Call for Papers: Social exclusion and the challenges of inclusion

The deadline for submitting paper abstracts has been extended to February 11, 2013.

ISA's RC19 (Poverty, Social Welfare and Social Policy) will hold its annual academic conference at the Central European University, on 22-24 August 2013, hosted by the Center for Policy Studies (CPS).

The RC 19 annual conference brings together international scholars in the field of comparative welfare state and social policy studies, and encompasses a range of disciplines, including sociology, social policy, political science, and policy studies. RC 19 conference sessions are organized to reflect on the specific conference theme and also to discuss the ongoing research projects of RC 19 members.

The Conference Theme

There is growing academic attention and policy interest dedicated to the twin notions of social exclusion and inclusion and the place of these concepts in broader social policy thinking. The debates around these terms reach out and connect two distinctive academic circles: one that organizes itself around issues of welfare and social policy, and the other which centers on anti-discrimination and human rights agendas. The two communities are connected by a number of intellectual channels and actions in academic and policy thinking. One of the most inspiring of these intersecting grounds of thinking is promoted by the concept of recognition and redistribution struggles. Another distinctive bridging avenue is paved by theories of intersecting inequalities (most often understood by class, gender, and race/ethnicity but not exclusively) claiming voice in very different disciplines. The conference encourages papers which investigate the main social categories/mechanisms by which inequalities are constituted, legitimized, questioned, and tackled in diverse societies.

Comparative inquiries are invited to cast critical attention to the ways in which social debates and policies name social groups/grounds as the most significant subjects or forces of exclusion by explaining hierarchies, sequences, or webs of these forces. It is also encouraged to examine how these debates are embedded in different models of capitalism, state and citizenship regimes, and civil society or political cultures. Inquiries are also solicited that examine the potentials and risks of social policy frames and mechanisms that address the multiple and/or intersecting inequalities and powerlessness. Organizers welcome papers that draw attention to the differences and commonalities of post-cold-war social policy models across continents and polities, with diverging inclinations to embrace critical thinking on multiple and intersecting inequalities, powerlessness, and discrimination.

Beyond this general theme, as in previous RC19 annual conferences, RC 19 members are also encouraged to submit paper proposals presenting their ongoing social policy research.

More information is available at the conference website: www.rc19budapest2013.com

Call for Papers (Download)

Submission of abstracts deadline: February 11, 2013