Oh, this is indeed sad news, truly a loss. I wished to meet Michael in person one day. I found him a very warm and generous correspondent during my brief e-mail exchanges with him over the last few years
And I found his work very insightful, his voice will continue having impact, including through his useful blog notes e.g, https://gurstein.wordpress.com/2014/08/27/ooh-la-la-the-french-get-internet-neutrality-right-its-all-about-the-monopolies-google-amazon-facebook-twitter-etc/ L > On 15 October 2017 at 14:35 Molly Hankwitz <[email protected]> wrote: > > Ted > Sad to hear this. He was a very warm and inviting editor - very nice man > - who asked me to peer review articles for the Journal of Communiy > Informatics. > Molly > > > > > On Sat, Oct 14, 2017 at 4:11 PM t byfield <[email protected] > mailto:[email protected] > wrote: > > > > I'm sad to pass this news on. > > > > T > > > > < https://www.facebook.com/gurstein/posts/10155671874752457 > > > > > Michael Gurstein > > > > October 2, 1944 - October 8, 2017 > > > > Michael Gurstein was born on October 2, 1944 in Edmonton, Alberta, > > Canada to Emanuel (Manny) and Sylvia Gurstein. While still an > > infant, > > the family moved to Melfort, Saskatchewan where Manny grew up and > > his > > family still lived. In Mike’s youth, Manny and Sylvia ran a > > successful > > retail store. There, the family grew with a younger sister, Penny. > > Mike excelled at school. He spent his summers working at a golf > > club in > > Waskesiu and graduated from Melfort Composite Collegiate Institute > > high > > school, and then completed an undergraduate degree in philosophy at > > the > > University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Mike was driven by > > pragmatism > > and curiosity about the wider world that motivated his doctoral > > studies > > in Sociology at the University of Cambridge in the U.K. While a > > student, > > he began his life-long exploration of the world, with trips through > > North Africa and a long journey from Southeast Asia through > > Afghanistan > > and Iran and back to the U.K. > > > > Upon Mike’s return to Canada, he worked in politics and policy, as a > > senior civil servant for the Province of British Columbia under > > Barrett’s NDP government (1972-4) and for the Province of > > Saskatchewan > > under Blakeney’s NDP Government (1974-5). While teaching at York > > University, he ran unsuccessfully for the NDP in the riding of > > Parkdale. > > > > Mike moved to Ottawa in the late 1970s where he met his wife, > > Fernande > > Faulkner. Together they had two children, Rachel (1981) and Marc > > (1983). > > He and Fernande established and ran a management consulting firm, > > Socioscope, which studied and guided the social aspects of the > > introduction of information communication technology. In Ottawa, > > Mike > > also built and managed a real estate portfolio. In 1992 the family > > moved > > to New York, where Mike and Fernande worked for the United Nations. > > > > In 1995, Mike became Associate Chair in the Management of > > Technological > > Change at the University College of Cape Breton. There, he founded > > the > > Centre for Community and Enterprise Networking (C/CEN) as a > > community > > based research laboratory exploring applications of ICT to support > > social change in one of Canada's most economically disadvantaged > > regions. > > > > Grown out of his early experience in rural small town Saskatchewan > > and > > his later experiences in impoverished but culturally and communally > > rich > > Cape Breton, Mike's work provided the conceptual framing for > > “community informatics”. He published the first major work in the > > field, and introduced the term "community informatics" into wider > > usage > > as referring to the research and praxis discipline underpinning the > > social appropriation of ICT. Within the area of community > > informatics a > > major contribution has been Mike's introduction of the notion of > > "effective use" as a critical analytical framework for assessing > > technology implementation superseding approaches based on the more > > commonly accepted frameworks such as that of the "digital divide". > > > > In 1999, the family moved to Vancouver to be closer to Mike’s > > parents > > and sister. In 2000, Mike and Fernande returned to New York, to > > work at > > the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the UN, respectively. > > Mike > > returned to Vancouver in 2006 and established the Center for > > Community > > Informatics Research Development and Training (CCIRDT). With this > > platform, he traveled the world to consult with governments and > > civil > > society organisations, present at conferences, and conduct research. > > > > Mike was the founding editor of the Journal of Community > > Informatics and > > was Foundation Chair of the Community Informatics Research Network. > > He > > was at the time of his death the Executive Director of CCIRDT, and > > formerly an Adjunct Professor in the School of Library and > > Information > > Studies Vancouver Canada, and as well as Research Professor at the > > New > > Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey, and Research > > Professor at the University of Quebec (Outaouais). He was also a > > member > > of the High Level Panel of Advisers of the UN's Global Alliance for > > ICT > > and Development. He has also served on the Board of the Global > > Telecentre Alliance, Telecommunities Canada, the Pacific Community > > Networking Association and the Vancouver Community Net. > > > > In recent years he was active as a commentator, speaker and > > essayist/blogger articulating a community informatics (grassroots > > ICT > > user) perspective in the areas of open government data and internet > > governance. Through all of his work, Mike was motivated by his > > commitment to democratising access to the tools of information > > technology and the advancement of civil society. > > > > Mike passed away peacefully at home on October 8 after a two year > > battle > > with prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife Fernande, his > > mother > > Sylvia, his sister Penny, his children Rachel and Marc, his > > step-children Bruno and Nina, his grandchildren Emmanuelle and > > Daniel, > > step grandchildren Patrick, Emilly, Jessica and Erica, and niece, > > Natasha. > > # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission > > # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, > > # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets > > # more info: http://mx.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l > > # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [email protected] > > mailto:[email protected] > > # @nettime_bot tweets mail w/ sender unless #ANON is in Subject: > > > > > # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission > # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, > # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets > # more info: http://mx.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l > # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: [email protected] > # @nettime_bot tweets mail w/ sender unless #ANON is in Subject: >
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