Newsletter Available

The summer GSCIS newsletter is now available. ISA HQ will be mailing it out to members shortly.
If you do not receive the email, please contact me directly.

IMPORTANT: FLACSO/ISA Conference: Call for Papers

The call for papers for the FLACSO-ISA Joint International Conference in Buenos Aires on July 23-25th, 2014 is now available. In addition to considering paper and panel proposals from individuals, FLACSO-ISA organizers are interested in sponsoring section-themed panels and roundtables.

Each ISA section and Caucus has been offered four panels for the conference.
The conference theme is Global and Regional Powers in a Changing World.

Caucus members can of course submit proposals directly that are not part of our sponsored panels but if you wish to participate on a GSCIS-sponsored panel, you need to send us your proposal by September 20, 2013, BEFORE the actual October 1 deadline. That will allow us time to select our four panels.



Note: As a highlight to the program, the organizers will be sponsoring graduate student workshops to allow graduate students and post-docs to present their research in a small-group panel setting with detailed feedback from senior scholars, and to allow for greater professional development and networking opportunities.

Additional conference details, including the call for papers, can be found at http://www.isanet.org/Conferences/FLACSOBuenosAires2014.aspx

Please send proposals to J. Braveboy-Wagner, cc'd as well to Nanette Svenson

Update on Developing Eurasia Initiative

Global South Caucus for 

         International Studies (GSCIS)  

                       DEVELOPING 

                      EURASIA     

               INITIATIVE (DEI)

MISSION STATEMENT

While the recently independent states of the former Soviet Caucasus and Central Asia exhibit many of the conditions and characteristics associated with post-colonial and developing nations—including struggles with hegemonic influences, resource dependency, economic inequality, institutional incapacity and unresolved internal conflicts—the study of these countries in the U.S. academy has traditionally been either relegated to a generic "post-communist" or “Russian and Eastern European” subfield, or framed according to narratives of an enduring geopolitical dichotomy between competing power centers representing an objectified "East" and "West". It is thus arguable that these disciplinary conventions have imposed unnecessary limitations on the ability of regional scholars to introduce new approaches, and, more importantly, to generate novel findings regarding the domestic evolution and international relations of these states. It is in response to these concerns that the Global South Caucus for International Studies (GSCIS) seeks to establish a research agenda directed at designing conceptual frameworks that serve to both integrate theoretical approaches and facilitate comparative analysis of Eurasian and developing world (Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and Latin American) regions in IR. One recent empirical example which highlights the relevance of this endeavor is provided by the case of Azerbaijan, which in May 2011 became the fourth former Soviet republic (following Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Belarus) to join the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), defying the assumptions of observers who have sought to characterize its foreign policy as being inherently "pro-Western" or "Euro-Atlantic" in orientation. The introduction of the Developing Eurasia Initiative (DEI) is intended to attract greater participation by both scholars and professionals who question prevailing standards of categorization, to critically analyze current trends in Eurasian studies, and to expand the scope of regional knowledge within the IR discipline. Membership in DEI is open to all faculty, students and specialists in the fields of comparative politics, international relations, development policy and area studies interested in contributing to these activities. For questions and additional information please direct correspondence to:

Jason E. Strakes

Researcher and Visiting Lecturer

Ilia Chavchavadze State University                                               

Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia

jason.strakes@iliauni.edu.ge

PARTICIPANTS

Murad Ismayilov Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy mismayilov@ada.edu.az

Galmyzhan Kirbassov SUNY Binghamton gkirbas1@binghamton.edu

Dedibatta Aurobinda Mahapatra Department of Conflict Resolution, Human Security and Global Governance, University of Massachusetts at Boston a.mahapatra34@gmail.com

Kazim Mammadhuseyn Sciences Po Paris Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Campus/University of Nice - Sophia Antipolis kn233071@yahoo.com

CURRENT PROJECTS

“Situating the ‘Balanced Foreign Policy’: The Role of System Structure in Azerbaijan’s Multi-Vector Diplomacy”, Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 15, No. 1, 2013, pp. 1–31

“The Former Soviet South in the Global South: Toward a Synthesis in Comparative Regional Studies”

“Belarus and Non-Alignment: Non-Viable Policy or Systemic Alternative

Update for Members Only: Names and Contact Information for EXCOM, 2013

GSCIS Officers Jacqueline Braveboy-Wagner, Section Chair April 2011-March 2014 City University of New York Nanette Svenson, Vice-Chair/Program Chair April 2013-March 2015 Tulane University Lisa Richey, Second Vice President-Outreach April 2011- March 2014 Roskilde University Executive Committee Regional Members: Zakia Afrin, Asia Representative April 2012-March 2014 Golden Gate University Imad Mansour, Middle East Representative        April 2011-March 2014  Sciences-Po, Menton/Qatar University H. Ahmed, Africa Representative April 2013- March 2015  University of Khartoum M. Kalil, Latin American Representative April 2013-March 2015 Fluminense Federal University, Brazil Jason Strakes, Developing Eurasia Representative/ Initiative April 2011-March 2014 Ilia State University, Georgia         Administrative: C. Griffin, Secretary April 2011-March 2015 North Carolina State University Seifudein  Adem, Treasurer April 2012-March 2014 Binghamton University Diana Elsada Cassells, Newsletter Editor City University of New York April 2012-March 2014 Delidji Eric Degila, Africa Outreach Initiative April 2013- March 2014 University JEAN MOULIN Lyon III France

 

ANNOUNCEMENT: 

 

NEW JOURNAL: Caribbean Journal of International Relations and Diplomacy

 

This new quarterly journal is now open for submissions.  The first issue along with submission criteria are available at the following website: http://journals.sta.uwi.edu/iir/index.asp?action=guidelines  

Call for Nominations for Distinguished Scholar Award 2014

Dear Members and Friends:

Please send me your suggestions for our third Global South Caucus’ Distinguished Scholar Award. The award is given annually in recognition of the recipient’s exceptional and sustained contribution to global south international studies (defined within the context of the ISA), as reflected both in published works as well as policy contributions. If the recipient is able to attend the ISA convention at which the award is given, s/he will be expected to give a brief address, usually at a members-only luncheon. In fact, our luncheons are fast becoming a signature event!

Because we honored an African scholar( Ali Mazrui) in 2012 and an Asian scholar (Jomo Sundaram) in 2013, we would like to honor a Latin American and Caribbean scholar this time around. We are not obliged to do so but we think that rotation is a good practice. So please send any ideas to me as soon as possible.

Send to the Caucus chair at jbraveboy-wagner@gc.cuny.edu. You can also nominate via comment to this blog entry.