CATAC'08 Conference: ICTs bridging cultures? Theories, obstacles and best practices

The biennial CATaC conference series – 10 years old in 2008 – provides a premier international forum for 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.

CATaC’08 will take place in Nîmes, France. Nîmes was founded in 18 BCE, and is home to some of the best-preserved examples of Roman engineering and architecture, including the Pont de Gard (an aquaduct bridge across the Gard river) that serves as our primary metaphor for CATaC’08: “ICTs as technologies bridging cultures”. Our venue in Nîmes further provides us with a number of cultural experiences and pleasures unique to the South of France. Finally, CATaC’08 will emphasize the participation of francophone scholars and researchers in a number of ways (e.g., translation provided for abstracts in French and English, translation of questions and answers following presentations, etc.).

Original full papers (especially those which connect theoretical frameworks with specific examples of cultural values and practices) and short papers (e.g. describing current research projects and preliminary results) are invited. Topics of particular interest include but are not limited to:

* Language as a core issue in cultural diversity with IT: are languages shaping a new IT world?
* CMC as fostering and/or threatening cultural diversity
* Theoretical and practical approaches to analyzing "culture" and its impact on the use and implementation of ICTs
* ICTs in the francophone world, including:
o influences of francophone usages globally
o cross-cultural comparisons of ICT usage between francophone and other cultural-linguistic groups
* Beyond glocalization and homogenization: new mixtures of identities and cultures as facilitated by ICTs
* Empowerment and CMC, including issues of gender, languages and power (economic, political, social)
* Values, ethics, justice, and ICTS
* Cultural and linguistic diversity and e-learning