APISA
– CLACSO - CODESRIA : South-South Comparative Research
Seminars
Theme :
Re - Thinking the International Development Architecture
Perspectives from the South
Dates:
06 – 09 JULY, 2006
Venue:
Pretoria, South Africa.
Call for Applications
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 for participation in
the South-South comparative research seminars they
are organising within the framework of the initiative.
The theme that has been selected for the inaugural
seminar is: Re-thinking the International Development
Architecture: Perspectives from the South. The seminar
will take place in Pretoria, South Africa, from 06
to 09 July, 2006.
Within the ambit of the APISA-CLACSO-CODESRIA collaboration,
a series of activities and programmes has been scheduled
for implementation over the period to the end of 2007,
among them an annual comparative research seminar.
The seminar is designed to serve as a research forum
for the generation of fresh and original comparative
insights on the diverse problems and challenges facing
the countries of the South. In doing so, it is hoped
also that the seminar will contribute to the revival
and consolidation of cross-regional networking among
Southern scholars, foster a scholarly culture of Southern
cross-referencing, and contribute to a type of theory-building
that is more closely attuned to the shared historical
contexts and experiences of the countries and peoples
of the South. The seminar will be rotated among the
three continents where the lead collaborating institutions
are located, namely, Africa, Asia and Latin America.
This way, participants in the seminars 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. The inaugural
seminar is to be held on the African continent, with
Pretoria, South Africa, serving as the host city.
1. Objectives:
The underlying objective of the comparative research
seminar is to offer participants an opportunity to
transcend the limitations of received wisdom emanating
from structures and processes of knowledge production
and dissemination that are characterised by various
degrees and layers of inequality. In doing so, it
is hoped to both motivate and equip participants in
the seminar with the critical 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 for this effort is the glaring inadequacy
of the theories and methodologies developed in the
North, and crystallised in the mainstream social sciences,
to provide the required instruments for the attainment
of a sound and holistic understanding of the problems
confronting – and, in many cases, overwhelming the
countries of the South. Through the seminar, it is
hoped to be able to mobilise scholars from across
the South to reflect on the alternatives that are
available for overcoming the present situation. This
way, the seminar 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 seminar
are hosted, and strengthen their comparative research
capacities in the process. In sum, the seminar is
structured to serve as a unique forum for enhancing
a deeper understanding among 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:
Scholars resident in countries of the South and who
are pursuing active academic careers are eligible
to apply to participate in the seminar. Each applicant
should have an advanced university education and an
established track record of research and publishing
in any of the disciplines of the social sciences and
humanities. Selection for participation will be on
the basis of a competitive process. All together,
12 people will be selected for participation in the
institute on the basis of four 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. Coordination:
Each seminar will be convened and coordinated by an
experienced Southern scholar recognised for the versatility
of his/her knowledge, acknowledged for his/her skills
in applying the comparative methodology, and known
either for the depth of work s/he has done in different
regions of the South or for his/her capacity to draw
on experiences from across the South in his/her writings.
The convenor/coordinator will be responsible for establishing
the comparative framework for the seminar and will
work with each participant to determine his or her
primary area of focus. S/he will also undertake the
task of synthesising results produced by the researchers
into one major publication that will be designed to
serve as a major statement on the theme of the seminar.
4. The 2006 Seminar:
For the 2006 session of the South-South comparative
research seminar, it has been decided by APISA, CLACSO
and CODESRIA to host it in Pretoria, South Africa.
CODESRIA will assume overall responsibility within
the tri-continental partnership for the session. The
local institutional host in South Africa that will
be working closely with CODESRIA in managing the seminar
is the African Association of Political Science (AAPS).
The seminar will run from 06 to 09 July, 2006. It
is a requirement that prospective laureates should
have a demonstrable working knowledge of the English
language. APISA, CLACSO and CODESRIA will work together
with the local host to facilitate the procurement
of entry visas to South Africa for the prospective
participants whose applications are successful. At
the end of the seminar, each participant will be expected
to produce a publishable article which will be considered
for inclusion in the book of proceedings that will
be issued.
5. Application Requirements:
Every researcher wishing to be considered for selection
as one of the 12 scholars to be invited to participate
in the any of the comparative research seminars organised
within the framework of the APISA-CLACSO-CODESRIA
tri-continental partnership is required to submit
an application that will comprise the following key
items of documentation:
a) An outline research proposal, written in English,
on the subject on which s/he would like to work. The
topic selected must be related to the theme of the
seminar and should have a demonstrable comparative
potential. Proposals should not exceed 10 pages in
length and should have a clearly defined problematic
which can be followed through further research and
culminate in a publishable scientific paper;
b) A covering letter, of one-page, which should indicate
the motivation of the prospective researcher for wanting
to participate in the seminar and explaining how they
envisage that they and their institution will benefit
from the programme;
c) An updated Curriculum Vitae complete with the names
of the professional and personal references of the
researcher, 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;
6. Applications Procedures and
Deadline:
As the comparative research seminar will involve the
participation of researchers 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 15 May, 2006. 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 the Selection
Committee completes it work. Notification of results
will be dome by e-mail, fax and post. The results
of the selection exercise will also be published on
the websites of APISA, CLACSO and CODESRIA.
Latin American and Caribbean
applicants 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: programa_sur-sur@campus.clacso.edu.ar
Website: www.clacso.org
Asian applicants should send
their applications to:
APISA,
Strategic Studies and International Relations Program
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, MALAYSIA
Tel: 603- 89213647; Fax: 603-89213332
E-Mail: secretariat@apisanet.org
Website: www.apisainfo.org
African applicants should send
their applications to:
CODESRIA,
BP 3304, CP 18524, Dakar, SENEGAL
Tel: (221) 825 9822: Fax: (221) 824 1289
E-mail: south.institute@codesria.sn
Website: www.codesria.org
February 26, 2006.
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