IPSA Companion to Political Science Presented at the Université de Montréal

Photo (left to right): Daniel Salée (Chair, Department of Political Science, Concordia University), Luc Turgeon (Professor, University of Ottawa), Kim Fontaine-Skronski (Executive Director, IPSA), Audrey Gagnon (Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa) and Daniel Stockemer (Editor of the International Political Science Review and Professor, University of Ottawa)

IPSA’s new open-access volume, IPSA Companion to Political Science: A Practical Introduction to the 200 Most Important Concepts (Springer, 2025), was presented at the 2026 Congress of the Société québécoise de science politique (SQSP), held at the Université de Montréal in Canada, on 6 May 2026. The roundtable, The Most Important Concepts in Political Science: A Discussion on the IPSA Companion to Political Science 2026, was presented as part of the celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of IPSA’s Permanent Secretariat in Montréal. The book was first launched at the University of Ottawa on 18 March 2026.

Event guests included the book’s editors, Daniel Stockemer (Editor of the International Political Science Review and Professor, University of Ottawa) and Audrey Gagnon (Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa), along with discussants Daniel Salée (Chair, Department of Political Science, Concordia University) and Luc Turgeon (Professor,  University of Ottawa). The session was moderated by Kim Fontaine-Skronski (Executive Director, IPSA).

In her introductory remarks, Dr. Fontaine-Skronski provided background and context for the IPSA Companion to Political Science. She discussed IPSA’s International Encyclopedia of Political Science (2011) and highlighted the need for an updated reference work in light of the political changes that have taken place over the past 15 years. 

The discussants, Prof. Turgeon and Prof. Salée, also reflected on the book, with Prof. Turgeon comparing it to the International Encyclopedia of Political Science (2011) and highlighting its broad and more inclusive critical perspectives. Prof. Salée, for his part, emphasized the work’s overall usefulness while raising observations about conceptual selection, noting the absence of some terms related to power and inequality. 

Photo (left to right): Kim Fontaine-Skronski (Executive Director, IPSA), Daniel Salée (Chair, Department of Political Science, Concordia University), Luc Turgeon (Professor, University of Ottawa), Daniel Stockemer (Editor of the International Political Science Review and Professor, University of Ottawa) and Audrey Gagnon (Assistant Professor, University of Ottawa) 

Cocktail Reception Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the IPSA Permanent Secretariat in Montréal

The roundtable was followed by a cocktail reception sponsored by IPSA, celebrating the 20th anniversary of its Permanent Secretariat in Montréal. In her remarks, Dr. Fontaine-Skronski drew attention to the growth and institutionalization of the IPSA Secretariat since its permanent establishment in 2006 and to IPSA’s expanding global reach, referencing a range of flagship initiatives, including the World Congress of Political Science, summer schools, journals and other programs.

Photo: Kim Fontaine-Skronski (Executive Director, IPSA) delivers a welcoming speech at the cocktail reception

This was also an opportunity to meet with the outgoing SQSP President and Professor at Université de Montréal, Martin Papillon and the incoming President and Professor at École nationale d’administration publique, Fanny Tremblay-Racicot.

Photo (left to right): Martin Papillon (Outgoing SQSP President and Professor, Université de Montréal), Kim Fontaine-Skronski (Executive Director, IPSA) and Fanny Tremblay-Racicot (SQSP President and Professor, École nationale d’administration publique)