Workshop on Surveillance & Inequality (2007)
OPEN CALL FOR PARTICIPATION
March 16-18, 2007; Arizona State University; Tempe, Arizona, USA
This workshop will bring together a multi-disciplinary and international array of scholars studying the social implications of contemporary surveillance with a particular interest in questions of the public sphere, equality, civil liberties, privacy, and fairness. Currently, questions involving the collection of personal data command the attention of policymakers and the general public, both within the U.S. and beyond. Surveillance has become a key mechanism employed in both public and private sectors to contend with the uncertainty raised by threats of terrorism and other criminal activities. Surveillance is also increasingly important with respect to issues of commerce, work, and interpersonal relations. With changes in surveillance technologies and practices, public concerns have multiplied about potential encroachments upon privacy, civil liberties, and public spaces. These tensions have not gone unnoticed by social scientists and humanities scholars studying surveillance, but thus far – especially in the U.S. – there have been few opportunities to bring researchers together to discuss the many social issues and inequalities surrounding new surveillance systems.
We will hold a three-day workshop in March 2007, centered around issues of social justice with regard to surveillance. The objectives are
- to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on contemporary surveillance issues,
- to map core areas of surveillance research to locate collaborative opportunities and existing research gaps, and
- to facilitate graduate student training.
Given the diversity of scholarly interest in and approaches to surveillance, the workshop will be structured around discussion themes that individuals from any disciplinary background can participate in. The central organizing question will be “What research projects are needed to better understand and mitigate inequalities within a surveillance society?”
In order to examine differential experiences of surveillance, the workshop will be organized around several thematic areas, including
- privacy/trust
- citizenship/governance
- mobility/identity
- power/control
- fear/danger
- equality/fairness
The findings of the workshops will be disseminated by means of a special issue of the journal Surveillance & Society and possibly as an edited book.
Travel stipends, food, and lodging will be provided for all participants. Participants will be chosen to provide a balanced representation of both junior and senior scholars, disciplinary training, and international perspectives. Graduate students and participants from outside the U.S. are especially encouraged to apply.
Potential participants should submit:
- A 500-750 word abstract that discusses how your current and/or future research fits with the proposed workshop theme of surveillance and inequality, and
- A two-page curriculum vitae or resume, listing your relevant publications and experience.
Deadline: December 15, 2006
Submit materials to: workshop@publicsurveillance.com
Full papers will not be required in advance of the workshop. Our goal is to circulate some brief position papers or questions in advance (which will be generated by us or other facilitators) and to have participants read those and be prepared to talk about them. Article submissions for the journal will be requested in the months following the workshop (at a date yet to be determined).
We will select and notify participants by January 15, 2007. This project is supported by the National Science Foundation under grant #0623122 and by the School of Justice & Social Inquiry at Arizona State University.
The Workshop Committee
(Torin Monahan, Gary T. Marx, Simon A. Cole, Jill A. Fisher)
