UPDATE: Gender, Sexuality, and Internet Consumers (7/30/04; book)

full name / name of organization: 
DimpleGodiwala_at_aol.com
contact email: 

Gender and Sexuality in Contemporary Britain: Internet consumers=20

Book publication: CALL FOR CHAPTERS

This research in progress is aimed at being disseminated in the form of a=20
book.=C2=A0 Gender studies scholars, scholars
studying the changing nature of sexualities, scholars of masculinities, gay=20
studies,
queer theory are invited to contribute. Chapters according to the formats=20
below are invited.=20

Abstract

The project seeks to explore the changing nature of culture and identity in=20
Britain,
with special focus on adult sexuality and new modes of communication. The
penetration of the domestic sphere by the internet has made possible=20
interaction
between people from all over the UK and transnationally in terms of social=20
life. The
internet demands different rules for communication. The consumer has to lear=
n
efficient means of=C2=A0 making he/rself understood: brevity and speed are o=
f=20
essence.
Social life is no longer restricted to the local but has national and=20
transnational
possibilities in an immediate and accessible fashion. The traditional evenin=
g=20
of
going to a pub, watching TV, or seeing a film is changing as consumers surf=20
the net
chatting with strangers who may be hundreds of miles away. Isolation is kept=
=20
at bay
as consumers engage in chat. These changing boundaries of social interaction=
=20
has
impacted upon the domestic life of adults, making possible intimate as well=20
as
fleeting relationships between members of the same and opposite sex as never
before, offering opportunities for intimate interaction in the privacy of on=
e=E2=80=99
s home,
twenty-four hours a day. The modes of communication themselves have changed:
brief jargonistic exchanges may well be the norm on the internet. The impact=
=20
of this
new technology on the consumer (of the internet) has made possible a new=20
source
of entertainment and leisure, the chat-room. Here, local, national and=20
transnational
identities are formed as they interact through time and virtual space. This=20
affects
communication, gender identities and gender relations in a new way.

Methodological approach and Involvement of users

This aims to be a survey based study, focusing on different groups of=20
chat-room
consumers: heterosexual women and men in their 40s and 50s; gay men and
women, supported by a qualitative analysis. Gender studies scholars, scholar=
s
studying the changing nature of sexualities, scholars of masculinities, gay=20
studies,
queer theory are invited to contribute.

Face to face or internet interviews can be conducted by the contributors,=20
contacting
consumers of the internet community through the internet. Straight men and=20
women
(married and unmarried), gay men and lesbian women of the ages 35+ will be
interviewed. They will be asked to talk about how the internet has changed=20
their
lives in social and personal ways.

Sample interview questions:
Were you computer literate before you discovered chatrooms?
Isn=E2=80=99t there too much jargon used in chat (such as OMG, LOL, ROFL) an=
d how did
you learn it?
Has your typing speed improved since using chat rooms and instant messaging?
Do you go to aol or internet =E2=80=98bashes=E2=80=99?
Has your social life changed since you started going to these?
Has using chatrooms and IM impacted upon your social life and the structure=20
of
your day? e.g., do you watch less TV?
Have you dated many people through the internet?

This study aims at a constructive dialogue between academic researchers and
consumers, to analyse changing modes of communication and also changing=20
sexual
trends in the various consumer groups, focusing on consumers in the UK.

Chapters

Section I
1. The changing nature of communication
2. Internet communication: Email, IM, Chatrooms and text
3. Jargon and brevity: Language on the internet
Section II Changing Identities
1. Married men
2. Married women
3. Straight men
4. Straight women
5. Gay men
6. Gay women
7. National or International travellers

Please send your 500-800 word abstract to DimpleGodiwala_at_aol.com by July 30,
2004 outlining clearly the methodology you are going to adopt in your=20
research. It may be different from the one outlined above.
Please subtitle your abstract with the research focus, e.g., =E2=80=98Gay me=
n=E2=80=99=20
'Married women' etc.

Editor:=20
Dr. Dimple Godiwala, BA, MA (Bom), MSt, DPhil (Oxford)
York St John College
Lord Mayor=E2=80=99s Walk
York YO31 7EX

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Received on Fri Feb 27 2004 - 01:12:23 EST