Graduate Student Conference 2010: Call for Papers

Evolving Borders:  Identity and Affiliation in a Volatile International Landscape

June 1 & 2, 2010

As a field of inquiry which took for granted the centrality of the state in world affairs, no issue has so agitated contemporary International Relations as the possible decline of state relevance. The major IR debates of the 20th Century focused on the relationship between the state and the individual, between hegemonic and peripheral states, and between blocs of states linked together in political superstructures. However, as states authority declines, and new post-state forms of organization arise, it seems inevitable that other modes of human affiliation must also arise. Transportation, communications, migration, and evolving economic and legal structures all tie humanity together across national borders. Religion, language, ethnicity, ideology, geography, culture, trade relations, and countless other constructions provide means by which people can understand themselves and form identities, and by which groups can include some people and exclude others. If the borders of the 20th century separated the territory of nation-states, what will new borders separate? Will national citizenship remain a valuable piece of identity, or will new affiliations take precedence? If states retain their central role in IR, how will they cope with interstate and non-state forces, and how will borders and state identity be affected? Along what fault lines, if any, must world affairs ultimately be re-organized? How will we think of ourselves, and what will be the future of “us” and “them?” The volatile 21st Century world demands answers to these pressing questions.

Presentations are in English.

To submit a paper

Abstracts and Papers may be submitted or questions may be addressed to conference@ags.edu.

Abstracts of 500 words will be accepted for determination of participation. If entire papers are submitted, please include a 500‐word abstract. All participants will be required to submit a full paper four weeks before the conference.

Deadlines

• Abstracts: April 1, 2010

• Completed Papers: May 20, 2010

Conference Location

American Graduate School, Paris, France
101, boulevard Raspail, 75006 Paris

Fees and Conditions

• Upon acceptance a participation fee of 25 Euros may be paid online here

• The Graduate Student Conference Committee will provide visa letters upon request

• Housing with AGS students is possible

• Travel grants are available to a limited number of participants

Organizer

The Graduate Student Conference Committe of the American Graduate School in Paris
Contact: conference@ags.edu