Globalization via the digital age is upon us, demanding a new ethics and an intercultural aware-ness while the dialectics of globalism and cyberspace mandate a committed reflection on what the synthesis between the digital realm and global citizenship entails. In many ways, the bor-ders that previously separated us as citizens physically and culturally have begun to dissipate, replaced by a call for an intercultural accountability and a form of global citizenship that, on one hand, surpasses borders, patriotism, and nationalism alike, but while on the other, demands an understanding and respect for the cultural idiosyncrasies among us, acknowledging the unique existential paradox of universal citizenship that posits each of us as both stranger and citizen on a commonly shared globe.

What is cosmopolitan in the digital age? Is a global digital citizen the same as merely a digital citizen? While talk of digital citizenship has increased in recent years, usually centered on a capitalist drive, encouraging a full electronic participation in society and a responsibility to digital commerce, many questions remain unanswered. Is the netizen the citizen of a democratic state, and of digital democracy? As a citizen of the world interacting online, how will one’s “rights” and “duties” be determined? And are these “rights” universal, and in such a case, what does “universal” mean? What are the legal parameters of netizenship, and what will they be as globalization further takes hold? Is democracy critical to citizenship, or is it not? What are the political landscapes of global citizenship in the digital age? And last of all, is the concept of digital citizenship even tangible? Is it real?

This issue of IRIE will explore the cultural and ethical dimensions of global citizenship in a digital age, looking at the implications, challenges and future of a digitally constructed globalization. We welcome the exploration of, while not restricting to, the following subject areas:

• Defining “rights” and “duties” in terms of digital citizenship
• Universal rights in the digital age
• Intercultural perspectives on citizenship
• Exploration of the digital divide in terms of citizenship
• Borders and nationalism
• Digital citizenship as defined by responsible use of technology
• Governance, law and/or civil rights in terms of globalization
• Ontology, identity and themes of belonging & alienation
• Social justice in terms of cyberspace vs. “real” space
• Global information flow and developing power structures

Guest Editors:

Jared Bielby, MA/MLIS
Humanities Computing / School of Library and Information Studies
University of Alberta
Canada

bielby@ualberta.ca


For further information, especially on how to submit a paper, please refer to: Global Citizenship - Call for Papers cfp-pdf-fulltext (30 KB) (right click and select "Save Target As")