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Call for Papers Theme: Nationalism and Belonging Type: 24th ASEN Conference Institution: Association for Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN) London School of Economics Location: London (United Kingdom) Date: 1.–3.4.2014 Deadline: 30.11.2013 __________________________________________________ The Association for Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN) is pleased to announce the call for papers for the 24th ASEN Annual Conference: Nationalism and Belonging. The conference will take place from the 1-3rd April, 2014 at the London School of Economics. Many people today regard belonging to a nation as something quite natural, given, and also as an “essential” part of one’s identity. By contrast, in the academic study of the subject there is much emphasis on construction and contingency, “invention” and “imagination”. This conference aims to bridge this divide between academic and popular views by examining theoretical and empirical arguments about this relationship, from both cultural and political perspectives. The conference will analyze the relationship by considering expressions of belonging, cross-border forms of belonging and the contemporary challenges posed to belonging as the locus of the nation, by bringing together scholars from across the social sciences. Applicants are encouraged to reflect on the many different forms that national belonging takes. Is the sense of belonging historically determined or voluntarist? Is belonging to do with identity and psychology or something that arises out sets of common practices? Is there a ‘need to belong’ or are institutional routines sufficient to maintain political associations over time? There are three broad perspectives at the conference, reflected in the plenary sessions on each of the three days. 1. Expressions of Belonging: The first perspective concerns how belonging is expressed and constructed with regard to nations, as well as the importance of belonging in the construction of nations. - How national belonging is ascribed and cultivated - The role of symbols and rituals in national belonging - The process by which individuals and groups construct their belonging to nations - How states use claims about national belonging to define their communities 2. Cross-Border Forms of Belonging: The second perspective has a transnational focus, examining how national belonging is expressed across borders by migrants and diaspora. - The examination of forms of diaspora and kin nationalism - How transnational communities maintain a sense of belonging across space and time - How migrant and diaspora communities construct new ways of belonging 3. Non-National Forms of Belonging: The third perspective focuses on how belonging to the nation is being challenged by alternative non-national forms – such as supra-national and sub-national loyalties. - How national belonging is responding to alternative, non-national forms of attachment - The role of supra-national and sub-national forces in redefining belonging - The relationship between national belonging and cosmopolitanism/post-nationalism - How possible shifts in the centrality of national belonging in the contemporary world affect the study of nationalism. Abstracts should be submitted online no later than November 30, 2013. Please submit your abstracts using the online form at the ASEN conference website: http://www.lse.ac.uk/researchAndExpertise/units/ASEN/Conference/Abstract-Submission.aspx Successful submissions will be announced in January 2014. Confirmed keynote speakers include: William Callahan, Sheila Croucher, Alain Dieckhoff, Thomas Hylland Eriksen, Gregory Jusdanis, and Bo Strath Contact: Association for Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism (ASEN) London School of Economics Houghton Street London, WC2A 2AE United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)20 7955 6801 Fax: +44 (0)20 7955 6218 Email: asen.conference2...@lse.ac.uk Web: http://www.lse.ac.uk/ASEN/ __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
