GLOBALISATION, CITIZENSHIP, COMMUNITY MASTERCLASS - DEADLINE EXTENDED

Centre for Cultural Research
University of Western Sydney

GLOBALISATION, CITIZENSHIP, COMMUNITY

Deadline extended for applications: Monday 23 February 2004

1-3 April, 2004

Dr. Nick Couldry (London School of Economics)
Professor Ien Ang (UWS)
Dr. Brett Neilson (UWS)

How are conceptions and practices of citizenship and community changing
under current processes of globalisation? In April 2004, the Centre for
Cultural Research at the University of Western Sydney will hold a two and
a
half day master class examining the transformations of citizenship and
community in the era of globalisation. The academic and cultural resources
of the Sydney area will be drawn upon to provide the widest possible
learning experience.

There is wide recognition that globalisation has created new connections
(and disconnections) between formal citizenship and the actual cultural
and
social practices by which people gather themselves into publics and/or
communities. Researchers and policy makers worry increasingly about issues
of citizen participation and civic inclusion/exclusion, inventing
catchphrases such as the 'democratic deficit' and the 'digital divide'. At
the same time, there has emerged an emphasis on community engagement in
cultural research, ranging from state-motivated partnerships to interfaces
with social movements that question the ongoing usefulness of notions such
as civil society and the public sphere. But in what ways are people's
experiences of communal attachment connected (or not) to their practices
as
citizens? What, and where, are the public sites of civic action to which
people feel connected beyond their private zones? And how are these
connections (or their absence) affected by the growing complexity of
practices like media consumption, border control, work, and the
organisation
of cultural diversity?

The autumn master class will take a hands-on approach to these questions,
combining the skills of three leading researchers in the area. Emphasis
will
be upon techniques for researching the links between globalising
processes,
practices of citizenship, and new technologies of human interaction. What
methods and theories can fruitfully be combined in understanding these
connections? Joining seminar learning to practical exercises, the master
class will provide participants with an opportunity to develop and deepen
their interests in an open and interactive environment. The program is
designed for postgraduate scholars in any discipline but applications will
also be considered from other interested parties.

Deadline extended for applications: Monday 23 February 2004

Further information and application forms are available from:
http://www.uws.edu.au/research/researchcentres/ccr/eventsandnews