*CFP* "FUTURES OF MEDIA: SHIFTING SPHERES", SPECIAL ISSUE KYBERNETES

The concept of publicity as a sphere was first introduced to scientific discourse by Jürgen Habermas in the 1970’s and has had a remarkable career ever since. In this special issue of Kybernetes, we want to turn our attention to three thematic spheres surrounding the concept of the sphere:

1. The concept: This may include its origins, its history, and its potential, as well as its limitations. At this meta-theoretical level, comparisons between the ostensibly antagonistic theoretical perspectives of systems theory and the theory of communicative action of the two become possible. As a consequence, the concept of sphere may create a theoretical sphere for discussing the extent to which the central aspects of both perspectives are compatible, and further, at which junctures they might even be coupled. 
2. The question of which structural and semantic transformations the so-called ‘public sphere’ and ‘private sphere’ have undergone in recent decades, particularly with regard to globalization and the digitization of society. 
3. The idea of transformation: What is it exactly that defines change in contrast with its opposite—i.e., the perseverance and consistency of structures?

The driving contention of this Special Issue is this: the concept of sphere is a rich theoretical resource that, if freed from its normative implications, can be effectively deployed in order to analyze current social situations.

Full paper submission deadline: 15 March 2019.

Contributions to this special issue may be related (but not limited) to topics discussed on the 2nd “Futures of Media“ conference 2018.

Guest Editors:

Markus Heidingsfelder, Habib University Karachi, Pakistan

Holger Briel, Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University, PR of China

Steffen Roth, La Rochelle Business School, France and Yerevan State University, Armenia

Corresponding guest editor. Email: heidingsfelder@googlemail.com