ECMI Workshop, Ethnic Minorities and New Social Media, Flensburg, Germany, 4 November 2011‏

The interconnectedness of contemporary societies is facilitated to a great extent by the diffusion of modern digital technologies. New internet tools, such as facebook or twitter, offer platforms for contact, cooperation and socialization for social media users. While the role of internet and of new social media has begun to be studied, little research has been done on the internet's implications for the situation of a specific group: ethnic minorities. Given the relatively easy access to new social media and taking into account that minorities cannot often freely use their languages in the official national public spheres, one would expect that ethnic groups' members would seize on the opportunities provided by the internet. Also, one would expect that the usage of new social media has broad implications for ethnic group members' identifications, perceptions and actions.

The workshop aims to discuss the following topics: theoretical and methodological paradigms that help uncover ethnic online activism; trends in minorities' usage of new social media at the national (particularly in Poland and Germany) and transnational levels; linkages between the usage of new social media and political participation; impact of the new social media on different categories of members of ethnic communities (e.g. women, youth) and their participation in public life.

We invite papers exploring one or more of the research agendas above, but the workshop is also open to discuss other topics that relate to the patterns of usage and the impact of new social media on minority groups. Please send your abstracts to Joanna Jasiewicz at jasiewicz@ecmi.de by October 10th 2011. You will be informed about the acceptance of your paper soon after. Abstracts should include a title, your email address and institutional affiliation. We cover travel and accommodation costs as well as lunch and dinner on the day of the event. The workshop will take place in Flensburg, Germany. European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI), Flensburg, Germany International Centre for Research and Analysis (ICRA), Warsaw, Poland http://tinyurl.com/5s39lqb