Political Science News - Events

Second Joint PhD Symposium on South East Europe

mathieu.stlaurent — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:15:40 +0000

Goldsmiths

London, United States

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18 June, 2012

Organised by:

Centre for the Study of the Balkans, Goldsmiths

Centre for South East European Studies, SSEES, UCL

LSEE-Research on South East Europe, European Institute, LSE

Following the success of the First Joint PhD Symposium on South East Europe, held at the LSE in June 2010, we invite submissions for the Second Joint PhD Symposium, to be hosted by Centre for the Study of the Balkans at Goldsmiths, University of London.

The main objective of the symposium is to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and ideas between scholars currently undertaking doctoral research on the region. It is also intended to help research students to overcome the academic isolation associated with PhD research, to try their ideas and findings on wider audiences, and to establish new collaborative links across disciplines. Researchers will also be able to engage with a wider academic community, including academic members of staff at the three institutions, and also a number of other distinguished scholars who will be involved with the symposium.

We welcome contributions from doctoral research students focusing on the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Moldova, Romania and Turkey and working in the following disciplines:

Anthropology and Sociology
Economics and Political Economy
Politics and International Relations
History (including Economic History)
Law
Social Policy
Cultural Studies and Literature

Abstracts of 500 words maximum must be e-mailed to phdsymposiumgold2012@gmail.com, using the ‘paper proposal’ form (downloadable from:

http://www.gold.ac.uk/csb/newsandevents/eventtitle,31202,en.php).

Abstracts should indicate the academic significance of the topic, relevance of conceptual literature, and analytical structure. It should also include up to six key words. In addition to the ‘paper proposal’

form, applicants will be expected to provide a short statement of support from their supervisor (no more than 300 words). This should be sent by the supervisor directly to the same e-mail address. The deadline for the submission of the ‘paper proposal’ forms is Friday, 2 March 2012

Completed submissions can be made by email only to: phdsymposiumgold2012@gmail.com

Successful applicants will be notified by Friday 23 March 2012. We regret that we cannot notify unsuccessful applicants.

Participants will be expected to pay for their own travel, accommodation and subsistence.

There will also be a registration fee of £15 for all participants, payable upon registration. General participants are welcome to attend.

Second Joint PhD Symposium on South East Europe

Deadline: 2 March, 2012

Evaluating the Diplomatic System of the European Union

mathieu.stlaurent — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:11:43 +0000

Foundation University

Brussels, Belgium

28 February, 2012

The Jean Monnet Multilateral Research Network on ‘The Diplomatic System of the EU (DSEU)’ is holding its final conference ‘Evaluating the Diplomatic System of the European Union’ on Tuesday, February 28th in Brussels (Fondation Universitaire, rue d'Egmont 11).

The general aim of the final conference is to bring together the findings from the project and debate them in a gathering of academics, officials and representatives of civil society. It will consist of two sessions reviewing the findings of the network in its key research strands, with discussants from both the academic and the official world, and a final session in which a major figure from the European diplomatic community will review the challenges facing EU diplomacy. The first two sessions of this conference will centre on a set of Policy Papers reflecting the research findings, which will form a basis for the conference presentations and discussions, and which will be circulated in advance of the conference.

Further details of the conference, including the programme, can be found on the project web site at http://dseu.lboro.ac.uk .

The Conference, organized by Loughborough University, the University of Leuven and Maastricht University, in partnership with the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies and Egmont, the Royal Institute for International Relations and with kind support of the Lifelong Learning Programme of the European Commission is now open for registration.

Postnational Rulemaking between Authority and Autonomy

mathieu.stlaurent — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 19:52:09 +0000

University of Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands

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20 September, 2012 - 21 September, 2012

The Project: The Architecture of Postnational Rulemaking

This project investigates the architecture of postnational rulemaking from the views of public international law, European public law and European private law. The project is interested in rulemaking processes that unfold below the radar of formal lawmaking but are powerful nonetheless. By way of example, it is suggested that understanding or assessing rulemaking in the field of food safety requires looking at the interaction between the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the World Trade Organization and the European Union. In the field of pharmaceutical regulation we see how EU administrators turn non-binding standards on pharmaceutical testing into legal obligations for national actors. And in (European) private law we can observe how expert committees forcefully shape model rules that not only facilitate, but also guide, channel and de facto constrain the activity of private actors.

On top of striving to compare and combine views from the three fields of law, there are three elements that characterize our project and define the contribution is seeks to make. They all fundamentally challenge common narratives of legitimacy:

First, examining the shifting sources of authority and do not take legal capacity or competence as a starting point for such authority.
Second, focusing on the process of rulemaking and on how actors or rules gain authority in this process – leaning and building on one another. This is highly relevant where no single actor could have produced a rule with authority, but actors’ interaction does precisely that.
Third, examining authority and autonomy in the spaces between actors. Actors recognize or contest the authority of others. At this juncture lies a moment of autonomous will, and thus of legitimation. In short, we look at postnational rulemaking between authority and autonomy.

The project on The Architecture of Postnational Rulemaking aims at elucidating shifts in authority and at carving out processes of rulemaking that involve multiple actors. In particular, it is to focus on the interaction between them. The intent is to understand these processes better, to develop normative assessments, and to contribute to the development of legal doctrine and theory in response to the phenomenon of postnational rulemaking between authority and autonomy.

The Conference

The project took effect after a workshop in September 2011, which has guided its development. (Further information may be found on our website www.jur.uva.nl/architecture.) A year later, 20-21 September 2012, it is intended to engage with our peers. During the Conference we will explore both empirical and normative approaches to the themes outlined above, gathering contributions from the three fields of law that compose the project (public international law, European public law and European private law). Contributions from related disciplines are sought also.

We plan to group contributions around the three themes mentioned above:

Shifting sources of authority: papers should mainly analyze how authority to make rules is established in a postnational setting beyond instances of legal competence.
Processes of rulemaking: papers should examine the processes through which rules are made as well as the qualities and characteristics of the actors involved in such processes. Contributions could investigate how regulations in specific fields of society have come about through the interaction of multiple actors of a different kind and on different levels of governance.
Between authority and autonomy: papers should investigate how actors recognize or contest the authority of others. At this juncture might lie a moment of autonomous will, and thus of legitimation. Contributions might possibly link this issue to the relationship between legal orders.

The conference seeks to combine conceptual, normative and empirical analysis in a mutually supportive fashion.

A small number of speakers and call for submission of proposals is invited:

Submission of Paper Proposals

The research group on Postnational Rulemaking invites the submission of paper proposals that explore any of the topics outlined above. We are particularly interested in empirical studies that contribute to a better understanding of postnational rulemaking in any of the three fields of public international law, European public law and European private law. Submissions from related disciplines welcomed.

Please submit a proposal of no more than 1000 words by February 28, 2012. Abstracts should include the proposed title for the paper and a synthesis of the main arguments. Please enclose a CV and mention your affiliation and contact details. Abstracts should be submitted in PDF to Angela Moisl (A.Moisl@uva.nl).

The selection panel composed of Professors Deirdre Curtin, Martijn Hesselink and André Nollkaemper will consider all abstracts received by the submission deadline. A decision will be made by March 15, 2012.

Drafts of the full papers should then be submitted no later than July 1, 2012.

The best contributions will be published in the Working Paper Series of our project and will subsequently be selected for publication in an edited volume.

Reasonable expenses of participants will be covered (travel in economy class and accommodation to be arranged by the organizers).

For more information please contact Joana Mendes (J.M.Mendes@uva.nl) or Ingo Venzke (I.Venzke@uva.nl).

Postnational Rulemaking between Authority and Autonomy

Deadline: 28 February, 2012

The EU’s Unknown Asia: New Horizons and New Beginnings

mathieu.stlaurent — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:14:51 +0000

University of Singapore

Singapore, Singapore

4 June, 2012 - 5 June, 2012

EU Studies Association Asia Pacific (EUSAAP) annual conference in 2012

Conference Themes:

Visision of the Other - While politicians are claiming Asia as a new priority, commentators are claiming that the EU is still undervaluing Asia. What is the state of EU-Asia Relations? How do these two regions view each other and how has this impacted in the visibility of the EU in the region? How do current events such as Fukushima and the Eurozone crisis impact on the Asia EU relationship?

Models of Integration – What comparisons can be drawn between different modules of regionalism an integration as expressed in these two regions? What lessons can be learnt from the other and how can different forms of regionalism work together?

The Way Forward – What will be the challenges that these regions face in their on-going relationship building? What models and innovations for future cooperation are there? What role do FTAs play in these relationships? EU and Asia in World Affairs - How do regions work together on the international stage? What roles do the EU and Asia have in multilateralism and global governance? How have recent international events such as the Arab Spring and International Financial Crisis impacted how the EU and Asia interact?

For further questions please email sarah.christie@canterbury.ac.nz or visit http://www.eusaap.org.nz/events.shtml

The EU’s Unknown Asia: New Horizons and New Beginnings

Deadline: 24 February, 2012

Belonging: Cultural Topographies of Identity

mathieu.stlaurent — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:40:20 +0000

University College Dublin

Dublin, Ireland

8 June, 2012 - 9 June, 2012

Contact:

gillian.pye@ucd.ie

If, in the first decades of the twenty first century, belonging is firmly ‘back on the agenda’ (Antonsich: 2010, 652) then this is not only due to increased mobility, in both its territorialized and deterritorialized aspects, but also the growing need for a more semantically complex way of understanding and exploring who, what and where we are. As Vikki Bell puts it, ‘[…] one does not simply or ontologically belong to the world or any group within it. Belonging is an achievement at several levels of abstraction.’ (1999: 3). Incorporating at once notions of citizenship, emotional and psychological attachment, emplacement and deterritorialization, the legal-material and the imaginary-symbolic, the concept of belonging suggests a fruitful point of departure for understanding the complexities of space, place and identity in the twenty-first century.

This two-day conference will focus on the ways in which belonging is produced, maintained and transposed across a wide range of cultural and intellectual discourses and creative modes. This includes but is not limited to, architecture, archaeology and anthropology, visual art, literature and life-writing, intellectual history and critical theory and discourse analysis. Papers will engage with the general question of how concepts of belonging are instrumentalized in the creation of topographies of identity. Key issues for discussion may include:

Which metaphors predominate in narratives of belonging and how do these metaphors relate to empirical discourses (e.g. natural science)?
How do these tropes migrate across time and space, across geographic, social and political boundaries?
In what ways do different perceptions of belonging intersect and interact culturally, socially, politically, legally?
How is the material environment instrumentalized in performances and daily practices of belonging (architecture, public space, personal belongings, objects)?
What role does emotion and/or affect play in perceptions and conceptions of belonging?

Belonging: Cultural Topographies of Identity

Deadline: 14 March, 2012

2012 UCSIA summer school on “Religion, Culture and Society”

mathieu.stlaurent — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:53:49 +0000

UCSIA

Antwerp, Belgium

26 August, 2012 - 2 September, 2012

Contact:

sara.mels@ua.ac.be

This summer school is a one-week course taking place from Sunday 26 August until Sunday 2 September (dates of arrival and departure). This year the programme will focus on the topic of Secularism(s) and Religion in Society.

Topic:

It is evident that religion, culture and society are strongly interwoven and are crucial for understanding the contemporary world. With globalization touching all aspects of our lives, religion(s) and culture(s) have to understand their position in this complex globalizing process. It is the aim of the interdisciplinary UCSIA summer school to better understand the dynamic interplay between the macro- and micro-social developments concerning religion that take place in much of the contemporary world.

Guest lecturers are Rajeev Bhargava (Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi), Peggy Levitt (Wellesley College), Robert W. Hefner (Boston University) and John Hutchinson (London School of Economics).

Practical details:

Participation and stay for young scholars and researchers are free of charge. Participants should pay for their own travel expenses to Antwerp.

You can submit your application via the electronic submission on the summer school website. The completed file as well as all other required application documents must be submitted to the UCSIA Selection Committee not later than Sunday 15 April 2012.

For further information regarding the programme and application procedure, please have a look at our website: http://www.ucsia.org/summerschool.

International conference «Foreign affairs and integration projects in post-Soviet space»

mathieu.stlaurent — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:16:11 +0000

Palace of students Dnepropetrovsk

Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine

18 May, 2012 - 19 May, 2012

Organised by:

Dnipropetrovsk national university

We invite You to participate in the International conference «Foreign affairs and integration projects in post-Soviet space» (18 – 19 may 2012, Dnipropetrovsk)

The organizer of the conference is the Dnipropetrovsk national university named after Oles Gonchar.

We will be glad to see the representatives of Your organization among the participants of the conference.

The main goal of conference is to combine efforts of different scientific areas, to determine the prospects for integration projects that are being created in the former Soviet Union, or have significant influence on it, their importance to modern societies and their derivatives structural transformation in international foreign affairs. In the center of attention - a wide range of organizations: «Eastern Partnership», CIS, EurAsEC, CES, CSTO, SCO, GUAM, Customs Union, the Eurasian Union and others.

Conference topics cover a wide field of research of political, economic, legal and cultural aspects of integration of the former Soviet Union, extending on the political conditions of the emergence of integration projects, cultural implications of their occurrence, the legal basis of their formation and implementation of the legislation of Member States, the economic consequences of implementation.

Main themes for the conference:

Integration and energy transit
Security Dimension of integration projects: NATO against CSTO-CSOR (Collective Rapid Reactive Force)?
Effect of integration of EU projects in post-Soviet space
Impact of integration projects in Russia in post-Soviet space
The main trends of integration processes in the former Soviet space
The development of humanitarian cooperation
Economic principles of integration projects
Place of integration projects in Ukraine's foreign policy
Centers "soft power" in post-Soviet space: the organizational and the values

The participants will be divided into working groups depending on the directions; detailed list of sections will be formed as a result of consideration of participants’ applications.

Conference will take place on 18-19 May 2012 at the Palace of students Dnepropetrovsk (Dnepropetrovsk, pl. Shevchenko, 1 (University Park. Shevchenko).
Working languages: Ukrainian, Russian, English

The beginning of the conference on May 18 at 10.00. Registration will take place in the lobby of the Palace - 9.00 - 10.00.

The works of participants will be published basing on the results of the conference.

Requirements for publication:
Text format: Word for Windows. Page: А4 (210×297 мм). Font: size 14, type Times New Roman, line spacing 1.5). Margins: top – 20mm, bottom – 20mm, left – 20mm, right – 20mm. Pages not numbered. In the upper right corner: name and initials, degree and academic rank (if available), place of work or study, position, city. Then there are title and the text of the article. The list of literature should be at the end of the article numbered in the order of mentioned. References are given in the text in square brackets. The volume of material presented in this form, must be from two to five pages.

Participants need to send till May 1, 2012 to e-mail Dniproforum@i.ua:
1) Registration form (sample attached)
2) The text of the report

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE: For the conference contact: Victor Pashchenko
e-mail: Dniproforum@i.ua
Telephone: 066-7041442
Organizing Committee Address: Dnepropetrovsk, Gagarina 72, (Dnepropetrovsk, korp.1) room. 716, Department of Political Science.

APPLICATION (REGISTRATION FORM)

Please include in the program and in the Proceedings of the conference report
Full name (in full)

Science degree and academic rank

Place of work / study

Mailing address, phone number (required)

E-Mail (required)

Scientific Section of the report:

Subject research report:

International conference «Foreign affairs and integration projects in post-Soviet space»

Deadline: 1 May, 2012

Political Studies Association of Ireland Postgraduate Conference 2012

mathieu.stlaurent — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:02:19 +0000

National University of Ireland

Maynooth, Ireland

22 June, 2012 - 23 June, 2012

http://www.psai.ie/

Organised by:

Political Studies Association of Ireland (PSAI)

Contact:

claire.f.mcging@gmail.com

The PSAI Postgraduate Conference 2012 will be hosted at NUI Maynooth on 22nd and 23rd June. The headline theme is ‘Political Institutions: Continuity and Change’. In what ways have political institutions held on to their past traditions, customs and rituals? How are they currently responding to calls for political reform? However, as is the tradition of the PSAI Postgraduate Conference, we also welcome paper and panel proposals in any other area of politics and international relations, not just those relating to the conference’s headline theme, and not just those with an Irish dimension. These might relate to topics including but not limited to:

Political philosophy and theory
Political parties and electoral studies
Government and policy-making
Local government and administration
Political history
Political economy
Social movements and civil society
International relations
Peace and conflict studies

Political Studies Association of Ireland Postgraduate Conference 2012

Deadline: 13 April, 2012

2013 World Social Science Forum: Social transformation and the digital age

mathieu.stlaurent — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:14:29 +0000

Palais des congrès

Montreal, Canada

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13 October, 2013 - 15 October, 2013

http://www.worldsocialscience.org/

Organised by:

International Social Science Council (ISSC)

International Political Science Association (IPSA)

The next World Social Science Forum (WSSF) of the International Social Science Council (ISSC) will take place in Montreal, Canada on 13-15 October 2013 and focus on the topic of “Social transformation and the digital age”.

Organised in partnership with a Canadian consortium led by the Montreal secretariat of the International Political Science Association (IPSA), the Forum has received the formal support of the Canadian Prime Minister, the Quebec Prime Minister and two Québécois Ministries, the Mayor of Montréal Tourism, IPSA, major Montréal-based universities, and others.

In line with ISSC’s strategic objectives to ensure synergies and continuity across its activities, the Forum will draw on the theme of WSSF 2009 – ‘One planet, worlds apart’ – and the ‘Knowledge divides’ highlighted in the 2010 World Social Science Report, and explore the evolving digital world, its opportunities, challenges and impacts on society, industry, individuals and the environment. It is planned that its format will illustrate and complement these themes, offering innovative and inclusive-beyond-the-venue linkages.

The continuity principle will also link the 2013 WSSF forward to the 2015 WSSF which will take place in South Africa and focus on themes of global justice.

Local Government Reform? A one day symposium

mathieu.stlaurent — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:59:12 +0000

NUI Maynooth

Maynooth Co. Kildare, Ireland

8 March, 2012

Theme: The Programme for Government sets out to reform local government and the local environment generally. The existing system of County and Town Authorities is likely to be streamlined. This will, in practical terms, include the merging of a limited number of County Authorities, the amalgamation of senior management teams and a significant reduction in middle management numbers. The alignment of local government and local development is also being advanced. This symposium will examine the possibility of reform and whether it is realistic to think that substantial reform can make a difference to the role local government could and should play in Ireland.

Registration fee: 50 Euro including lunch

Online Registration at:
http://www.bookyourplace.ie/local-government-reform-page.html

For conference updates see:
http://www.regional-studies-assoc.ac.uk/international-networks/rsair.asp

For further information: sean@seanoriordain.ie

The event is supported by The Regional Studies Association Irish Branch and the Local Government Specialist Group of the Political Studies Association of Ireland