Extension of
deadline for abstract submission until June 15, 2014.
Could you please circulate.
Conference Title: Plunging into Turmoil: Social Sciences
and the Crisis
Organization:
Political Observatory
(www.observatoriopolitico.pt),
Assistant Professor Isabel David, (School of Social and
Political Sciences, University of Lisbon) and PhD
Candidate André Saramago (Aberystwyth University)
Conference
Date:
16-17 October 2014
Abstract
Submissions: 15
June 2014
Abstract
Approval: 30 June 2014
Paper
Submissions:
9 October 2014
Keynote
Speech: Andrew Linklater
Woodrow Wilson Professor in International
PoLITICs, Aberystwyth University
Call
for Papers:
The
Political Observatory (PO) is organizing a two-day
conference in Lisbon, Portugal, on the relation between
the social sciences and the current economic crisis.
The 2008
economic and financial crisis marked the beginning of a
period of social transformation and uncertainty that
continues to characterize present and future social
development in unplanned and unexpected ways, frequently
with harmful effects. In this context, the social
sciences and their role as a tool of knowledge
production about human social existence become all the
more relevant. On the one hand, as a means for acquiring
a better understanding of the character of this rapid
and complex social transformation. And, on the other
hand, as a way of orientating people and social practice
as to how greater collective democratic control can be
acquired over the manner and direction of this overall
process. This conference intends to provide a space
where contributions from different fields of the social
sciences can come together in order to address a series
of questions that arise from the present period of
crisis. In particular, it strives to address two main
strains of inquiry. First, how different sociological
and theoretical approaches, ranging from political
theory and political economy to sociology, might
contribute to explaining the crisis, analyse its
effects, and identify its potential future paths of
development. And second, how the crisis and its effects
on human social existence demand a re-thinking of the
role of the social sciences in society, and what such a
role might or should be. The conference is organized
around a set of themes through which these strains of
inquiry are addressed:
- An economic crisis or a social and
civilizational crisis?;
- The crisis and democracy and the
interplay between capitalism and democracy;
- The crisis and the privatization of the
public space;
- The role of the social sciences in
society and in crisis prediction, analysis and
resolution;
- The impact of the crisis on the social
sciences and their future;
- Are or should the social sciences be
politically involved on the basis of their understanding
of society?
- Can the social sciences help envisage
alternative forms of social, political and economic
organization?;
- Are the social sciences still
Western-centred?
- Civilizing and decivilizing processes
amidst the crisis.
We
acknowledge receipt of all emails and will reply to all.
If you do not receive a reply, please resend your
abstract. Please include the following in your email:
-
Author name;
-
Affiliation;
-
email address;
-
abstract in
Word format;
-
a short CV.
Acceptance notices will be sent by June 30,
2014.
In case
your abstract is accepted, a draft paper of around 8000
words is due one week prior to the beginning of the
conference. We intend to compile an edited volume with
the best papers for publication in an international
reference publisher.
Registration
for the conference includes a fee of 30€ for
participants and 15€ for non-participants. Political
Observatory members’ fee is 10€ and students’ fee is 5€.
Please note that we are unable to provide any financial
help to participants.
Any additional queries should be sent to
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