*ISA Blog

ISA-NE Graduate Student Workshop

International Studies Association-Northeast announces a one-day graduate workshop on “Interpretive and Relational Research Methodologies” to be held on 4 October, 2008, in Baltimore, MD.

The field of International Studies has always been interdisciplinary,  with scholars drawing on a variety of qualitative and quantitative  techniques of data collection and data analysis as they seek to  produce knowledge about global politics. Recent debates about  epistemology and ontology have advanced the methodological openness of  the field, albeit mainly at a meta-theoretical level. And while  interest in techniques falling outside of well-established comparative  and statistical modes of inference has been
sparked, opportunities for  scholars to discuss and flesh out the operational requirements of  these alternative routes to knowledge have been relatively infrequent.

This fourth annual workshop aims to address this lacuna by bringing  together faculty and graduate students in a pedagogical environment.  The workshop will focus on two broad research approaches that differ  in various ways from statistical and comparative methodologies: interpretive methodologies, which highlight the grounding of analysis  in actors’ lived experiences and thus produce knowledge  phenomenologically and hermeneutically; and relational methodologies,  which concentrate on how social networks and intersubjective  discursive processes concatenate to generate outcomes.

In the two morning sessions, four established scholars, whose work  utilizes such approaches as ethnography, discourse analysis,  historical criticism, and linguistic analysis, will talk about precisely how they do their empirical work. These tutorial sessions  will be followed by two afternoon sessions in which graduate student  participants will have an opportunity to receive feedback from the established scholars and from their fellow workshop participants.

This year's faculty participants include:

• Amy Skonieczny, San Francisco State University
• Kamal Sadiq, University of California-Irvine
• Renee Marlin-Bennett, Johns Hopkins University
• Rose Shinko, Bucknell University

The workshop will be held in conjunction with the International  Studies Association-Northeast’s annual conference, which will take  place from 3-4 October in Baltimore, MD. Although all attendees of the conference may come to the workshop sessions, the 6-8 graduate students officially participating in the workshop will have the opportunity to receive detailed feedback and specialized instruction  in the methodologies under discussion.

Graduate students interested in participating in the workshop should  send their c.v. and a letter describing their current research project  to Patrick Thaddeus Jackson by e-mail: ptjack@american.edu. Applications must be received by 15 June 2008.

Call for Editors: International Studies Perspectives

The ISA Publications Committee is calling for proposals from individuals or teams to succeed the current editorial team of Profs. David Kinsella and Birol Yesilada. Only those with academic affiliations and access to institutional resources should apply. Duties will commence in late 2009 or early 2010 for a five year term.  The Executive Committee of the International Studies Association will make a recommendation to the organization’s Governing Council regarding the new assignment of editorial duties for International Studies Perspectives at the 2009 annual meetings in New York.

For parties interested in submitting a proposal:  A mission statement for the journal can be accessed here.  Likewise, a description of editorial duties, and guidelines for proposal writers may be found on that same page.  A recommendation for new editors must be given by the Publications Committee to the Executive Committee by August 22, 2008.  Appointment of the new Editor(s) will be approved at the 2009 ISA meetings for a five year term beginning in 2010.   There will also be some transitional duties during late 2009.  The International Studies Association will provide a subvention to the Editor(s) of approximately $30,000 annually to support the editorial project. 

Applications should be submitted to Brian M. Pollins, ISA Publications Committee Chair, in electronic form only, please at pollins.1@osu.edu .  Applications should be received  no later than June 30, 2008, although applications will be accepted until an appointment is recommended by the committee.

Questions about the process of selecting the editor(s) or the editorial duties involved are likely addressed in materials found on the web page listed above.  Any additional questions are very welcome, and may be addressed to the Chair of the Publications Committee, Brian M. Pollins, at pollins.1@osu.edu, or (614) 309-1867.  Women and minority candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. ISA is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Call for Editors: Foreign Policy Analysis

The ISA Publications Committee is calling for proposals from individuals or teams to succeed the current editorial team led by Prof. Doug Van Belle.  Only those with academic affiliations and access to institutional resources should apply.  Duties will commence in late 2009 or early 2010 for a five year term.  The Executive Committee of the International Studies Association will make a recommendation to the organization’s Governing Council regarding the new assignment of editorial duties for Foreign Policy Analysis at the 2009 annual meetings in New York.

For parties interested in submitting a proposal:  A mission statement for the journal can be accessed at here.  Likewise, a description of editorial duties, and guidelines for proposal writers may be found on that same page.  A recommendation for new editors must be given by the Publications Committee to the Executive Committee by August 22, 2008.  Appointment of the new Editor(s) will be approved at the 2009 ISA meetings for a five year term beginning in 2010. There will also be some transitional duties during late 2009.  The International Studies Association will provide a subvention to the Editor(s) of approximately $30,000 annually to support the editorial project. 

Applications should be submitted to Brian M. Pollins, ISA Publications Committee Chair, in electronic form only, please at pollins.1@osu.edu .  Applications should be received  no later than June 30, 2008, although applications will be accepted until an appointment is recommended by the committee.

Questions about the process of selecting the editor(s) or the editorial duties involved are likely addressed in materials found on the web page listed above.  Any additional questions are very welcome, and may be addressed to the Chair of the Publications Committee, Brian M. Pollins, at pollins.1@osu.edu, or (614) 309-1867.  Women and minority candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. ISA is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

World Conference of Humanitarian Studies

The World Conference of Humanitarian Studies (WCHS) 2009 will be held from 4-8 February 2009 in Groningen, the Netherlands. It will be the first time that scholars and practitioners from all over the world will convene and discuss such a broad range of issues pertaining to humanitarian crises and humanitarian action.

You can find information, register and submit a panel proposal at www.humanitarianstudies2009.org.

You can now submit a panel proposal. Panels should address one of the following domains:

• the causes, dynamics and effects of humanitarian crises (conflict and/ or natural disaster);
• the politics and discourses of humanitarian crises;
• the responses to crises, including local coping practices as well as political, military and humanitarian interventions;
• the dynamics of humanitarian response policies, programs and organizations;
• the processes of rehabilitation, and the linkages with development, peacebuilding, and security.
• the legal issues pertaining to humanitarian affairs.
• the experiences and lifeworlds of refugees and internally displaced people, and the refugee regimes towards them.

We encourage panels that reflect the interactive nature of the conference and are jointly organised by two people or institutions that represent: different academic disciplines; or a combination of academic and implementing agencies, as well as collaboration of institutes of different geographic regions.

The panel proposals will be reviewed on June 1 when those who have submitted proposals will be notified as to whether their panel proposal has been accepted or not. After this date paper proposals can be accepted.

In case of questions, please contact: info@humanitarianstudies2009.org  or mail to: <info@humanitarianstudies2009.org>

Welcome to Groningen!

The organizing committee

International Security Studies Section Book Award 2008

The International Security Studies Section announces a Call for Nominations for the Best Book Award 2008.

Eligibility: single-authored and multi-authored books, and edited volumes, on any aspect of security studies with a copyright date of 2007.

Criteria: the committee welcomes nominations for books on any aspect, and that deploy any approach (historical, quantitative, theoretical, policy analysis, etc.), in the field of security studies.

Books will be judged according to three criteria:

• originality in substance and approach
• significance for scholarly and/or policy debate
• rigour in approach and analysis

Process:  Nominations comprise a copy of the book to be submitted to each committee member by 15 June 2008.

Prize and Notification: The winning author will receive $250 and an award certificate. The committee chair will notify the recipient of the award, who will be encouraged to attend the 2009 annual convention in New York in order to receive the award in person.

Committee Members:

Chair: Dr Andrew Dorman
Defence Studies Department
Joint Services Command and Staff College
Shrivenham
Wiltshire SN6 8TS
United Kingdom

Hendrik Spruyt
Norman Dwight Harris Professor of International Relations
Chair of the Department of Political Science
Northwestern University
243 Scott Hall
601 University Place
Evanston, IL 60208
USA

Reuben E. Brigety II, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Government and Politics
Department of Public and International Affairs
George Mason University
4400 University Drive, MS 3F4
Fairfax, VA 22030
USA

Any questions: please contact the committee chair, Dr Andrew Dorman, at Andrew.dorman@kcl.ac.uk

CFP: Russia Encounters Asia: Interests and Identities

Papers are invited for a panel to be convened at the ISA Annual Convention in New York, February 2009.

Panel organizers: Dr. Alexander Bukh, Tsukuba University, Japan,and Dr. Mikhail A. Molchanov, St. Thomas University, Canada.

Russia's identity as not only European, but also a Eurasian nation has always been subject to a debate. With the center of global politics and finance now moving to Asia, this debate acquires new significance from the perspective of changing regional and global orders. The panel aims to explore the relationship between Russia and Asia, broadly defined. Methodology,temporal span as well as the choice of empirical cases are open.

One set of research questions deals with Russia's evolving engagement with select Asian countries, such as China, India, or Japan, and regional organizations, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the APEC. The overall strategic direction of Russia's foreign policy in North-East Asia or the lack thereof remains an underexplored issue which the panelists are invited to consider.

Another group of questions concerns the link between the state and national identities and interests, as reflected in these states' foreign policies. The discursive construction of the states' identities vis-à-vis regional "others" influences policy formulation and understanding of national priorities. We will therefore invite contributions that consider domestic sources of foreign policy in Russia and Eurasia, as well as the role of Russia-related imagery in foreign policies of such countries as Japan, China, India, Iran, or
Kazakhstan.

Please submit your abstract proposals (around 200 words), together with the name, institutional affiliation, present position and contact details to abukh70@gmail.com and molchan@stu.ca by the 23rd of May 2008.

CFP: Crisis of Academia in Modernity

A panel on the theme ""The Crisis of Academia in Modernity" is being organized for next year's ISA convention at New York City February 15-18, 2009. If you are interested we need to get your abstract along with your contact information by May 14, in order to be able to submit it to ISA by May 15th. Do let us know whether you would be willing to do a round table panel on this topic as well.

Panel Call For Papers
The Crisis of the Academia in Modernity

The soundings of crisis in the worldwide institution of the university are today everywhere to be heard. As the institutional space of the university is penetrated by market forces, ideological contests, class and factional interests, and sovereign pronouncements of the necessities of security and war, the relative autonomy of this space seems more and more a nostalgic remembrance, less and less a contemporary reality. The Kantian architecture of the university might once have been everywhere celebrated and near-universally replicated, where the faculty of philosophy convenes the tribunal of reason and passes judgment upon all other faculties.

When today it is said that the university is in crisis, this is the architecture that is said to be threatened: within the university, the centrality and regulative force of the tribunal of reason—and, with it, the authority of the lower faculties and their capacities to justify the thinking and teaching they do—is itself in doubt and on trial. And when today the call goes out to resist those forces penetrating the university, imperiling its relative autonomy, and depriving it of its capacities to function as a site of critical reflection on society, this is the architecture whose restoration is called for. This panel proposes to question such interpretations of the university and its relation to society and the political.

Sincerely,

Richard K. Ashley
Arizona State University

Halit Mustafa Tagma
Arizona State University

Please send paper abstracts and discussant proposals to halit.tagma@asu.edu by May 14.

Please submit COMPLETE contact info:
Paper title:
Paper abstract:
Last Name:
First Name:
Primary Institutional Affiliation:
Address
City:
State/Province:
Zip/Postal Code:
Country:
Phone:
Email:

For more information on the convention visit: http://www.isanet.org/newyork2009/

CFP: The World Bank and Poverty Reduction

We would like to invite contributions to a series of linked panels on “The World Bank and Poverty Reduction” for the International Studies Association (ISA) annual convention, taking place in New York City from the 15th until the 18th of February 2009.

The central task of the panels will be to interrogate the World Bank’s move towards the Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF), and its most visible policy tool, the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), and to evaluate the success of poverty reduction strategies a decade into their existence. The return of poverty reduction as the guiding principle of all World Bank operations raises a number of interrelated questions:

To what extent do poverty reduction strategies represent a rupture with the Washington-Consensus based neoliberal paradigm? Does the post-Washington Consensus simply ideologically legitimate neoliberal practices, or are there substantial differences in policy content between Structural Adjustment Policies (SAPs) and Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs). What explains the move towards poverty reduction? What have been the positive (or negative) impacts of PRSP on poor people on the ground? What are the gender implications of the Bank’s policy transformations? And how successful have PRSPs been in addressing poverty and exclusion?

We are particularly interested in country case studies that look at the impact of PRSPs on the ground in African and Asian countries.

We are also planning to turn the conference papers into an edited collection on the World Bank and Poverty Reduction, and are currently approaching a number of publishers.

Please, contact us as soon as possible at aruckert@connect.carleton.ca, if you are interested in participating in this panel (and the associated book project). The deadline for a short abstract (250 words) is May 20th. Confirmed participants thus far include Robert Wade, Heloise Weber, Marcus Taylor, and Manfred Bienefeld.

Best regards,

Manfred Bienefeld (Professor, Carleton University)
Arne Ruckert (PhD Candidate, Carleton University)

Employment: University of St Andrews

The Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St Andrews is seeking applicants for a position as Research Fellow in Terrorism Studies. Candidates with research interests in any area of Terrorism and Political Violence Studies will be considered, but preference may be given to someone with an international relations or social science background. You will work closely with the Director of CSTPV on an externally funded project on the Metrics of Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism. Applications should be received by May 19, 2008. For more information, please click here for the full text of the ad.

Open Society Institute Fellowships

The Open Society Institute (OSI) has recently launched a new fellowship program to support outstanding idea entrepreneurs from around the world. The Open Society Fellowship enables innovative professionals — including journalists, activists, scholars, and practitioners — to work on projects that inspire meaningful public debate, shape public policy, as well as generate intellectual ferment within OSI.

The fellowship focuses on four areas: National Security and the Open Society; Citizenship, Membership and Marginalization; Strategies and Tools for Advocacy and Citizen Engagement; and Understanding Authoritarianism. Fellows’ projects may include books, articles, outreach for documentary films, online media, and efforts to seed new campaigns and organizations.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and there are no deadlines. The fellowship does not fund academic study, including dissertation research. More details and the link to apply online may be found here.