__________________________________________________
Call for Papers Theme: Power, Resistance and Justice in the International System Subtitle: Perspectives from the South Type: Annual International Studies Convention 2014 Institution: School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University Location: Dehli (India) Date: 21.–23.12.2014 Deadline: 10.10.2014 __________________________________________________ The international system is conventionally understood in terms of underlying material and normative structures that reflect the distribution of power, institutions and value systems. But international politics has never been short of resistance to these material and normative structures. The multiplicity of resistance and struggle since the advent of such systems, in many ways, is a response to the prevailing injustice and inequities in the international system. These are attempts to alter the imbalance of power that exists in the system. Traditionally, inter-state relations and ‘hard power’ were the exclusive focus in International Relations; today notions such as ‘soft power’ and ‘smart power’ have been introduced by theorists to describe the wide variations in the forms in which power manifests itself. Also, the study of power is no longer restricted to states but covers a wide range of actors such as trans-national corporations, non-governmental organizations, inter-governmental organizations, networks, and peoples’ movements. Further, the concept is studied in IR not as military power alone but also as power in the economic, social, cultural, technological, information and digital realms. For instance, it is acknowledged that the asymmetry of information impacts the power relationships between actors. Most recognized binaries in IR – ‘North’ & ‘South’, ‘rule-makers’ and ‘rule-takers’, ‘donors’ and ‘receivers’, ‘governmental’ and ‘non-governmental’ – are characterized by power differentials. In the century gone by, global transformations have engendered contestation in multiple forms and at multiple levels while at the same time, contestations have affected, if not defined, the future course of transformation of the international system. This cycle of transformation and contestation in the realm of international relations is driven by the following key questions: Where does the ability to bring about transformation reside? (power); in what forms does contestation to transformation manifest itself and to what effect? (resistance) and what should be the nature of the transformations that ought to take place in the international system? (justice). While power drives transformation, the quest for justice is central to contestation. The quest for justice challenges existing power hierarchies and resistance seeks a particular version of justice to be made applicable. It is important to recognize that the prevalent and applied form of justice is normally the ‘justice of the powerful’. Alternatively, addressing issues of rights, equity and distributive justice becomes an integral part of imagining meaningful transformation. There is a fundamental tension between order and justice. While the former is about the status quo, the latter seeks to unsettle the status quo with an expressed desire for a better future. Goals of justice therefore may carry within them the kernels of systemic transformation. Justice here is meant to encapsulate its myriad formulations. It includes redistribution (the quest for equality) but an equally robust formulation on recognition (the quest for identity) as also retribution (quest or adequate punishment), procedural (quest for fair treatment) and restorative justice (quest for healing and reconciliation). Resistance to colonial and imperial domination for the cause of self-determination historically occupied centre-stage in the study of International Relations in the South. The forms of resistance can vary from passive withdrawal, to active and at times violent protests. The space and domains of protest may also vary from highly localized to fairly globalized ones. At the local levels, the targets are the proximate and immediate state authorities and institutions because they are considered to be the carriers and perpetrators of such power. More recent developments such as the ‘Arab Spring’ in West Asia and North Africa to movements in Europe and the United States reveal the continuing centrality of resistance in shaping the international system. Issue-based social movements such as, inter alia, on environmental and nuclear issues and the anti-globalization protest movements have increasingly reached out across state borders and become international in scope. In a broader sense, resistance could be seen to include resistance by groups of states to the existing structures in international politics, law and organization. Counter-hegemonic regional initiatives in Latin America or alternative fora formed by emerging powers exemplify resistance by some states to the existing order. Emerging states of South, at their level, seek to alter the existing international system either by acquiring the privileged status for themselves or by creating identical structures. The creation of BRICS for instance is an institutional resistance and replication to the existing dominance of the Bretton Woods institutions in the global politics. Similarly, developing states have formed various groups in the multilateral institutions such as the WTO and the UN where they cooperate whenever their interests converge. The critique of contemporary capitalism from different standpoints also contributes a lot to the rethinking on the linkage between power, resistance and justice. Clearly, there are strong interdependencies between the concepts of power, resistance and justice. Further, each has specific connotations when viewed from the perspective of the Global South. Whether it is in terms of the nature of power, the accepted ideas of justice or the nature and impact of resistance, the South is identifiably distinct from the North. The central thematics in international relations – security, development, trade, gender, etc. – can all be analyzed within the frameworks of the notions of power, resistance and justice as played out both within the South and more prominently, in relation to the North. It is to investigate and ponder on these intra- and inter-relationships that the theme of the Annual International Studies Convention for 2014 is proposed as: Power, Resistance and Justice: Perspectives from the South. While submitted papers could be theoretical, conceptual or empirical, and could focus on any of a wide range of issue areas in IR – gender, development, human rights, security, trade, migration, environment, identity, nationalism, regionalism – to name just a few, it is expected that principally, they throw light on the interplay among the three variables chosen as the central theme of the Convention, i.e., power, resistance and justice. It is assumed that the distinct experience as well as perspectives of the Global South will feed into a more holistic perspective on these concepts and their interdependencies, contributing both to a better understanding of the concerns of the Global South and more broadly to the study of International Relations. Submissions Annual International Studies Convention 2014 is being organised by the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), in partnership with various universities from 21st to 23rd December 2014 at Convention Centre, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. The Academic Committee for AISC 2014 invites papers on the theme: Power, Resistance and Justice in the International System: Perspectives from the South. Some of the panel themes for the Convention are as follows: 01. Southern Theorisations as Resistance 02. Identities on the Move: Ethnic, Religious, National, Transnational and Diasporic 03. Democratization: Rhetoric, Reality and the Promise 04. Environment: Mainstream and Alternatives Perspectives 05. Peace, Power and Resistance: Cross-Country Theorisations 06. India’s Foreign Policy: Challenge or Convergence 07. Gender and International Relations 08. Religion and International Relations 09. Interdisciplinarity and International Relations 10. Social Movements and Globalization 11. Arab Uprisings: Persisting Issues 12. Imperialism in the 21st Century 13. International Labor Movement Today 14. Reflections on 1914 15. Global Law and Global Justice 16. International Relations and International Law: Intersecting Disciplines 17. Migration as Resistance 18. International Institutions Today: Democratic or Hegemonic? 19. Culture and Resistance 20. Geographies of Resistance 21. Borders as Sites of Contestation 22. Globalization and Human Rights 23. Changing Nature of International Political Economy 24. Changing Conceptions of Power 25. Transformations in the World Order 26. Sustainable Energy for All 27. Asian Energy Security Structure and India’s Strategic Engagement 28. Crisis of Security State in West Asia: Contextualizing the Rise of ISIS 29. Regional Orders in a Globalizing World 30. Civil Society as an Agent of Resistance 31. Emerging Powers and New Coalitions in International Relations 32. Evolving Notions of Development and the Idea of Justice 33. Natural Resources and the Global Commons: Concepts of Sharing and Burden Sharing 34. International Trade and the Manifestation of Power 35. A New International Organizational Architecture for the World: Issues of Power and Justice 36. Geopolitics as a Determinant of Power 37. State-Market Interaction and the Interplay of Power in the International System We invite papers under the aforementioned panels as well as entirely new panels and paper proposals that resonate with the overall theme of the convention. Paper proposals should be accompanied by a 400 word abstract and panel proposals by a 200 word description. If you want your paper to be considered under any of the above panels, kindly mention it at the time of submission. This is not required if you are proposing an entirely new panel or a paper proposal pertaining to the general theme of the conference rather than a specific panel. Participants may present no more than one paper. In case of joint papers, kindly specify the co-authors right at the outset while submitting the abstract. The deadline for sending in paper abstracts is 10th October, 2014. Please submit your paper abstracts online: http://aisc-india.in/AISC2014_web/submit_paper_abstract.php Panel theme proposals can be submitted online: http://aisc-india.in/AISC2014_web/submit_panel_theme_proposal.php You will receive a reply to your submission as soon as the review process is over, not later than first week of November 2014. Venue Convention Centre Jawaharlal Nehru University New Mehrauli Road New Delhi-110067 India Conference website: http://aisc-india.in/AISC2014_web/ __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________