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* Special Issue Call for Papers *
Information Technology for Development
Title: Understanding local social processes in ICT4D research
The 1990s debates about the role the Internet played on different
human development dimensions gave rise to the Information and
Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) field. Existing
research shows that digital technology can make a difference in
people’s lives. ICT has the potential to empower marginalized
individuals and groups, supporting social inclusion (Baron &
Gomez, 2013; Díaz Andrade & Doolin, 2016) and financial
inclusion (Diniz, Bailey & Sholler, 2014; Joia & dos
Santos, 2019). It also allows them to participate in mainstream
socio-economic activities (Mthoko & Pade-Khene, 2013; Armenta
et al., 2013; Krauss, 2013). These positive outcomes may result in
the perception that digital technology is the ‘cure-all’ for
diverse societal problems. However, development is not a
straightforward issue that can be solved simply by introducing
digital technology (Lwoga & Sangeda, 2018). ICT4D is about the
local interpretations of development and understanding of local
processes involved in delivering development (Unwin, 2009).
In this special issue, we would like to draw attention to the
social processes in which ICT4D research projects occur.
Presently, most ICT4D studies occur in developing countries in the
Global South and many focus on describing ICT4D interventions.
However, most of those studies draw from theories developed and
applied in the Global North, such as institutional theory (Bass,
Nicholson, & Subhramanian, 2013) or technology acceptance
(Thomas, Li, & Oliveira, 2017), among others. While drawing
upon such theories can, of course, help us understand emerging
phenomena, context cannot be ignored (Andoh-Baidoo, 2017; Davison
& Martinsons, 2016). ICT4D research requires deliberate
attention to the conditions in the field. Equally critical in
ICT4D analyses is the choice and application of theories, whether
deductively (to guide the investigation) or inductively (to
discuss the findings). Both discerning contextual conditions and
careful consideration of theory are conducive to understand the
local meaning of development.
Theorizing and employing theory in different settings is a social
practice, an act informed by the socio-cultural conditions of the
time (Horkheimer, 1982). Against this background, we argue that
the phenomena that inform ICT4D research directions, portray
specific ways of valuing and thinking that are typically informed
by discourses from ‘developed nations’, and which often ignore
local contexts, culture and historicity (Ndhlovu, 2017).
‘Imported’ conceptualizations often fail to account for the
different ways of knowing in the Global South (Connell, 2014),
making the simplistic one-to-one translation of categories,
paradigms, meanings, and reasonings from one context to another a
pointless exercise – e.g., from Europe to India (Chakrabarty,
2000). However, ICT4D research is a moving target. For example, an
influential perspective that shaped what we do in ICT4D is the
idea that there are developing and developed countries, First and
Third world countries, North and South, Western and non-Western,
etc. This dichotomous categorization is diminishing. Furthermore,
problems of deprivation are not unique to the Global South; ICT4D
research acknowledges the vulnerability of marginalized
communities in the Global North (Loh & Chib, 2019) and the
multidimensional nature of development (Qureshi, Noteboom &
Schumaker, 2015). The rise of ICT4D research informed by
non-Western philosophies (Jimenez & Roberts, 2019) and recent
calls for research on Indigenous theories (Davison & Díaz
Andrade, 2018) herald the presence of more endemic research in the
information systems field. Regardless of geographical location,
awareness of contextual circumstances is needed in theorizing and
using theory in ICT4D research (Avgerou, 2017). (Our understanding
of theorizing and use of theory includes different categories of
theory (Gregor, 2006))
In this special issue, we invite authors to explore relevant
questions that will help the ICT4D community understand the local
social processes that explain ICT4D phenomena. Submissions that
explore and challenge dominant research directions and goals, and
that help articulate research practices that underpin success
stories and ICT4D failures are particularly welcome.
Topics may include, but are not limited to:
- Contextualizing of established theories and methodologies in
ICT4D research
- Endemic theories and epistemologies for ICT4D
- Local understandings of ICT-enabled development
- Localized examples, narratives or data-driven ICT4D case studies
- Studies on the local culture of ICT4D research
- Critical engagement with hegemonic tendencies in ICT4D research
- Self-reflexive narratives about ICT4D research experiences
* Guest Editors *
Kirstin Krauss, University of South Africa (UNISA)
Efpraxia D. Zamani, The University of Sheffield
Antonio Díaz Andrade, Auckland University of Technology
* Important Deadlines *
- Manuscript Deadline: 31 January 2022
- Notification of decision: April 30, 2022
- Deadline for revised papers: August 30, 2022
- Notification of final acceptance: December 30, 2022
- Tentative publication date: March 31, 2023
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