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July 25, 2000: This message was distributed by Papyrus News, a free e-mail distribution list on the global impact of information technology on language, literacy, and education. Feel free to forward this message to others, preferably with this introduction. For information on Papyrus News, including how to (un)subscribe or access archives, see <http://www.lll.hawaii.edu/web/faculty/markw/papyrus-news.html>.
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I just learned about this group, MEViC. It is planning two online conferences, one
on "People Across Borders" (August 1-15) and one on "National
Identity in an Era of Globalization" (winter 2000/2001, with paper
proposals being accepted now)....mark
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The Virtual Community of Academics and Intellectuals in the Middle
East (MEViC), www.mevic.org <http://www.mevic.org>,
is a regional effort to network the countries in the MENA region through the
use of information technology and telecommunications. The idea is to create a virtual community of academics and
intellectuals in order to foster joint cooperation and understanding. Aside from face to face meetings of the
steering committee, all communication will take place via the Internet.
The project is jointly managed by a Steering Committee composed
of members from Palestine, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, the Gulf, Morocco and Turkey.
A concrete result of the building of the network is the inaugural Virtual Conference,
taking place August 1-15 2000 at the MEViC Website www.mevic.org <http://www.mevic.org>.
This conference will be the first of its kind in the Middle East
and will address real human, political and economic issues facing the peoples
of the region. We hope that conference
will lead the way for many other benefits that the regional network will provide,
such as linking libraries, resources, researchers, joint cooperation beyond the
community, etc.
This all, of course, will be accompanied by an inclusive capacity
building process that provides each participant with the necessary training and
support to come online. We urge you all to participate in this conference. The
unique aspects of Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) and virtual
communication are particularly relevant to creating the kind of community and
discussion groups dealing with the issues related to regional cooperation. CMC
has the potential for creating a strong dialogue between participants, with an
extended exchange of information while at the same time providing archival
capabilities which can be related to and retrieved at later points of time.
The commitment of members in a virtual community to the community
itself is a key factor in proceeding with the initiative. The creation of a core group of committed members,
acorporal and not limited by time nor space serves to enhance the later stages
of the project. The character and quality of interaction provided by the medium
of CMC serves to overcome the problems that have manifested themselves in the
past in attempts to foster cooperation among groups and individuals that suffer
from restraints of time, space and preconceived notions.
Should you have any questions regarding the project, you may contact me directly, Michael Dahan MEViC Coordinator mdahan@attglobal.net <mailto:mdahan@attglobal.net>
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