PSA Annual International Conference 2019: (Un)Sustainable Politics in a Changing World

CONFERENCE THEME

The 69th PSA Annual International Conference is an opportunity to present the latest scholarship from across the disciplinary and methodological traditions whilst also exploring the 2019 theme, ‘(Un)Sustainable Politics in a Changing World'.

The pace at which our world continues to change is difficult to comprehend, and our ability to understand and explain politics is undermined as a result. Now, perhaps more than at any time since the end of the Cold War, the sustainability of current political practices must be (re)examined. Domestically, recent political controversies related to gender inequality, sexual or racial abuse, misuse of personal data, and financial mismanagement, raise critical questions about the durability of political practices. The continuing impact of Brexit, also presents further challenges to our polity and geographical borders.

Globally, uncertainty abounds: how has the emergence of populist movements and authoritarianism affected relationships across Europe and within the EU? How is U.S. unilateralism under President Trump affecting international relations and multilateral frameworks? How do we navigate the potential threats that escalating trade wars and the rise of economic nationalism across the world bring, and how will personal freedoms continue to be eroded in the name of combatting terrorism?

We are also faced with an increasingly complex relationship with the natural world. Climate change mitigation is faltering, depletion of the ozone has worsened, and we are in the midst of the Anthropocene Extinction (or sixth era of mass extinction) demonstrated by the most rapid loss of biodiversity in the planet’s history. Given these stresses to our well-being and development we must consider whether current political institutions and practices are sustainable or whether significant (perhaps even radical) change in the way we organise ourselves and relate to other communities is upon us.

CONFERENCE DEADLINES

w/c 6 August: Call for paper and panel abstracts 

Monday 29 October@23:59: Deadline for submitting proposals extended to this date. Abstracts submitted after this date will not be considered. Abstracts can be edited until the submission deadline unless it is under review by the convenors. If the status of your proposal is 'under review', please email the convenors with any minor changes. A confirmation email acknowledging receipt of an abstract will be sent to the Corresponding Author. 

Monday 19 November: 

• Notification of Acceptance: Acceptance/rejection emails sent to Corresponding Authors

• Conference registration opens (Early Bird Rates)

• Conference dinner tickets available to purchase

• Applications open for ECN and International Visitor Grants (applications will only be considered from individuals that have had paper proposals accepted.)

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Monday 14 January: Deadline for ECN and International Visitor Grant Applications

Monday 4th February: Early-bird rate registration deadline 

Monday 25th February: Registration deadline for presenting authors of accepted abstracts. Failure to register will result in the abstract being removed from the conference programme

Monday 18th March: Deadline for PSA Members to be considered for Under-5's childcare funding (see below)

Monday 8 April: Deadline for presenting authors to upload papers

PLEASE NOTE: Participants cannot present papers via video conferencing (Skype etc.). Confirmed paper-givers are required to register and physically attend the conference and only in exceptional circumstances will this be waived, such as for health-related issues.

REGISTRATION FEES

Conference registration will open on Monday 19th November 2018 via Ex Ordo. You will no longer be able to register via the PSA website.  Please note that registration fees do not cover accommodation - this is the responsibility of conference participants to book. 

Registration fees are as follows:

EARLY BIRD RATES (Monday 19th November 2018 - Monday 28th January 2019):

PSA Member: £199

PSA Early Career Network Member: £90

Non-Member: £285

Early Career Researcher Non-Member: £165

PSA Membership and the Early Bird Rates: If you wish to renew your membership or to become a PSA member to obtain the EB rate, please contact Teresa Glen, Membership Secretary on 01787 221026 beforehand (you can no longer renew/become a member and register at a EB rate at the same time). 

STANDARD RATES (Tuesday 29th January 2019 - Monday 8th April 2019)

PSA Member: £235

PSA ECN Member: £125

Non-Member: £320

Early Career Researcher Non-Member: £165

RETIRED MEMBERS: Conference registration fees are waived for retired PSA members who are:

• not supported by their former university or an institution
• not supported by a grant provider
• willing to be a discussant or panel chair

PSA CONFERENCE CANCELLATION POLICY

• Where a paper-giver is unable to attend the PSA Conference for any reason they may substitute, by arrangement, a paper co-author or someone else from the same institution.
• Where the paper-giver is unable to attend, and is not in a position to transfer their place to another person, then the following refund arrangements apply: (a) Registrations cancelled more than a week before the PSA Conference will be refunded 100% of the registration fees; (b) Registrations cancelled less than a week before the PSA Conference will not be eligible for a refund.

CONFERENCE VENUE

The PSA Conference 2019 will be held at the Nottingham Conference Centre, 30 Burton St, Nottingham NG1 4BU. Click here for location details. The venue Is fully accessible and we are happy to discuss any specific requirements.

CONFERENCE DINNER

The Conference Dinner and academic prize-giving ceremony will be held at St Mary's Church on Tuesday 16th April. Tickets can be purchased via Ex Ordo. The guest speaker this year is Kamal Ahmed, Editorial Director, BBC News and author of The Life and Times of a Very British Man. 

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation: Visit Nottinghamshire have reserved an allocation of rooms at various hotels near the conference venue – please click here to make a booking via their portal for conference attendees. A guide to Nottingham City Centre hotels is available here. 

For further information on Nottingham, including travel information and maps, click here. 

CONFERENCE CHILDCARE

The PSA is pleased once again to contribute towards childcare costs for members participating at the Annual International Conference. Please click here for further details. 

EQUALITY & DIVERSITY AT THE PSA CONFERENCE

The PSA is committed to promoting equality and diversity in all areas of its work and the profession. Panel proposals must endeavour to reflect the gender diversity of the profession and therefore all-male panel submissions will not be considered. PSA Specialist Group convenors should also make active efforts to involve BME and disabled participants.  

PSA ANTI-HARASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION POLICY

The PSA Annual Conference and related events bring together research professionals from the United Kingdom and beyond for the purposes of scholarly interchange and professional development. Harassment of participants undermines the principles of equality, diversity and freedom of expression at the foundations of these conferences and events, and constitutes professional misconduct. The PSA is committed to providing a welcoming professional environment in which all members are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief, age or disability. The PSA recognises a shared responsibility of all members and attendees to establish and uphold that environment for the benefit of all. This policy outlines expectations for all participants at PSA conferences and events. This means anyone attending PSA events, including PSA members, staff, exhibitors, and all other attendees. The Policy applies to all conference and event venues, including formally scheduled meetings and panels as well as official and unofficial social events. The full policy, including guidance on how to make a complaint, is available here. 

CONTACTS

For any enquiries regarding paper and panel proposals and the programme, please contact the conference convenors.

For all general enquiries, please contact Avnish Patel, Events Manager, PSA. 

Do you need a visa to travel to the PSA Conference? You can request an invitation letter here.