Globalisation and Cultural Ecounters AI & Society: Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Communication (Springer) (http://www.springer.

com/computer/ai/journal/146) Call for papers AI & Society is an international Journal, publishing refereed scholarly articles, position papers, debates, short communications and reviews. Established in 1987, the journal focuses on the issues of policy, design, application of information, communications and new media technologies with particular emphasis on cultural, social, cognitive, economic, ethical and philosophical implications. AI & Society is broad-based and interdisciplinary in approach. It provides an international forum for over the horizon analysis of the gaps and possibilities of rapidly evolving knowledge society, with a humanistic vision of society, culture and technology. This special issue of AI & Society is concerned with exploring the evolution and adaptation of culture in the globalizing world. While globalization represents and builds up new cultural, social, economic and political realities, there is a concern about the loss of cultural heritage, knowledge and wisdom embedded in local and regional identities. Globalization has created the choices that cultures confront, and the choices that these cultures eventually make. But these choices do not simply represent some form of automatic response to technological, economic, and social forces. Instead, most of these choices are shaped by certain underlying beliefs and assumptions that these cultures may hold about the potential impact of globalization on social, economic, political realities. There is an apprehension that local uniqueness and cultural specificity will be further marginalized with the rise of globalization. Globalization need not result in fusion and homogeneity. Instead, exposure to different cultures creates possibilities of new opportunities, sustaining diversity. The manifestation of this diversity depends on how different cultures interact with the complex inter-play between technology, human condition, ideology, and political action. Based on these concerns, abstracts and papers are invited on following themes: Indicative topics: Reconfiguring cultural, religious, social, economic realities in the globalizing world Scoping cultural heritage and the interlocution of knowledge, traditions and wisdom in the globalising world Cultural encounters and the shaping of identities in the globalizing world Tranformation of home, language and cross-cultural spaces Philosophical challenges and developmental opportunities of Globalization We welcome contributions for this special volume on any of the above topics, and look forward to receiving abstracts followed by full papers. Indicative deadlines: Call for papers: August 2011 Abstracts: 15 November 2011 (approx 500 words) Full articles (2500-10,000 words approx): 30 June 2012 Review/Revision: July-Sept. 2012 Submission for publication : October 2012 Online publication on Springer website: Nov-Dec 2012 (NOTE: Online publication can be used for formal reference purposes) Guest editors Dr. U.A. Vinay Kumar: udank26@gmail.com Dr. Queeny Pradhan Singh: queeny.singh@gmail.com Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Rashtrapati Nivas, Summer Hill, Shimla 171 005