Call for abstracts (closed)

Modern science currently faces a fundamental and ultimately paradoxical situation. While an increasing number of scientists question the endless pursuit of growth and refute its imaginary, the majority of science, technology and innovation (STI) institutions are transitioning towards a model that increasingly prioritizes and funds applied research to stimulate economic growth. Across engineering and applied sciences, the practice and discourse surrounding STI have contributed to aligning knowledge production with endless capitalist expansion. Consequently, a society beyond growth must learn how to articulate new imaginaries and redefine the relationship between society and the institutions of science, technology and innovation. 

Despite the urgent need to decouple STI from the pursuit of endless growth, there has been insufficient reflection on this important task. By and large, conversations about repurposing STI as socio-political phenomena, detached from the instrumental purposes of capitalist accumulation, have largely remained on the fringes of Ecological Economics and Degrowth. We believe it is high time to bring this conversation to the forefront and encourage open engagement with colleagues from other disciplines. In this context,  we propose the overarching theme ‘Technology, Science and Innovation beyond Growth’ as an open invitation to interact with scholarly traditions that problematize technological imaginaries and practices, even if they have not explicitly connected with degrowth debates. Indeed, this conference call presents a timely opportunity to build new bridges between scholars who focus on the ways in which power and politics shape science and technology, and vice versa. Our conference aims to facilitate connections between degrowth, Ecological Economics, and other social science communities, including Science, Technology, and Society (STS), Critical Management and Organization Studies, Responsible Research and Innovation studies, and others.  

Below, we provide a range of potential themes and broad questions which can guide this discussion. Please note that once the call is open, applicants will submit their work to one of the 13 tracks - external link, rather than the specific subthemes. The subthemes provided are indicative of the content that could fit within each track, but submissions on topics not explicitly listed are also welcomed.

Those interested in submitting a contribution to the conference should follow these indications:  

- Submission must be done before January 19, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (CET time) through the Conference electronic submission system - external link. 

- Academic and non-academic presentations will be accepted.

- The language of abstract submission shall be English.

- Each contribution can have more than one presenter, but please be aware that contributions with multiple presenters will count on the same duration as contributions with a single presenter. 

- While the same individual can only feature as a presenter in a maximum of 2 conference contributions, there is no limit to the number of contributions in which they can feature as non-presenting co-authors. 

- All submissions shall include the following details:

• Information about authors and the presenting author(s) (name, e-mail, organization).  
• Abstract (a maximum of 400 words).  
  
• Format of the contribution: conventional panel presentation; interactive; artistic, poster (details about contribution formats can be found here - external link). 
• Selection of the Conference Tracks and/or Special Sessions (a minimum of 1, a maximum of 2) that best fits the content of the contribution. The list of all the available Tracks and Special Sessions can be found here - external link.
• 3-6 keywords.
• Indicate if the presenter is a student.
• Confirm that the person submitting agrees to act as a reviewer for other submissions in her/his area of expertise. As a reviewer, each submitter can be allocated a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 items for review based on their indicated areas of expertise.

- All submissions will undergo a blind peer-reviewed process. Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 

• Thematic relevance and relation to the central theme of the conference (Science, Technology, and Innovation beyond growth: Cultivating collective creativity for a sustainable future) 
  
• Quality of the proposal 
  
• Clarity of presentation 
  
• Originality and creativity 
  
• Degree of inter and trans-disciplinarity 
  

- Once the reviewing process has concluded, authors will receive the result of their evaluations, including the reviewing comments. There will have 10 calendar days after the reception of the evaluation for eventual amendments and modifications to the proposals. If a revised submission has not been made after that time, it will be understood that the proposer has decided to withdraw their contribution.  

- Submitters whose proposal has been approved will be contacted by March 1, 2024, and shall submit an extended abstract (between 500-1200 words excluding the list of references) before April 30, 2024. These extended abstracts will be included in the proceedings book that will be edited after the Conference (and will include all works that are presented at the conference). 

- The presenting authors of the approved proposals shall register and pay for the Conference before April 22, 2024, at 11.59 p.m. (CEST). If the registration has not been performed before that deadline, it will be understood that they are no longer interested in attending, and their presentations will not be included in the final programme nor in the proceedings book. If there is any change regarding the presenting author of an approved proposal, it shall be communicated as soon as possible to the organizers, and the new presenter must register and pay within the same deadline. 

Follow this link - external link to submit a proposal.