Call for Contributions: The MoneyLab Reader #2

MONEYLAB

The MoneyLab project was launched late 2013 to consider sprouting, alternative digital economics, radical experiments with crypto-currencies, payment systems and revenue models against the backdrop of the ongoing global economic decline. Since then, we’ve organized 3 international symposia, published a Reader and created a crowdfunding toolkit for the arts. Previous contributors to the MoneyLab project include Saskia Sassen, Franco Berardi and David Golumbia.

Blog reports and videos of the MoneyLab talks and discussions can be found at: https://networkcultures.org/moneylab.

MONEYLAB READER #2

This year we are publishing a second MoneyLab Reader, which will feature discussions on blockchain, financial activism, artistic projects, and new strategies for a democratic economy. It will be a volume of critical essays by theorists, programmers, activists, and artists; edited by Geert Lovink, Patricia de Vries and Inte Gloerich and to be published late 2017.

WE INVITE

Internet, visual culture and media scholars, critical finance scholars, anthropologists, Bitcoin researchers, artists, curators, free software and open-content advocates, P2P gurus, financial activists, conference participants and others to submit proposals for The MoneyLab Reader #2.

For the purpose of creating a gender-balanced publication, we are specifically looking for female authors.

POSSIBLE TOPICS

Local Activism & Finance // New Strategies in Democratising Economies // Financialization of Social Sectors // Crowdfunding Research // Blockchain // Money & Art // Collapse Porn // Networks & Money

FORMATS

We welcome interviews, dialogues, essays and articles, images (b/w), email exchanges, manifestos, or other, with a maximum of 5,000 words, but preferably shorter. For scope and style, take a look at the previous INC Readers and the attached style guide.

WANT TO JOIN?

Send in your proposal (500 words max.) before March 15th, 2017. You may expect a response before April 1st, 2017.

DEADLINE FOR FULL ARTICLES

First draft: May 15th, 2017.

EMAIL TO

inte [at] networkcultures [dot] org

BACKGROUND

While the economic downturn endures and budget cuts prevail, we have witnessed the emergence and rise of alternative payment systems and revenue models in digital media. Online bartering sites, a plethora of crowdfunding platforms, new forms of valuation, crypto-currencies and other blockchain applications, are but a few examples. These coincide with the general convergence of digital and financial industries.

MoneyLab is a network that aims to critically explore, map and probe the politics, inner-workings and governance of these alternative digital-economic forms. It is not enough to merely promote and further develop (technical) alternatives, we also need time to ask ourselves critical questions and re-examine the very underpinnings of our endeavours.

Of central importance to this project is a collaborative network of researchers, artists, developers, engineers, and others interested in sharing, coining, critiquing, and ushering in alternative network economies, focused on the monetization debate and looked into three specific fields of inquiry: crypto-currencies and blockchain, crowdfunding research and strategies of economic dissent.

MORE INFORMATION

MoneyLab: https://networkcultures.org/moneylab

INC Readers: http://networkcultures.org/publications