Call for Papers: Power, Technology, and Post-Truth Politics

Call for Papers: Special Section 61.3: Power, Technology, and Post-Truth Politics

Special Section 61.3: Power, Technology, and Post-Truth Politics

In 2026, the Community Development Journal marks its 60th anniversary, with a series of
special sections across the 61st issue of the journal. Each special section will comprise a short
editorial bringing together a selection of papers around a common theme that will serve as a
point of reflection.

Issue 61.1 considered community development in context arguing that ‘by acknowledging the
contexts in which community development was developed, we equip ourselves to envision
different contexts - oriented to justice, equality, meaningful participation, and systemic
change’.

Issue 61.2 turned to the present, asking what role community development can play in
responding to the current polycrises and in challenging the structures that have produced
them.

The Community Development Journal now invites submissions for a special section for
Issue 61.3. This section will explore community development at the intersections of
power, technology, and the erosion of shared truth in contemporary societies.
Globally, community development practitioners and scholars are facing rapidly shifting
political and technological landscapes. From the rise of AI to the spread of disinformation
and from shrinking public spaces to far right and online radicalisation, these changes are
changing communities as well as how they organise, resist, and work together for collective
change.

We welcome contributions that explore:
 The implications AI for community development
 Community Development in an era of Authoritarians
 Shrinking of public spaces and community development
 The rise of the far right and community development
 The rise of the “manosphere” and gendered forms of digital radicalisation and community
development
 Anti-migrant narratives and community development
 'Post-truth' politics, misinformation, and challenges to collective knowledge production
 Community development as resistance
Submissions may be theoretical, empirical, methodological, or practice-based.
We welcome contributions that push conceptual boundaries, experiment with form, or
foreground underrepresented voices and perspectives.
 
Submission Schedule:

• 10 April - Optional EOI and Abstract
• 15 April - Feedback from editors on Abstract
• 30 April - Full paper Submission deadline
• 5 May - Reviews shared with authors
• 30 May - Resubmission deadline