November 10th
THE GLOBAL STUDIES ASSOCIATION (GSA)
(http://www.mmu.ac.uk/gsa) invites you to its first international
conference on: NETWORKS AND TRANSFORMATIONS
This event is being organised in association with the Institute for
Global Studies, and the Dept of Sociology at Manchester
Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK,
<http://www.mmu.ac.uk/h-ss/sis/igs/igsconf.htm> and will be held
between July 2nd to July 4th 2001.
THE CONFERENCE THEME.
Globalization means that once secure national, cultural and social
boundaries are being breached by ever more criss-crossing flows of
people, information, images, goods and capital. Communities, formally
tied to fixed locations, are becoming de-localised - flung into
cyberspace and/or linked by far-reaching networks stretching across
continents. Thus, for increasing numbers of individuals and groups
globalization is also an increasingly important part of their lived
experience as they learn to cope with fragmentation, to constantly
re-construct their selves while juggling multiple personal identities
and to navigate their involvement in transnational networks.
Consequently, a sphere we may call the global is being rapidly
constituted through the workings of various overlapping and
thickening networks. At times these networks are associated with an
assortment of economic interests and activities -from huge
corporations to micro- entrepreneurial endeavours rooted in
ethnic/kin associations spanning many nations - in finance, trade,
production and services. At others they are formed out of the
increasingly transnational and sometimes inchoate political
objectives pursued by inter-locking webs of green, women's, human
rights or other INGOs, by professional/occupational group or by
cultural communities built around lifestyle identities where the
migration of meanings and practices from one place to another has
created webs of people with shared aesthetic, moral, religious or
stylistic identities.
The conference organisers hope that scholars from many disciplines
will offer papers on the multi-dimensional nature and variety of
transnational networks as well as the theoretical and policy issues
to which they are giving rise: geography, communications theory,
business and management studies, political economy, politics, social
policy as well as sociology, anthropology, cultural studies and other
fields. Contributors might like to offer papers on such themes as:
1. What transformations have helped to trigger or reinforce the
emergence, effectiveness and solidarity of different kinds of
transnational networks?
2. In what ways and with what consequences are
the interests and identities that were formally constituted and
played out primarily at the local level by classes, nations and other
collectivities being altered or threatened by a proliferations of
globe-spanning agencies tied to networks?
3. How do different kinds of Networks - economic, political,
cultural, ethnic etc - intersect with each other and with information
technology and corporate capital and to whose benefit?
4. What are the consequences for individuals caught up in various
kinds of transnational networks in terms of their sense of
belonging, home, security, personal identity etc?
5. How might we anticipate that transnational networks will shape
the course of the 21st century whether at local or global levels
and what implications might such transformations have for future
policy making?
CALL FOR PAPERS
Although we are especially interested in the themes already outlined,
contributors are welcome to offer papers on related topics for
consideration. Researchers working in all areas of the social
sciences are encouraged to participate.
>From those offering papers we require:
· a provisional title as soon as possible
· a brief abstract of no more than 300 words to reach us by April
13th at the latest · clear and accurate details concerning their
postal address and other means of communication
FURTHER INFORMATION.
The abstracts will be assembled into a conference booklet and will be
made available to all delegates. Those giving papers will be asked to
bring 50 copies to the conference for distribution. At a later date,
the GSA will endeavour to assemble a selection of the papers into a
bound volume of conference proceedings with an ISBN number. This
will be made available at cost. Accordingly: · The word limit for
papers is 6,000 words, including notes. · Papers should be
single-spaced, typed and with one inch margins on A4 or US letter
paper and a copy of the text must be supplied on a DOS disc in
either ASCII or MS Word format.
The GSA intends to approach one or more major publisher with a view
to establishing a permanent relationship involving a series of future
publications partly derived from conference papers.
CONFERENCE COST AND ORGANIZATION
The conference will run from lunchtime Monday July 2nd to lunch on
Wednesday July 4th. The basic conference cost to all delegates is
£120. However, all paid-up GSA members will be entitled to a 15%
discount on this conference fee (£102). This cost includes, the
conference fees, three lunches, teas/coffees throughout the two days,
the conference dinner on Monday evening in the state room at
Manchester's Town Hall, a copy of the conference abstracts and a
conducted coach tour to visit a site of local interest on Tuesday
evening.
If you require accommodation please inform us indicating which of
these three choices you prefer:
I. Campus accommodation next to the conference location and close to
the city centre for two nights, including a continental breakfast,
costs £45. Any additional nights will cost £19.50 for each night.
Thus for non-GSA members staying two nights on campus the total cost
will be £165. GSA members will pay £147. II. More luxurious rooms
close to the conference site but with en-suite facilities,
telephones, TV etc are available at a cost of £44. 65 per night,
including breakfast and VAT. Delegates who select this option should
contact the "reservations office" of the Manchester Business School to
make a private booking on 0161 275 6333. as soon as possible while
paying for their basic conference fees in the normal way. III. We can
provide details of city-centre hotel accommodation at a cost of around
£52 per night on request but here again delegates must make their own
separate arrangements with the hotel.
THE GLOBAL STUDIES ASSOCIATION (GSA)
A group of scholars from across the world decided to establish a new
academic association in order to promote and disseminate
multidisciplinary knowledge concerning all aspects of transnational
and global affairs. Accordingly, the GSA was formally established in
July 2000 and now has a highly active committee engaged in rapidly
expanding our overseas links. Among the benefits enjoyed by members
are discounts on GSA conference attendance and receipt of the new
exciting journal published by Blackwell, Global Networks: a Journal of
Transnational Affairs (four copies annually). For more information
concerning the GSA please visit our website
<http://www.mmu.ac.uk/gsa>.
TO BOOK FOR THE CONFERENCE..
Please contract us in order to receive further information and the
conference brochure by post or down load the form below and send
it to the address supplied giving the following details.
Name
Title
Address
postcode..............................
Tel No.
Fax No
email
Indicate any special requirements and your preferred optiion for
accomodations..
Conference cheques should be made payable to "Manchester Metropolitan
University". The closing date for bookings is June 16th 2001.
Please return this completed booking form and your cheque
to: Paul Kennedy, The Institute for Global Studies, Department of
Sociology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Geoffrey Manton
Building, Rosamund St, West, off Oxford Rd, Manchester M15 6LL.
Tel: 0161 247 3006.
Fax: 44 (0) 161 247 6321
email: >[log in to unmask]<
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