmedia storytelling
  * nature, enhancing nature, and artificial intelligence; artificial life, life and information systems
  * networked living in future city, new urban lifestyles
  * human and post-human politics; cyborg citizenship and rights; influence of political technologies
  * boundaries, frontiers and taboos in cyberculture

The Steering Group particularly welcomes the submission of pre-formed panel proposals. Papers will also be considered on any related theme. 

300 word abstracts should be submitted by Friday 13th January 2012. If an abstract is accepted for the conference, a full draft paper should be submitted by Friday 11th May 2012. Abstracts should be submitted simultaneously to both Organising Chairs; abstracts may be in Word, WordPerfect, or RTF formats with the following information and in this
order:

a) author(s), b) affiliation, c) email address, d) title of abstract, e)body of abstract, f) up to 10 key words
E-mails should be entitled: VISIONS7 Abstract Submission.

Please use plain text (Times Roman 12) and abstain from using footnotes and any special formatting, characters or emphasis (such as bold, italics or underline). Please note that a Book of Abstracts is planned for the end of the year. All accepted abstracts will be included in this publication. We acknowledge receipt and answer to all paper proposals submitted. If you do not receive a reply from us in a week you should assume we did not receive your proposal; it might be lost in cyberspace! We suggest, then, to look for an alternative electronic route or resend.

Joint Organising Chairs:

Daniel Riha
Charles University
Prague,
Czech Republic
Email: [email protected]

Rob Fisher
Network Founder and Leader
Inter-Disciplinary.Net
Freeland, Oxfordshire,
United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]

The conference is part of the 'Critical Issues' series of research projects run by Inter-Disciplinary.Net. It aims to bring together people from different areas and interests to share ideas and explore various discussions which are innovative and challenging. All papers accepted for and presented at the conference are eligible for publication in an ISBN eBook. Selected papers may be invited to go forward for development into 20-25 page chapters for publication in a themed dialogic ISBN hard copy volume.

For further details of the project, please visit:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/cyber/visions-of-humanity/

For further details of the conference, please visit:
http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/critical-issues/cyber/visions-of-humanity/call-for-papers/