Issue 2 (Autumn 2009)
From Comrades to Classmates:
Social Networks on the Russian Internet
The issue aims to examine the structure, taxonomy, function, and significance of social networks on the Russian Internet. What role do these new web-based forms of socializing play in contemporary Russia, particularly given the paradoxical stereotypes of Russian society as collectivistic on the one hand, and amorphous and apathetic on the other? Does social networking in Russia represent a cultural form specific to post-Soviet Russia, or is it only an unreconstructed and uncritical adaptation of "Western" net practices?.
To display the Call for Submission click here
At the beginning of 2009, the Communist party of the Russian Federation had approximately
150,000 members, while there were over 20 million users of Odnoklassniki.ru, a social
networking site for former "classmates". Russia's dominant political party, "United Russia,"
commands some 2 million members; however this pales in comparison to the 18 million
active members of the popular networking platform Vkontakte.ru. While political activity in
party organizations is certainly different from the spontaneous, informal, and often apolitical
participation in social networks on the web, these comparisons demand inspection. Over the
coming decade, sociologists predict a general shift from formal to informal organization of
social groups and communities. Undoubtedly, this shift will be shaped by contemporary
networking technologies.
The issue aims to examine the structure, taxonomy, function, and significance of
social networks on the Russian Internet. What role do these new web-based forms of
socializing play in contemporary Russia, particularly given the paradoxical stereotypes
of Russian society as collectivistic on the one hand, and amorphous and apathetic on the
other? Does social networking in Russia represent a cultural form specific to post-Soviet
Russia, or is it only an unreconstructed and uncritical adaptation of "Western" net
practices?
The Russian Cyberspace Journal seeks contributions that approach social networks as
a critical component of politics, society, culture, education, and economics. We are interested
in exploring a number of questions, including: Have new social networks replicated and/or
replaced Soviet traditions of social mobilisation? What is the role of social networks in
maintaining Russia's regional integrity and binding together the widely-dispersed Russian-
speaking diaspora? What can we learn about post-millennial everyday practices-dating,
business associations, public relations-from the operation of Russian social networks?
Guidelines
Text-based academic entries in English, German or Russian, and/or submissions in other
genres, styles and form, reflecting the nature of the medium, by scholars, politicians, artists
and cultural practitioners are welcome and will be considered for publication.
The deadline for submissions is 1 July 2009.
Guidelines for contributions is available here
When submitting your work, please include the following information: a biographical
statement (100-120 words in English) and an abstract/description of the submission (or the
first paragraph of the essay if appropriate) (about 150 words in English).
The contributors are responsible for obtaining and securing copyright permission for any
submitted material. For more information please click here
For submissions and further inquiries, please write to the Russian Cyberspace Journal editors: russian.cyberspace@yahoo.com
Editorial team:
Ekaterina Lapina-Kratasyuk (Moscow)
Ellen Rutten (Cambridge)
Robert Saunders (New York)
Henrike Schmidt (Berlin)
Vlad Strukov (London)
(Hide)
To download this information click here
Issue 3 (Spring 2010)
Between Big Brother and the Digital Utopia:
e-Governance in Post-Totalitarian Space
The issue aims to examine a set of concerns related to e-governance: Is e-governance an effective tool for attenuating the corruption that has become endemic in transition economies? Does virtualisation of government services privilege certain social or economic groups in these types of economies? How does e-governance in states with strong history of surveillance and censorship differ from its application in states which have traditionally protected personal privacy? Is e-governance effective in collapsing space in Russia, a country which has long been defined by the seat of power’s physical distance from much of its population and territory? Is e-governance personalizing politics in post-Soviet space, that is, do citizens feel "closer" to members of their government, or does cyber-politics create even higher levels of alienation? Does e-governance undermine or augment the neo-authoritarian practices of leaders like Alexander Lukashenko and Islam Karimov? Why is there such disparity in e-governance between states like Estonia (recognized as a world leader in deployment of government services via the Internet) and Turkmenistan (repeatedly described as an "Internet black hole") given that these states were part of the same country less than two decades ago?.
To display the Call for Submission click here
E-governance-the use of information and communications technology to overcome
traditional difficulties associated with the interaction of the state and its citizens-represents a
double-edged sword in post-totalitarian space. For many, the coming of digitised governance
heralds an end to needless bureaucracy, countless hours wasted in queues, and access to
hitherto unavailable government services. For others, however, the expansion of the state into
the virtual realm is a harbinger of a dystopian future where the panopticon is always
watching, and even the most private thoughts of citizens are monitored and recorded by the
state. This issue of The Russian Cyberspace Journal aims to examine the inherent tension
between these two extremes.
We are particularly interested in the following questions: Is e-governance an
effective tool for attenuating the corruption that has become endemic in transition
economies? Does virtualisation of government services privilege certain social or
economic groups in these types of economies? How does e-governance in states with
strong history of surveillance and censorship differ from its application in states which
have traditionally protected personal privacy? Is e-governance effective in collapsing
space in Russia, a country which has long been defined by the seat of power's physical
distance from much of its population and territory? Is e-governance personalizing
politics in post-Soviet space, that is, do citizens feel "closer" to members of their
government, or does cyber-politics create even higher levels of alienation? Does e-
governance undermine or augment the neo-authoritarian practices of leaders like
Alexander Lukashenko and Islam Karimov? Why is there such disparity in e-
governance between states like Estonia (recognized as a world leader in deployment of
government services via the Internet) and Turkmenistan (repeatedly described as an
"Internet black hole") given that these states were part of the same country less than
two decades ago?
While we are most interested in research exploring the evolution and impact of e-
governance in the Russian Federation and other post-Soviet states, we also invite submissions
on digitised government in post-Communist Central Europe (Poland, Bulgaria, etc.), as well
as comparative essays on other countries (particularly the People's Republic of China) that
include analysis of states within the former Soviet bloc.
Guidelines
Text-based academic entries in English, German or Russian, and/or submissions in other
genres, styles and form, reflecting the nature of the medium, by scholars, politicians, artists
and cultural practitioners are welcome and will be considered for publication.
The deadline for submissions is 1 October 2009.
Guidelines for contributions is available here
When submitting your work, please include the following information: a biographical
statement (100-120 words in English) and an abstract/description of the submission (or the
first paragraph of the essay if appropriate) (about 150 words in English).
The contributors are responsible for obtaining and securing copyright permission for any
submitted material. For more information please click here
For submissions and further inquiries, please write to the Russian Cyberspace Journal editors: russian.cyberspace@yahoo.com
Editorial team:
Ekaterina Lapina-Kratasyuk (Moscow)
Ellen Rutten (Cambridge)
Robert Saunders (New York)
Henrike Schmidt (Berlin)
Vlad Strukov (London)
(Hide)
To download this information click here