Call for Papers
Digital Transactions in Asia VI
International Conference, 22-24 January 2025
Funded by
The Australian Research Council Discovery Grant DP220100988 Digital Transaction Platforms in Asia
Hosted by
Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Brawijaya, Indonesia
In Partnership with:
Center for Culture and Frontier Studies
Centre for Communication and Social Change, The University of Queensland
Digital Futures Lab, School of Communication and Arts, The University of Queensland
SEADS (Southeast Asia Research Centre for Digital Tech and Society), The Monash University Malaysia
Digital Transactions in Asia VI
Since 2008, the targeting of unbanked populations in the Global South by a range of mobile financial services has dovetailed with equally significant interventions elsewhere in credit, currencies and commerce channelled through the super platforms of the smartphone decade. This confluence has engendered the worldwide spread of ‘everyday fintech’, with far-reaching ambitions for a ‘great integration’ of markets, exchanges and lifeworlds networked through digital transactions. Digital transactions have become central to the strategic design and operation of digital ecosystems, social laboratories and eGovernance regimes around the world. This larger convergence of the finance and technology sectors requires scholars across disciplines to pay closer attention to the transactional architecture of the Internet.
Digital Transactions in Asia VI takes up this challenge up by exploring the multi-faceted role of digital transactions in the evolution of contemporary Asian Internets, detailing the role of transaction platforms and design of transaction chains within platform ecosystems, as well as highlighting the informal transaction chains assembled by everyday users. In an evolving policy domain dominated by technocratic visions of sustainable development, we emphasise the social and cultural implications of the transaction orders emerging in Asia as a consequence of digitisation, along with the social shaping of digital transactions amongst businesses, workers, consumers and citizens in a culturally diverse region.
DTAVI Special Session 2025: Rural Transactions at the Frontiers of Inclusion
Digital Transactions in Asia VI will feature a special focus section on Rural Transactions. For this session, we invite papers with an emphasis on the potentials, challenges, risks, and opportunities arising with the introduction of digital transactions into rural communities and economies across Asia. Traditionally a major focus of initiatives to drive social and economic development in the region, and a very significant proportion of the population in most Asian countries, rural communities have a significant stake in the digital transformation of the economy. We invite papers that consider how the implementation of digital transactions via online platforms and technologies originally conceived in an urban context interact with rural and regional realities of infrastructure, employment and sustainable development.
Scope
Given the inter – and transdisciplinary nature of the topic, the conference is intended to be of interest to researchers from a diverse variety of backgrounds and disciplinary orientations in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Business, IT, Economics and Law. We will also consider submissions of technical works, along with professional contributions from industry and non-governmental organizations.
Format
Digital Transactions in Asia VI will include three days of presentations on 22-24th January 2025. Opportunities will be provided to present work in Bahasa Indonesia on the third day (24th January), which will also include workshop sessions addressing critical methodological, theoretical and logistical issues arising with the rapid uptake and maturation of Digital Transactions in Asia.
Submissions
For Digital Transactions in Asia VI, We invite abstract submissions (500 words) for presentations of 15-20 minutes on the following themes:
- E Commerce, Consumption and the Platform Economy
- Digital Platforms and Labour Transactions
- Embedded Finance, Micro-Credit and Mobile Lending
- (In)equalities, Disabilities and Financial Inclusion
- Social Media, Transactions and Informal Economies
- Super Platforms and Super Apps as Transaction Platforms
- Digital Currencies, Exchanges and Commodities
- Cultural Transactions and Creative Economies
- Cyber-security, Crime and Transaction Data
- AI, Algorithms and Innovation in Asian Fintech
- Platform Regulation, Finance and Economic Policy
For the special section on Rural Transactions at the Frontiers of Inclusion, we invite abstract submissions (500 words) for presentations of 15-20 minutes on the following themes:
- Digital Transactions and Rural Economies
- Digital Transactions and Sustainable Development Goals
- The Role of NGOs in Digital Financial Development
- Agritech Platforms, Data and Finance
- Digital Literacy and Local Agency in Rural Transactions
- eGovernance, Digital Citizenship and Community Representation
Abstracts will be accepted in English or Bahasa Indonesia. For the submission of abstracts, please send your abstract (500 words), institutional details and research bio in a Word document to our conference secretary, Dr. Asih Purwanti Email: a.purwanti@ub.ac.id
Please indicate if:
- Your paper is intended for the special session on rural transaction.
- You are based at an Asian institution and wish to apply for an Asian travel award,
- You would prefer to make your presentation in a Bahasa Indonesia session.
Registration
Registration for this event is free of charge for international presenters. A small registration fee for local presenters and attendees is intended to cover the cost of catering for the conference days. Public attendance is welcomed, although priority will be given to speakers and paper presenters, with a limit of 200 registrations.
Livestreaming
Plenary sessions will be available on livestream for remote audiences.
Researcher Support
A limited number of bursaries covering economy air travel to Surabaya, Indonesia and three nights accommodation in Malang on 21st-23rd January are available on a competitive basis for presenters of accepted papers working at institutions within the Asian region.
Useful Information on Previous Events:
Digital Transactions in Asia I, Queensland University of Technology, Australia 2017
Digital Transactions in Asia II, De La Salle University, Philippines 2018
Digital Transactions in Asia III, Monash University Malaysia, 2019
Digital Transactions in India, University of Queensland/IIT Delhi, Australia/India, 2021
Digital Transactions in Asia IV, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 2022/2023
Digital Transactions in Asia V, International Centre for Interdisciplinary Science and Education Research , Vietnam, 2024
Publication
For all funded participants, a final paper of 5,000 words will be requested by 5 January 2025.
Our conference publications for 2025 include consideration for:
- A 2025 edited volume: Platforms, Transactions and Digital Transformation in Southeast Asia (Palgrave)
- A journal special issue on ‘Digital Transactions: Frontiers of Financial Inclusion in Asia’
- Invitation to submit individual papers to Platforms & Society Journal (Sage)
- Invitation to propose monographs and edited volumes on the conference themes (Palgrave).
Organising Committee
- Adrian Athique (University of Queensland)
- Desi Dwi Prianti (Universitas Brawijaya)
- Elske van de Fliert (University of Queensland)
- Emma Baulch (Monash University Malaysia)
- Asih Purwanti (Universitas Brawijaya)
Venue
The conference presentations and workshops will be held at Universitas Brawijaya campus in Malang, East Java, Indonesia. Details for the venue can be found here:
Travel:
Conference Hotel: https://www.swiss-belhotel.com/en-gb/swiss-belinn-malang
Indonesia travel visa requirements: https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id/
Regional Information: https://www.eastjava.com/
Additional Transportation Options
For international participants whose flights arrive outside the scheduled airport pickup times based on information that has been sent to the participant’s emails.
We would like to provide some alternative transportation options for your convenience:
1. Travellora
– Fixed-time departures from Juanda Airport.
– Approximate cost: IDR 150,000 per person.
– Website: [https://travellora.net/](https://travellora.net/)
2. Traveloka
– Private airport transfer services available.
– Approximate cost: IDR 550,000 per car.
– Website: [https://www.traveloka.com/](https://www.traveloka.com/)
3. Travel by Nahwa
– Shared transport option.
– Approximate cost: IDR 150,000 per person.
– Contact: +62 853-6919-9944