Global: Africa/Asia/Latin America Scholarly Collaborative - call for papers

Contributor

May 17, 2007

The Asian Political and International Studies Association (APISA), the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO) and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) are pleased to announce the Africa/Asia/Latin America Scholarly Collaborative initiative encompassing joint research, training, publishing and dissemination activities by researchers drawn from across the global South, and to call for applications to participate in the third South-South Summer Institute they are organizing within the framework of the initiative.

AFRICA / ASIA / LATIN AMERICA SCHOLARLY COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM

SUMMER INSTITUTE

Democracy, Social Movements and Governance in the South

6 - 31 August, 2007

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Within the ambit of the APISA-CLACSO-CODESRIA collaboration, a series of activities and programmes have been scheduled for implementation over the period to the end of 2007, among them an annual summer institute. The institutes are designed to offer research training to younger scholars on the diverse problems and challenges facing the countries of the South. In doing so, it is hoped also to promote a revival of comparative thinking and cross-regional networking among a younger generation of Southern scholars. The institutes are rotated among the three continents where the lead collaborating institutions are located. This way, participants in the institutes who will also be drawn from all three continents will be exposed to the socio-historical contexts of other regions of the South as an input that will help to broaden their analytical perspectives and improve the overall quality of their scientific engagements.

1. OBJECTIVES

The underlying objective of the institutes is to offer research training opportunities to participants on various key issues relevant to the South, and on the theoretical and methodological perspectives that might be appropriate for gaining a full understanding of the specific situation of countries and peoples located outside the core of the international system such as it is presently structured. The main premise of this effort is the glaring inadequacy of the theories and methodologies developed in the North, crystallized in the mainstream social sciences, to provide the required instruments for the attainment of a sound understanding of the problems confronting – and, in many cases, overwhelming the countries of the South. Through the institutes, it is hoped to be able to mobilize young scholars from across the South to reflect on the alternatives that are available for overcoming the present situation. This way, the institutes will contribute to the promotion of a better knowledge and understanding of the theories and methodological approaches developed in different regions of the South as alternatives to the dominant, Northern-biased paradigms that have shaped the social sciences. It is also expected that participants will become acquainted with the local intellectual environment in the regions where different sessions of the institutes are hosted, and strengthen their comparative research capacities in the process. In sum, the institutes are structured to serve as a unique forum for enhancing a deeper understanding among a younger generation of Southern scholars of the history, politics, economy and culture of the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, and offer an opportunity to participants to develop long-lasting collaborative relationships with their counterparts from other Southern countries.

2. ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION AS LAUREATES

Younger scholars resident in countries of the South and who are pursuing active academic careers are eligible to apply for a place in the institute. Each applicant should have a university education, preferably a doctorate in the social sciences and humanities. Selection for participation will be on the basis of a competitive process. All together, 36 people will be selected for participation in the institute on the basis of 12 each from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The full participation costs of the selected laureates will be covered, including their travel costs (economy return air tickets), accommodation and subsistence.

3. FACULTY AND STAFF

The Summer Institute will be led by a faculty of four experienced Southern scholars who have made some of the most original contribution to an understanding of the particular theme for which they have been selected to give lectures. In this way, just as the young scholars who will be identified to be laureates will be drawn from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the composition of the faculty that will lead the sessions of the institute will also be tri-continental, underscoring a joint and mutual learning process that should enhance the overall goal of building alternative southern perspectives to dominant discourses that tend to reflect uneven international power relations and deepening South-South comparative insights. Each of the four members of the faculty for the institutes will be allocated five days to deliver his/her lectures and to mentor the laureates on those aspects of their academic preoccupations that are directly connected to the expertise they bring to the programme.

4. THE 2007 SESSION OF THE INSTITUTE

For the 2007 session of the South-South Summer Institutes, it has been decided by APISA, CLACSO and CODESRIA to host it in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. APISA will assume overall responsibility within the tri-continental partnership for the session. The Summer Institute will run from 6 – 31 August 2007. The faculty for the institute will deliver a series of lectures over a period of five days each. Additionally, round-table discussions will be organized with scholars from Asia.. For the 2007 session of the Summer Institute, it is a requirement that prospective laureates should have a demonstrable working knowledge of the English language. APISA, CLACSO and CODESRIA will work together to facilitate the procurement of entry visas to Malaysia for the prospective laureates whose applications are successful.

5. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Every researcher wishing to be considered for selection as one of the 36 laureates to be invited to participate in 2007 Summer Institute in Kuala Lumpur organized within the framework of the APISA-CLACSO-CODESRIA tri-continental partnership is required to submit an application which will comprise the following key items of documentation:

a) An outline research proposal, written in English, on the subject on which the prospective laureate would like to work during the Summer Institute. The topic selected must be related to the theme of the 2007 Summer Institute in which the laureate is interested in participating. Such proposals should not exceed 10 pages in length and should have a clearly defined problem statement.

b) A covering letter, of one-page, which should indicate the motivation of the prospective laureate for wanting to participate in the institute and explain how they envisage that they and their institution will benefit from the institute.

c) An updated curriculum vitae complete with the names of the professional and personal references of the prospective laureate, the scientific discipline(s) in which s/he is working, the nationality of the applicant, a list of recent publications, and a summary of the on-going research activities in which the applicant is involved.

d) A photocopy of the highest university degree obtained by the applicant and of the relevant pages of his/her international passport containing relevant identity data.

e) A letter from the applicant’s institution (university department/faculty) or research center supporting his/her candidature. This statement of institutional support should be done on the institutional letter-headed stationary and must be duly signed and stamped.

In order to receive the certificate of participation in the institute, each laureate will be required to draw on the lectures delivered and the course material provided to revise the original proposal on the basis of which they were admitted and, in so doing, produce an essay of up to 20 pages for consideration for joint publication and dissemination by APISA, CLACSO and CODESRIA in the South-South Occasional Papers series.

6. APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND DEADLINE

As the institutes will involve the participation of laureates and faculty from Africa, Asia and Latin America, it has been decided that applicants resident in Africa should submit their applications to CODESRIA, those resident in Asia to APISA and those resident in Latin America to CLACSO. The full contact details for APISA, CLACSO AND CODESRIA are reproduced below for the attention of all prospective applicants. The deadline for the receipt of applications is 30 June 2007. Applications found to be incomplete or which arrive after the deadline will not be taken into consideration.

An independent Selection Committee charged with screening all applications received will meet shortly after the deadline for the receipt of applications. Successful applicants will be notified immediately after the Selection Committee completes it work. Notification of results will be dome by e-mail, or by fax and post if the situation warrants it. The results of the selection exercise will also be published on the websites of APISA, CLACSO and CODESRIA.

Applicants from Latin America and the Caribbean should send their applications to:

CLACSO,

Callao 875, 3º (1023) Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA

Tel: (54 11) 4811-6588 / 4814-2301; Fax: (54 11) 4812-845

E-mail: [email][email protected]

Website: http://www.clacso.org

Applicants from Asia should send their applications preferably by email to:

APISA,

Strategic Studies and International Relations Program

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, MALAYSIA

Tel: 603- 89213647; Fax: 603-89213332

E-Mail: [email][email protected]