Call for Paper Presenters and Participants

The Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA) celebrates 50 years of path breaking contributions to the promotion of the study of Philippine politics through the professional development of its members and academic advances made in teaching, research and publications.  The 2012 PPSA International Conference seeks to showcase the evolution of political science as a discipline grounded in theories that provide analytical and critical tools in comprehending political realities. The 2012 Conference also provides a venue in which to reflect on the previous and present contributions of the discipline as stepping stones in charting new directions in the field of political science.

The PPSA, through its activities in general and its annual conferences in particular, has continuously and critically engaged fellow academics (not only in political science but also in the other social science disciplines), policy-makers, non-governmental organizations (NGO) and social movement players as well as public intellectuals on topics touching on day-to-day political realities at the local, regional and international arenas.  One of its many strengths is that it is multidisciplinary in its approaches as well as in its engagements.  Thus, its members do not only include political scientists, but also sociologists, historians, and economists, among others.  As with the previous PPSA conferences, the 2012 PPSA International Conference foresees the participation of around 150 academics, researchers, and public intellectuals as well as well-known policy and opinion makers and social movement and civil society players on 12-14 April 2012 in Cagayan de Oro City with Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan as its local partner.

Conference Concept

With its conference theme of “Building on the Past, Reflecting on the Present and Charting Future Directions in Studies on Philippine Politics,” the 2012 PPSA International Conference will revisit research themes of the past and the present as it seeks to chart fresh initiatives for the discipline in terms of the theme and its accompanying theoretical and conceptual handles as these are comprehended and applied. 

Through PPSA’s 50 years of existence, themes of democratization and development have provided the guiding rationale in which political issues and concerns have been tackled.  These concerns have found their way into critical areas such as national and local governance where the focus has been on the executive, legislative and judiciary as embodied in new public management and new institutionalism, devolution and decentralization among others.

The same can be said in the area of political dynamics where focus has been on electoral politics and party systems as well as on power-brokers outside the realm of “official” power such as the politico-economic elites, “warlords”, the military, the church and the business community as well as media which in general would be studied as interest or pressure groups.  The use of class politics in analyzing the relationship of state and non-state actors have also brought about studies on social movements, non-governmental organizations and civil society.  Studies on the Philippine left movement were particularly highlighted during the period of the struggle against dictatorship (1972-1986).

The transition to democracy with the end of authoritarianism in 1986 witnessed the emergence of issues and concerns that go beyond class as represented by the women’s movement, the environmental movement and the peace movement, among others. The issues of ethnicity and cultural identity also highlighted the non-class nature of political concerns as epitomized by the Bangsamoro insurgency and indigenous peoples’ movements in the country. Attention also has been given to the politics of peace and development and human security as well as the political impact of labor migration. 

Academic interest and studies on regional and international security have also been prominent during the past decades with focus on United States (U.S.) hegemony but viewed in the changing political and security context as seen in the end of the Cold War and the emergence of the “war-on-terror” after the September 11 attacks in the U.S.  The advent of globalization, particularly of the neo-liberal kind and the power of information technology has brought further emphasis on the political impact of the global on the local and vice-versa as well as its economic and socio-cultural implications on the development trajectory of developing societies like the Philippines.


CONFERENCE THEMES AND SUB-THEMES

The 2012 PPSA International Conference will have “Building on the Past, Reflecting on the Present and Charting Future Directions in Studies on Philippine Politics” as its major theme.  The organizing committee welcomes panels and individual papers which focus on the evolution of theoretical and conceptual perspectives on topics which have dominated the study of Philippine politics. It also welcomes the emergence of fresh and new perspectives on political topics which have been studied for the past decades but are seen in a new light given the changing political, economic and socio-cultural context of Philippine society and/or because of the emergence of innovative theoretical frameworks and methodology in which to further comprehend these.  Most welcomed too are developments in the discipline that provide for a comparative basis, particularly, from the experience of Asian countries.
The papers may explore the “shifts/variances” in the models, theories, perspectives, and approaches in the discipline (if there are) that aim to explain or allow a better understanding of political issues and concerns.  This is one way in which PPSA’s 50th anniversary conference will be able to highlight the contributions, contentions and current imaginations of the discipline in its quest to modestly advance the study of politics nationally, regionally and internationally.

The proposed themes and sub-themes are the following (but not necessarily limited to these):

A.    Democratic governance and institutional design, change and inertia
B.    Electoral politics, elite domination and non-elite incursions
C.    “Informal institutions” and their impact on democracy
D.    Democratization and “contentious politics”: the challenge from social movements and civil society
E.    The evolution and state of non-class based social movements, i.e., women, environment, peace, indigenous peoples movements among others
F.    The current state and future of  civil-military relations and security sector reforms
G.    Traditional and non-traditional security and the changing regional and  global order
H.    Re-thinking neo-liberal globalization in the light of the world economic crisis
I.    Cultural foundations of political transitions
J.    Comparative perspectives of the challenges of democratization and development
K.    The resilience of the Communist and Bangsamoro insurgencies
L.    The incursion of religion into politics
M.    The politics of migration
N.    Others

Co-Sponsor

Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, Cagayan de Oro City


PAPER SUBMISSIONS

Those interested in presenting papers or convening panels may e-mail the following members of the Program Committee:

Ronald D. Holmes (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Jorge V. Tigno (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Maria Ela L. Atienza (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Ruth Lusterio-Rico (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Julio Teehankee (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Abstracts should be no more than 500 words, complete with thesis statement / major arguments, framework and methodology. All abstracts will go through a peer review process.

Deadline for Panel and Paper Proposals with abstract: 20 January 2012
Announcement of accepted presentations/panels:  28 February 2012


ELIGIBILITY

Scholars, activists and other public intellectuals from the Philippines, Asia, and elsewhere are encouraged to participate in the conference.


CONFERENCE FEE

All participants, including paper presenters and role players, are required to pay the conference fee of PhP 3,500 (or US$ 100 for foreign participants).  An early bird rate of PhP 3,000 is available for all those who will register on or before 8 March 2012. Graduate students can avail of the discounted rate of PhP 2,000 upon presentation of proof enrolment and school identification.


FURTHER INQUIRIES
 
For inquiries, please contact:
Ruth Lusterio-Rico
Head of the 2012 PPSA International Conference Organizing Committee
Department of Political Science, UP Diliman, Quezon City
Telephone: (632) 920-7246; 434-6711
Telefax: (632) 920-7246
Mobile: +639175518869
Website: www.philpolsci.net