The Department of Government at Cornell University invites submissions for the conference "From Meydan Tahrir to Wisconsin: Rethinking Revolution, Democracy and Citizenship". The conference will be held April 27-28, 2012 and will bring together a diverse group of graduate students to discuss the significance of revolutionary mobilizations and moments of solidarity. Submission deadline: November 1, 2011.
From revolutionary awakenings in the Arab world to protests against austerity measures in Europe and assaults on labor rights in Wisconsin, a "specter is haunting the world" - the specter of democracy and equality. This conference aims to discuss the significance of these revolutionary mobilizations and moments of solidarity for political thought. How do unfolding events challenge us to reconsider political concepts such as democracy, revolution, and citizenship? In light of these historical developments, papers might address political possibilities and anxieties unleashed by the current revolutionary enthusiasm: To what extent are these demands for economic equality, labor rights, and democracy compatible with contemporary hegemony of (neo)liberalism? Does the Tea Party as a conservative social movement challenge our ideas regarding the content of democratic politics? Is it the attempt to weaken union rights in Wisconsin that represents an undermining of democratic citizenship, or the recall efforts that have followed them? When are "rebels/protestors" justified in claiming popular authority and taking up "constituent power"? How should we interpret the nationalist discourse and imagery evoked in revolutions? What is at stake in the tendency to present the Egyptian revolution as a radical break from the past, as a distinctively "secular moment"? What do transnational connections between the protestors in Tahrir Square and the public workers of Wisconsin tell us about revolutionary enthusiasm from a far, about democracy's 'witness', or about projection of democratic imagery and metaphor?
We seek papers that will engage a wide range of disciplines, including politics, sociology, developmental sociology, history, anthropology, and near eastern studies. In order to be considered, applicants should email theirproposals to cornelltheoryconference@gmail.com by November 1, 2011. Proposals should include a two-page c.v. and a prospectus of 500-1000 words.
Decisions will be announced by January 15, 2012
