Wednesday, July 27, 2011

BISA- Circulation Request

From BISA's Africa and International Studies Working Group
Dr. William Brown, Convenor
((see: www.open.ac.uk/socialsciences/bisa-africa).w.brown@open.ac.uk :

As you may know BISA and ISA are holding a joint conference in Edinburgh in June next year and BISA are looking in particular for panels that are collaborations between BISA working groups and ISA groups. I am writing to ask if the South Caucus might be interested in any joint endeavours with the Africa and International Studies Working Group?

I wonder if you might be willing to contact members of the South Caucus to ask for expressions of interest in joint panels on global development and Africa? The working group currently has a general call for panel proposals out (copied below) and we also have a call for expressions of interest in a particular panel on ‘Governing and contesting African environments’. If you felt able to circulate these, we’d be most grateful. If you had other ideas on developing joint proposals we’d be very happy to try to progress things. As you may know, BISA working groups are able to propose up to five panels for conference (one of which is guaranteed a slot) so we’re hoping to gather together panels proposals by mid-August.




Joint BISA-ISA International Conference
Diversity in the Discipline: Tension or Opportunity in Responding to Global Challenges
20-22 June 2012 Edinburgh, Scotland

To have the chance of being put forward for BISA's slate at this joint BISA-ISA Conference in Edinburgh next year, via the Africa and IS Working Group, panel details will need to be sent to Dr. Stephen Hurt (shurt@brookes.ac.uk) by Monday 15th August. PLEASE NOTE THIS EARLY DEADLINE.

If people have an idea and are looking for others to join a panel, I am happy to forward messages to the rest of the working group ‘advertising’ your suggested panel ideas.

As a Working Group we have one agreed slot. We can propose up to five but only one of these will be guaranteed.

As a BISA Working Group it is important we have some representation at this annual conference.

The Africa and IS Working Group will consider co-ordinating panels on any subject in the field of Africa and International Studies/International Relations, which might include substantive research and/or theoretical debates. We will prioritise those panels which speak to the conference theme.

The call for papers highlights that joint submissions from ISA Sections and BISA working groups are warmly encouraged. We will be approaching relevant ISA Sections in this regard.

We have also been approached by the BISA Learning and Teaching Working Group as to whether we are interested in putting together something with them. If anyone is interested in this please contact our esteemed convenor, Will Brown (w.brown@open.ac.uk).

You need to include a chair for your panel, plus a title and abstract for the panel as a whole. Then I need titles and abstracts for the papers and contact details for all paper givers. The use of discussants is optional. Convenors can include them at their discretion, depending upon the number of papers.

Please note the following rules on participation:

1. Delegates can present only ONE paper at the conference, including co-authored papers.
2. Delegates can also appear as Discussant or Chair on two further panels.
3. Graduate student participation in the conference is encouraged, but panels comprising only Graduate Students will not be permitted.





Call for expression of interest on panel: ‘Governing and contesting African environments

Abstract: Whether in regard to the extraction of natural resources (oil, gas, coal, aluminium, copper, etc) or the degradation of ecosystems (including agriculture, water, forests, and pollution) African environments have always been a focus of governance and contestation. New challenges are becoming increasingly evident, however, such as climate change, the intensification of agriculture, increased urbanisation and industrialisation, and new technologies such as GM and geo-engineering. New forms of governance are crystallising around community-based resource management, transboundary conservation areas, climate adaptation plans, new regulatory and investor agreements, and sustainable development strategies. New actors are also emerging, most obviously the Chinese presence in the competition for mineral resources, but also including land-for-food grabs by Gulf states and US university hedge funds, increased investment and strategic cooperation from India and Brazil, new coalitions around climate change and the UN Adaptation Fund, transnational corporations eager for raw materials, emerging consumer markets, or corporate ‘greening’ opportunities, and burgeoning global and local social movements mobilising around a wide range of environmental issues, broadly defined.
This panel seeks to explore cases such as these, as well as considering how best to theorise the governance and contestation of African environments. Are existing theoretical tools drawn from African studies, global governance, regime theory, social movement theory, ecological modernisation, sustainable development, critical political ecology and so on adequate to comprehend these developments? Or are new theoretical approaches needed, including new interdisciplinary borrowings and syntheses?

Researchers working on all aspects and at all levels of environmental politics in Africa are welcomed to submit a 200 word abstract and their institutional affiliation and contact details. Papers should include some reflection on the international and global dimensions of African environmental governance and contestation, as well as some reflection on the suitability of existing or new theoretical approaches to the field. Please send proposals to Dr Carl Death (crd@aber.ac.uk <mailto:crd@aber.ac.uk> ) by Thursday 11 August.


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San Diego Conference Update

Dear Members:
Many thanks to those of you who submitted papers and panel proposals with the GSCIS as either the first or second sponsor. Although our allotment was very small (tiny), Lisa and I have tried to expand it via requests for co-sponsorship with the larger sections. The Conference Co-Chairs are now in the process of putting together the preliminary program and members will be informed in due course about the status of their proposals. Meanwhile we are still in the process of finalizing our Innovative Panel which will take the form of a virtual conversation with persons in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We are still seeking a Middle East participant so if any of you know anyone who might be available, do let me know ASAP.
Thank you again,
JBW

From the UN Commission on Sustainable Development

ISA holds NGO status with the United Nations (JBW). Here is some information which may be of interest to GSCIS members:

As you are aware, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 4-6 June 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED.

During this coming fall, the Rio+20 Secretariat will be organizing a number of social media activities with tools such as Facebook, Twitter and its dedicated Rio+20 website.

The activities will include, but are not limited to; discussion forums on the themes of the Conference and other cross cutting issues, a picture contest, as well an a unique opportunity to send world leaders a message directly from your home computer.

The strength of these activities is in the numbers! Please help us grow our social media presence, as well stay in touch with the Rio+20 preparatory process, by joining (liking) our Rio+20 Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

Rio+20 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UNRioplus20
Rio+20 Twitter:
http://twitter.com/#!/UN_Rioplus20
Rio+20 Website:
http://www.uncsd2012.org

Sincerely,
Rio+20 Secretariat

Questions? Contact us at uncsd2012@un.org

Workshop on Human Trafficking

From: Seo-Young Cho
Faculty of Economics
Georg-August-University of Goettingen
Platz der Goettinger Sieben 3
37073 Goettingen, Germany

E-Mail: scho@uni-goettingen.de
http://www.seo-young-cho.net/
3P Anti-trafficking Policy Index is available at
http://www.human-trafficking-research.org/

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Workshop on

Human Trafficking, International Crime and National Security:

A Human Rights Perspective

February 3-4, 2012, Goettingen, Germany

We invite submissions for a workshop on human trafficking, international crime and national security with a particular focus on human rights, to be held in Goettingen, Germany, on February 3-4, 2012. As part of the European Commission’s Project on Indexing Trafficking in Human Beings, this workshop brings together economists, political scientists, and other scholars, as well as policy makers to address emerging problems of human trafficking and transnational crimes.

Distinguished Key Note Speaker

Beth Simmons (Clarence Dillion Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University, Department of Government)

Submission of Papers

Empirical, theoretical and policy-oriented papers on the topics are welcome. Please submit full papers to scho@uni-goettingen.de. The deadline for submission is November 30th, 2011. Decisions will be made by December 31th, 2011.

Workshop Format, Attendance, Registration and Accommodation

Presenters of accepted papers are expected to attend the entire workshop. The number of presenters will be limited to about 30. Travel expenses will be reimbursed and accommodation will be provided for presenters of accepted papers. There is no registration fee.

Workshop Venue: Georg-August University of Goettingen, Germany

Goettingen is an old university town located in the central part of Germany. It takes 2 hours from Frankfurt by train (http://www.goettingen.de).

Workshop Website: http://www.human-trafficking-research.org/

Program Committee

Axel Dreher (Heidelberg University)

Eric Neumayer (London School of Economics and Political Science)

Seo-Young Cho (University of Goettingen)

Sponsor

European Commission, Directorate-General Justice, Freedom and Security (Prevention of and Fight against Crime Action Grant)

We look forward to your submissions.

Axel Dreher (Heidelberg University)

Eric Neumayer (London School of Economics and Political Science)

Seo-Young Cho (University of Goettingen)

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