Call for papers: Bodily Differences – Social and Scientific Technologies of Self-Making

Call for papers: Bodily Differences – Social and Scientific Technologies of Self-Making
Another one via FRIDA:

more here

CFP: ‘Life going on and on: time, embodiment, ageing’

CFP: ‘Life going on and on: time, embodiment, ageing’
January 20, 2009 — stremain | Edit

RGS/IBG annual conference 2009, Manchester (www.rgs.org/AC2009)
2nd Call For Papers: ‘Life going on and on: time, embodiment, ageing’
see here

CFP: Disorderly Conduct

thanks to the what sorts of people blog

CFP: Disorderly Conduct (July 24-26, 2009)
January 18, 2009 — stremain | Edit

CALL FOR PAPERS
Interdisciplinary Conference
July 24-26, 2009
Wilfrid Laurier University and University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Keynote speaker: Dr. Steven Angelides, Department of Women’s Studies, Monash University

Other featured speakers will be confirmed for the release of the official conference announcement to follow.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS: February 27, 2009
The conference, “Disorderly Conduct” will bring together scholars from around the world and from such disciplines as sociology, philosophy, health studies, history, women’s studies, and medicine to explore and problematize the notion of a “disorder”. The conference seeks to bring front-line medical and mental health personnel who treat various “disorders” together with humanities, social science and health and disability studies scholars who work (in one way or another) on theoretical questions related both to specific “disorders” and to the notion of a disorder simpliciter. In workshops and symposia, conference participants will engage questions like the following: What, if any, are the downsides of being diagnosed with a disorder? Does the concept of a disorder provide treatment advantages or disadvantages? Are there other advantanges or disadvantages that it incurs ? besides those related to the treatment itself ? for those diagnosed with a disorder? Can we reasonably expect to avoid problems of stigmatization and marginalization by turning to a medicalized language of disorder to apprehend and explain embodied difference?

Conference organizers kindly invite submissions from scholars and health (physical and mental) professionals in all disciplines. Abstracts (500 words), papers (2500 words, 20 minute papers for delivery in 30 minute time slots), symposium proposals, workshop proposals, and roundtable discussion proposals will be considered. Proposals for symposia should include the names and affiliations of all participants and their papers or abstracts. Authors submitting abstracts should be prepared to submit final versions of their papers to the conference organizers by June 30.

All submissions will be anonymously reviewed; names should appear only on a cover page, and cover pages should be attached in a separate file. Authors’ names or other identifying information should be removed from the properties of files before submission. Authors should indicate on their title pages if they wish to have their submissions considered for inclusion in the published proceedings of the conference . All submissions should be emailed to both Morgan Holmes at mholmes at wlu dot ca and at Shannon Dea at sjdea at uwaterloo dot ca by midnight February 27, 2009. Authors should expect to know the decision of the program committee by around March 1, 2009.

Authors might consider submitting a proposal concerning one of the following (but should not feel confined by what is merely intended as a suggestive list):

*What relationship (if any) holds between the concepts, diagnosis and treatment of gender identity disorder and disorders of sexual development?
* What lessons should the editors of the inchoate DSM V take from the DSM IV?
* Is old age treated as a disorder? Should it be?
* What role does “big pharma” play in the identification of various disorders?
* Does our current notion of a disorder adequately reflect our understanding of the social determinants of health? *How can we use the concept of “disorderly conduct” to subvert the use of labelling practices and normative medicine?

Conference organizers are currently seeking federal funding to support this conference. Contingent upon their success, they may be able to financially assist speakers with their travel and accommodations costs.

For more information on “Disorderly Conduct,” see the conference website at http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/~sjdea/.
Posted in Ableism, Aging and disability, Bioethics, Biotech, Call for papers, Conferences, Differential treatment, Disability, Discrimination, Identity politics, Medical interventions, Norms and normalcy, Pharmaceuticals,

Adapting America/America Adapted

This anthology, which will be published by Edwin Mellen Press in 2009, seeks *to break new ground in the field of adaptation studies*, specifically, as a branch of American Studies that not only encompasses literature and visual
media, but also a wide-range of subject areas including, but not limited to, history, anthropology, political science, philosophy, sociology, the performing arts, and cultural/ethnic studies. By looking at adaptation
specifically in relation to the United States, we seek to investigate a variety of culturally and historically transformative strategies. We also seek to examine how the process of adaptation has been influenced by social,
ideological and political factors both inside and outside the United States.

While, traditionally, adaptation refers to the transformation of literary texts into different forms of media (e.g., films and television programs), the concept of adaptation can also be applied to other disciplines. Historians engage in process of negotiating or “adapting” various histories, or dialogues, when they tell the story of a nation; politicians adapt/adopt different philosophies, at different times, to suit their particular
interests; and artists and musicians adapt/adopt a broad range of cultural signifiers when creating new works, conventions, and/or trends.

The editors of *Adapting America/America Adapted* invite full-length anthology chapters that consider adaptation, broadly conceived. We particularly encourage chapters which incorporate transdisciplinary explorations of adaptation, and welcome submissions from any field of study.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

– Processes/purposes of adaptation
– Adaptation and its motives (e.g., intentionality)
– Adapting history for political reasons/historical reinvention
– Popular history: creation and reception
– Foreign policy and adaptation
– Audience and adaptation
– Trans or intercultural adaptation
– Cultural outcomes/products of adaptation (hybridity, creolization, metissage, mestizaje)
– Racial adaptation (“passing”)
– Musical adaptation (e.g., sampling in rap music)
– Artistic adaptation
– Cross-cultural adaptation (e.g., African elements in American
Jazz/Blues)
– Lingual adaptation (e.g., ebonics)
– Transformation/transmutation of ideas
– (Re)creation/simulacra
– Mimicry, authenticity, and adaptation
– Forced adaptation (e.g., colonization, imperialism)
– Americanization, assimilation, acculturation
– Indigenous adaptation
– Identity and adaptation
– The appeal/limits of adaptation
– Sex/gender adaptation (e.g., transvestitism, berdachism)
– Conscious adaptation (e.g., metafiction)
– Self-writing (e.g., transforming personal experiences into literature)
– Bodily adaptations
– Biopics
– Pastiches/parodies/satire
– Literature/film adaptation
– Video/board games and popular songs based on classic films and/or literary texts
– Architectural adaptation
– Semiotics of adaptation
– Psychological/emotional adaptation
– Pedagogical applications of adaptation

*All chapters must adhere to the MLA style and be a minimum of 5,000 words
(max. 6,000 words).* Submissions should be sent to Drs. Laurence Raw,
Tanfer Emin Tunc and Gulriz Buken via email: adaptingamerica@gmail.com

We also request a one paragraph biography from each author. Please keep the
following time line in mind when submitting a chapter:

– Final deadline for submission of chapters: *December 31, 2008*
– Notification of acceptance: *January 31, 2009*
– Due date of revised chapter: *March 15, 2009*
– Due date of final chapter: *April 1, 2009*

Call for submissions: The Body as a Site of Discrimination

This for info. Have not found the webpage or names of editors yet. It might not even be for real but its an interesting write up nevertheless

Call for submissions: The Body as a Site of Discrimination – A Multidisciplinary, Multimedia Online Journal
The Body as a Site of Discrimination will be an interactive,educational, multi-disciplinary, high quality, critical, and cuttingedge online journal. This creative project will fulfill the degreerequirements for two Master’s of Social Work students at SFSU.

This is a call for submissions to explore the following themes, but other interpretations are also encouraged.
– Disability and Ableism
– Fatphobia or Size Discrimination
– Ageism
– Racism
– Gender Discrimination
– Transphobia, non-conforming gender identities, sexual assault, sexism, and reproductive rights

Cultural and academic communities are invited to contribute for a well-rounded exploration of the theme. The significance of this projectis to examine the intersectionality between varying forms of body-basedoppressions. Crossing disciplines is necessary to understand this matrix of discrimination and will lead to inventive strategies of change and resistance. The outcome of this journal will contribute to the body of knowledge and serve as a resource for subsequent generations of social workers and other helping professionals.

Entries can explore activism and resistance around these issues, focus on social justice, and implications for social work practice and policy. Representative voices from the identified communities are encouraged to submit. Submissions can include personal narratives, research articles, performance and visual art, fiction, poetry, music, etc. Electronic copies of submissions will be considered for publication.

All submissions must be received by January 15, 2009 to bodydiscrimination@gmail.com

Please pass on this call to any interested parties and contact us if you have any questions.

Thank You

Editors-in-Chief
The Body as a Site of Discrimination

Call for Papers Converging Technologies, Changing Societies

Call for Papers SPT 2009
Converging Technologies, Changing Societies

16th International Conference of
the Society for Philosophy and Technology

July 8-10 2009

University of Twente
Enschede, The Netherlands
Deadline for abstracts: January 5, 2009

SPT 2009 welcomes high quality papers and panel proposals in all areas of philosophy of technology. Given the focus of this year’s conference, papers dealing with converging technologies and their social and cultural impact are especially welcomed. SPT 2009 will include 15 tracks:

1. Converging technologies and human enhancement. Chair: Peter-Paul Verbeek

2. Converging technologies and engineering sciences. Chair: Mieke Boon

3. Converging technologies and risks. Chairs: Sabine Roeser and Sven Ove Hansson

4. Converging technologies: general issues. Chair: Armin Grunwald

5. Ethics and politics of emerging technologies. Chair: Tsjalling Swierstra

6. Philosophy and ethics of biomedical and nanotechnology. Chair: Bert Gordijn and Joachim Schummer

7. Philosophy and ethics of information technology. Chair: Adam Briggle

8. Environmental philosophy and sustainable technology. Chair: Andrew Light

9. Philosophy of engineering and design. Chair: Pieter Vermaas

10. Robots, cyborgs and artificial life. Chairs: Mark Coeckelbergh and Gianmarco Veruggio

11. Technology and moral responsibility. Chair: Katinka Waelbers

12. Technology, culture and globalisation. Chairs: Charles Ess and Evan Selinger

13. The good life and technology. Chair: Philip Brey

14. Philosophy of technology: general and assorted issues. Chair: Anthonie Meijers

15. Reflective engineering. Chair: Darryl Farber

Descriptions of the tracks can be found on our website http://www.utwente.nl/ceptes/spt2009 .

Thanks to Adam for sending it

Call for Papers: JUST REASON

Call for Papers: JUST REASON

We invite submissions for a special issue of the journal Studies in Social Justice that will address the relationships of reason (or conceptions of reason) to struggles for social justice.

Studies in Social Justice (www.studiesinsocialjustice.org) is an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed open access online journal that is also published in hard copy. The journal focuses on debates about social justice as a critical concept that is integral in the analysis of policy formation, rights, participation, social movements, and political structures and transformations.

This issue of Studies in Social Justice will focus on “Just Reason.” Conceptions or ideals of reason and knowledge may inhibit or promote social justice, as we learn from feminist and other liberatory epistemologies. Given that reason, knowledge, and science are intertwined with politics of various types, how do we theorize epistemic ideals and cognitive practices that are conducive to social justice?

Possible topics include but are not limited to the following:
• How do epistemic ideals (of reason, justification, and knowledge) relate to social or political ideals (of justice, equality, and fairness)?
• What forms of knowledge or reasoning encourage or discourage activism?
• How do social justice goals and socially just practices influence the knowledge produced by science and technology?
• How might educational and scholarly standards of reasoning address power and status differentials among people?
• What are the liberatory potentials of individual as opposed to communal models of reason and knowledge?
• How do specific ideals of reason or reasoning help or hinder understandings across differences (social, cultural, or religious differences, for example)?

The editors for this special issue are Catherine Hundleby, Department of Philosophy, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada (hundleby@uwindsor.ca), and Phyllis Rooney, Department of Philosophy, Oakland University, Michigan, USA (rooney@oakland.edu). We accept submissions for review only on condition that the material is not under review for publication elsewhere. Submissions will be anonymously reviewed by the editors and additional readers. Papers should be submitted to Lauri Daitchman at daitchm@uwindsor.ca no later than Wednesday, April 1, 2009.

Submissions should be between 6000 and 8000 words in Microsoft Word or Rich Text Format. Prepare manuscripts for anonymous reviewing with no identifying references in the paper, and include an abstract of no more than 100 words at the beginning of the paper. A separate title page must include the author’s name(s), e-mail address, mailing address, phone number, and title of the paper. Submissions must comply with the Studies in Social Justice author guidelines available at: http://www.studiesinsocialjustice.org.

Call for papers: On the impact of nanoscale science and technology on disability, community and rehabilitation.

Call for papers

On the impact of nanoscale science and technology on disability,

community and rehabilitation.

For a special issue of the International Journal on Disability, Community & Rehabilitation (IJDCR) (http://www.ijdcr.ca/copyright.shtml)

Guest Editor: Gregor Wolbring, Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Program, Dept of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary. Please submit abstracts to the Guest Editor via e-mail by 30 October, 2008.

Invitation

Nanoscale science and technology, while still in its infancy, describes a rapidly growing sphere of enquiry, with many and varied implications for the disability field. To establish a ‘benchmark’ of the current state of knowledge and conceptual understanding, the Editors of IJDCR decided a special issue should be devoted to the topic. Background information and potential topics are presented below.

We invite potential contributors, regardless of fields of study (discipline), to submit 250-word Abstracts that articulate the conceptual arguments and knowledge base to be covered in a critical analysis on some aspect of the impact of nanoscale science and technology on disability, community and/or rehabilitation. Please submit abstracts to the Guest Editor via e-mail by 30 October, 2008.

From selected abstracts, we will request full articles of 3000-5000 words (excluding figures and tables) of original research and scholarship on a range of topics. Note that an invitation to submit an article does not guarantee its publication. Every submitted article will be subject to blind peer review and recommendations arising.

Background

Nanotechnology in all its meanings allows for, among other things, the manipulation of materials on an atomic or molecular scale and enables a new paradigm of science and technology that sees different technologies converging at the nanoscale namely:

1. nanoscience and nanotechnology,
2. biotechnology and biomedicine, including genetic engineering,
3. information technology, including advanced computing and communications,
4. cognitive science (neuro-engineering),
5. synthetic biology;

hence, the designation “NBICS” (nano-bio-info-cogno-synbio).

Many lists of anticipated nanoproducts exist (Institute of Nanotechnology 2005;Kostoff et al. 2006). Applications for NBICS products are envisioned in areas such as the environment, energy, water, weapons and other military applications, globalization, agriculture, and health (e.g., more efficient diagnostics and genetic testing, cognitive enhancement; life extension and enhancing human performance in general) (M.Roco 2003). Many believe that advances in NBICS hold the key for extreme life extension to the level of immortality and the achievement of morphological (Anders Sandberg 2001) and genomic freedom(Wolbring 2003). NBICS-medicine is envisioned by some to have the answer to global problems of disease and ill medical and social health. Others argue for the pursuit of ‘morphological freedom’ (Anders Sandberg 2001)–allowing the human body to move beyond typical functioning of the species. Disabled people are often highlighted as the beneficiaries of NBICS-medicine products. NBICS applications and the selling of NBICS health products focuses mostly on offering disabled people medical solutions (prevention or cure/normative adaptation) and might move towards transhumanist solutions (augmentation, enhancement of the human body) but rarely offers social solutions (adaptation of the environment, acceptance, societal cures of equal rights and respect). Many NBICS applications/products for disabled people are envisioned and are under development(Wolbring 2005).

We chose this topic for an issue of IJDCR because of how the discourses around these new and emerging nanoscale science and technologies are emerging and their potential impact on people with disabilities, the communities linked to them and/or practitioners as well as others. Consumers and researchers linked to the disability discourse are involved will shape the positive or negative consequences for everyone involved.

Nanotechnology and NBICS have an impact on disabled people in at least four main ways.

Impact of NBICS on disabled people (Wolbring 2006)

NBICS may develop tools to adapt the environment in which disabled people live and to give disabled people tools that would allow them to deal with environmental challenges. This side of S&T would make the life of disabled people more liveable without changing the identity and biological reality of the disabled person

NBICS may develop tools that would diagnose the part of disabled people’s biological reality seen by others as deficient, defect, impaired and ‘disabled’ thus allowing for preventative measures

NBICS may develop tools that would eliminate that portion of disabled people’s biological reality seen by others as deficient, defect, impaired and ‘disabled’.

NBICS may be a target for – and an influence upon – the discourses, concepts, trends and areas of action that impact disabled persons.

Discourses:

* The discourse around the term human security
* The religious discourse
* The politics of biodiversity
* The politics of inequity
* The politics of the ethics discourse.
* The politics of law:
* The politics of raising the acceptance level for a given technology
* The politics of setting goals and priorities
* The politics of language
* The politics of self perception and identity (Body politics)
* The politics of red herrings
* The politics of interpreting International treaties
* The politics of governance
* The Politics of evaluation, measuring, analysis, and outcome tools

Concepts:

* Self identity security
* Ability security
* Cultural identity/diversity
* Morphological freedom and morphological judgement(Anders Sandberg 2001)
* Freedom of choice and tyranny of choice
* Duty to fix oneself
* Duty to know
* Parental responsibility
* Societal responsibility

Trends:

* Change in the concepts of health, disease and ‘disability’/’impairment’
* The appearance of enhancement medicine and the acceptance of beyond species-typical functioning
* Moving from curative to enhancement medicine; decrease in curative medicine and the appearance of the transhumanist/enhancement burden of disease
* Moving from human rights to sentient rights
* Moving from morphological freedom to morphological judgement
* The appearance of the techno poor disabled and impaired
* Moving from freedom of choice to tyranny of choice judgement

Areas of Action:

* Nanotechnology/NBIC for development
* Nanotechnology/NBIC and the UN Millennium Development Goals
* Nanotechnology/NBIC and global medical and social health
* Nanotechnology/NBIC and accessibility
* Nanotechnology/NBIC and law
* Nanotechnology/NBIC and water and sanitation
* Nanotechnology/NBIC and disaster management
* Nanotechnology/NBIC and weapons/war
* Nanotechnology/NBIC and ethics/philosophy
* Nanotechnology/NBIC and social science/anthropology
* Nanotechnology/NBIC and community
* Nanotechnology/NBIC and networking

All of the above discourses, concepts, trends and areas of actions impact on disabled people[1] and others.

Potential contributors to this Special Issue might consider areas from the above table or one of the following topics:

1. What are the potential positive and negative impacts of envisioned nanoscale science and technology products and research and development on:
* disabled people,
* the community around them
* practitioners, consumers and researchers linked to the disability discourse
* community rehabilitation and the rehabilitation field in general
* inclusive education and the education of disabled people in general
* employability of disabled people
* citizenship of disabled people
* body image of disabled people
* medical and social health policies and their impact on disabled people
* health care for disabled people
* the elderly
* disabled people in low income countries
* laws related to disabled people such as the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities
* the concept of personhood
* concept of health and health care
* the measure of disability adjusted life years and other measurements used to guide health care dollar allocation
* quality of life assessment
2. What are the potential positive and negative impacts of the new social philosophy of transhumanism that is seen as being enabled by nanoscale science and technology products and research and development?
3. What impacts of potential nanoscale science and technology products and research and development onto disabled people will impact other marginalized groups?

For more information about the International Journal of Disability, Community & Rehabilitation (IJDCR) please go to http://www.ijdcr.ca.

References

Anders Sandberg. Morphological Freedom — Why We not just Want it, but Need it. 2001.

Institute of Nanotechnology (2005). Research Applications And Markets In Nanotechnology In Europe 2005

Kostoff, Ronald et al. “The seminal literature of nanotechnology research.” Journal of Nanoparticle Research (2006): 1-21.

M.Roco, W. Bainbridge eds. Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance: Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology and Cognitive Science. 2003. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht Hardbound.

Wolbring, G. “SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND THE TRIPLE D (DISEASE, DISABILITY, DEFECT).” Ed. William Sims Bainbridge Mihail C.Roco National. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic, 2003. 232-43

Wolbring, G (2005). HTA Initiative #23 The triangle of enhancement medicine, disabled people, and the concept of health: a new challenge for HTA, health research, and health policy Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, Health Technology Assessment Unit, Edmonton, Alberta Canada

Wolbring, G (2006). Scoping paper on Nanotechnology and disabled people. Center for Nanotechnology in Society Arizona State University [On-line].

[1] The term ‘disabled people’, as used here, reflects the way in which environmental factors impact on the ability of individuals with sensory, motor, cognitive or other variations to participate in society, consistent with its usage by Disabled Peoples’ International.