From: Mark Gaved <[email protected]>
ESRS Congress Florence, 29 July - 1st August 2013
Rural resilience and vulnerability: the rural as locus of solidarity and
conflict in times of crisis
Abstracts of papers are invited for a Working Group entitled:
'Promoting rural resilience within a digital society'
Organisers:
Liz Roberts, Lorna Philip, Claire Wallace, Leanne Townsend, David Beel
(dot.rural Digital Economy Hub, University of Aberdeen)
Contact: [email protected]
This Working Group will bring together rural scholars to discuss the
challenges, opportunities and responses associated with developments in ICT and
how these may be harnessed to promote inclusive, resilient rural communities.
Developments in information and communication technology (ICT) are transforming
communities across the world. These developments areproviding opportunities for
innovative research across the social sciences. The emerging research agenda,
and associated policy strategies and priorities, often has an aspatial or an
urban focus. Yet there are considerable opportunities presented to rural
scholars to interrogate the ways in which such technologies and their use can
address the challenges faced by rural communities and promote cohesion,
identities and social inclusion. These challenges include, for example: small
and dispersed populations; demographic ageing; poor access to healthcare and
education; stresses in the public sector; fragile local economies and labour
markets; and conflicting demands associated with maintaining a productive yet
environmentally sustainable rural environment. A developing body of academic
output is exploring the potential of ICT developments to address these
challenges. This Working Group will introduce examples of this output.
Notwithstanding interventions at EU and nation state levels, the (private
sector) markets that drive developments in ICT infrastructure look to areas
with large populations where their profits can be maximized. Sparsely populated
and remote communities are often overlooked by the market as the returns they
offer are less attractive. Although the rural- urban digital divide is
acknowledged by the research and policy communities, many rural areas are
constantly playing 'catch-up' as technological developments continue apace.
Whilst these technological developments have considerable potential to assist
in meeting many of the challenges faced inday-to-day rural living, rural
communities often lack access to ICT infrastructure and are thus excluded from
the opportunities ICT could bring.
Contributions are welcome which address ways that rural communities can exploit
the opportunities offered by the digital society including, but not restricted
to the following topics:?Rural service provision; rural regeneration and
economic development; community participation and activism; entrepreneurialism;
the conservation of natural and built
environments; tourism; connectivity and social networking within and across
communities; facilitating cultural engagement;heritage and identity; and the
inclusion and empowerment of vulnerable groups.
The Working Group will run two sessions of four 15-minute presentations
followed by extended discussion, in which opportunities for future
collaborative research can be initiated.
Expressions of interest in this Working Group should take the form of 250 word
abstracts submitted by 1st March 2013 through the link on the conference
website www.florenceesrs2013.com.
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