The 2021 CPSA Annual Conference: Diversity and the Discipline of Political Science

The Programme Committee invites proposals for participation in the 2021 Canadian Political Science Association annual conference. For the first time in its long history, the CPSA Conference will be held entirely virtually. By committing to a virtual conference from the start, rather than a later ‘pivot,’ we are able to design and deliver the most flexible and accessible CPSA conference ever.

2021 CPSA will feature new opportunities and formats to allow scholars to connect and share their research with each other, along with plenary addresses and all our familiar disciplinary section panels. The CPSA conference has always been globally-focused, and we especially invite scholars from around the world to participate and present their work virtually at the 2021 conference.
In a time of incredible global disruption, political science research and expertise is needed more than ever, both in Canada and the world. The Programme Committee has responded with a conference vision devoted to the multiple challenges of our time. Special workshops will focus on the policy and politics of COVID-19 responses; the impact of COVID-19 on the practice and study of politics; racism and colonialism in Canadian cities; building an anti-oppressive political theory; Canada’s relationship with China; and rebuilding the public purpose.

We approach these issues within an overall conference theme of Diversity and the Discipline of Political Science. We frame “diversity” in multiple ways but with a particular focus on the methodological and theoretical diversity of the discipline, and connecting this to goals of equity, diversity, inclusion, and indigenization and decolonization. Political science is a heterogeneous and diverse academic discipline in epistemological terms. Its parameters are fluid and it draws extensively from other disciplines and their approaches. And Canadian political science is particularly characterized by a wide range of approaches, both quantitative and qualitative. Yet are political science methods and approaches sufficiently diverse? Are there confining boundaries? Are there gatekeepers? How can methodological diversity in political science advance and support EDI and indigenization and decolonization priorities? Where are the barriers and failures? Where are the opportunities and successes? Can political science serve as a model for other disciplines, and in turn what can we learn from them? We invite submissions that speak to this overarching theme.

The CPSA continues to prioritize the work of the CPSA Reconciliation Committee as well as broader efforts to Indigenize the Academy. The Programme Committee thus particularly welcomes proposals for papers, panels, posters and roundtables that focus on Indigenous peoples and Indigenous politics. We also particularly welcome proposals focusing on the politics of race and racism, especially anti-Black racism. The programme committee also invites submissions in all areas of political science, spanning one or more of the CPSA’s fourteen disciplinary sections.

Annual Conference of the International Studies Association (ISA) Canada Region
ISA-Canada is proud to host its annual conference in partnership with the CPSA. For the sixteenth consecutive year, ISA-Canada will co-organize with the CPSA the International Relations section of the 2021 Annual Conference. ISA-Canada encourages its members to submit proposals on areas of interest in the study of international relations. ISA-Canada is a region of the International Studies Association (ISA), the premier international association of international relations scholars.

2021 CPSA Deadlines and Important Dates

• Deadline to submit your proposals - 1 February 2021
• Submission outcome notification - March 2021
• CPSA Membership Fees - 31 March 2021
• Paper for the conference - 31 May 2021
• Conference Dates - 7-10 June 2021