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