Division Calls for Proposal

Find the Calls for Proposals for the 2019 Annual Meeting from all of our Divisions below. To view a Division’s Call for Proposal, click on the title of the Division and the call will appear below the Division title. 

Access the Division Chair Contact Information.

Division Chairs: Torrey Shanks and John Lombardini

The Political Thought and Philosophy Section invites proposals from all areas of political theory. We are especially interested in proposals focused on the ways in which historical approaches to political theory can shed light on the phenomenon of populism and the critique of elitism and privilege it often entails. How do the texts, traditions, and concepts within the history of political thought make sense of populist movements, both left and right? How have historical populist movements, in turn, helped to shape certain traditions within the history of political thought? How might contemporary populist movements push us to rethink the concept of “the people,” as well as the cleavages within that broader category, such as race, gender, and class? What resources does the history of political thought offer for understanding the voice of the people as a contested political concept?

We are committed to promoting intellectual exchange across multiple theoretical and methodological approaches, time periods, texts, traditions, and geographical spaces. Thus, we welcome panel proposals organized with this sort of dialogue in mind. We are also especially interested in the work by those historically underrepresented in the field. We look forward to proposals from scholars at all stages of the profession and particularly appreciate panel proposals that include scholars from across the ranks.

Division Chairs: Sonali Chakravarti and Alexander Hirsch

The Foundations of Political Theory section invites papers, panels, and roundtable proposals from all areas of political theory. We are committed to fostering dialogue among scholars working on many topics within the field and encourage submissions from scholars at all levels of the profession.

Building on this year’s conference theme we are especially, but not exclusively, interested in considering proposals that examine political struggles from below, in the US and beyond, that present challenges to reigning structures of power. In particular, we are keen to solicit proposals that explore the vitalization of populist mobilization. To what extent does populism, as a political form, capture our present conjunctural moment? What is the relationship between populism and oligarchy? Ought Left Populism and Right Populism be viewed as analogous? How is “privilege” a useful analytic concept for political theory? What does it capture that other concepts do not?

The “Populism and Privilege” thematic invites inquiries into cognate concepts that are debated and contested perennially within political theory, including freedom, justice, action, violence, authority, legitimacy, dissent, power, identity, and revolution. We also invite innovative submissions from scholars interested in putting “Populism and Privilege” into conversation with other emergent themes in the field, including, for example, affect, ecology, aesthetics, or posthumanism. Additionally, papers and commentary by and about underrepresented or marginalized groups is of special interest.

Division Chairs: Katherine Gordy and Vicki Hsueh

The Normative Political Theory section invites proposals reflecting on the normative and political valence of the concepts populism and privilege. Political theorists, working within a variety of traditions, have long grappled with how to distinguish between different forms of populism—as a force of democracy, revolutionary change, fascism or something else. In addition to understanding “privilege” as that against which populism positions itself, in recent years, privilege has come to be associated with questions of everyday political action and attitude. How have recent developments both in the world and within the discipline of political theory, broadly defined, forced a reconsideration of the value of these terms? Is populism overly broad? Does it have any meaning outside of a particular ideology? Populism has had a complex and at times tense relationship to racial, gender and indigenous justice and sovereignty movements. Is populism necessarily in opposition to privilege? Is privilege necessarily antithetical to populist movements? Is there a “proper” role for privilege and what is it? Conversely, how does privilege mar populist movements? Finally, the section invites those proposing papers to reflect on these themes in relation to their own role as political theorists and to their understanding of the field. Is there a place for populism in political theory? How might we balance our privilege as academics and as trained “theorists” with a desire to make political theory more accessible and more inclusive? What are the uses and misuses of these terms for political theorizing and for analyzing political movements?

In keeping with the spirit of the conference themes, we invite papers reflecting a broad array of methods, traditions and thematic concerns, with the goal of creating a vibrant discussion within each of the panels and among the conference participants in general. We particularly encourage proposals with approaches that are interdisciplinary, comparative, feminist, critical, minoratarian, intersectional and/or experimental.

Division Chair: Tiberiu Dragu

The Formal Political Theory division welcomes paper, poster, or panel proposals that use game theory, social choice theory, or computational modeling to answer questions related to any substantive field in political science. This section especially welcomes substantively cohesive panel proposals, papers with ties to other subfields, and papers or panel proposals that relate to the theme of the 2019 APSA Meeting: “Populism and Privilege.” We aim to develop a program that reflects the broadest possible range of themes, arguments, perspectives and possibilities that formal political theorists can generate.

Division Chairs: Ashley Jardina and Mara Ostfeld

The political psychology division welcomes submissions on a wide array of topics relating to the way groups and individuals perceive their circumstances, process information, form political preferences, and participate in political processes. We especially welcome submissions addressing the questions political psychologists are most interested in answering: How are identities formed, expressed, and measured in political contexts? How best can we assess citizens’ true preferences and their effects on public policy? How do individuals weigh information as they form their preferences? What factors affect the reception and acceptance of elite messages? How much of a role do stereotypes and prejudices play in shaping opinions and behavior, and how can they be overcome? What forces exacerbate or mitigate intergroup conflict? How well do the assumptions underlying democracy hold once psychological processes are understood? We welcome proposals from a diverse array of methodologies and disciplinary perspectives.

Division Chairs: Alisha Holland and Scott Abramson

The Political Economy section welcomes paper and panel proposals from emerging and established research areas in political economy, broadly understood. Submissions that address the annual meeting’s theme of “Populism and Privilege” through the lens of political economy are particularly encouraged. Has increased economic insecurity, labor dislocation, and inequality fueled the rise of populist politics? In what ways do these factors interact with race, ethnicity, and national identity to explain the success of anti-system parties? Does variation in formal political institutions explain observed patterns of populist party success? We welcome proposals on these and other questions. Furthermore, we encourage substantively cohesive panel proposals that bring together scholars from within and across subfield lines, as well as across different world regions.

Division Chairs: Erik Kuhonta and Priscilla Yamin

In line with the annual meeting’s focus on populism, the Politics and History Division invites panel and paper submissions that address the historical bases of populism, including its social origins, its economic foundations, and its links to race and gender. Papers that explore populism in comparative-historical perspective or that seek to analyze the concept of populism using methods rooted in historical social science, such as path dependence, critical junctures, process tracing and constructivism are especially welcome. The division also encourages submissions on a larger variety of topics related to politics and history, including state-building, institutional development, class formation, social movements, migration, and religion. Panels and papers that engage with methodological, conceptual, and ontological questions related to historical social science and historical intersectionality will be considered. The division also welcomes work that seeks to make explicit interdisciplinary connections across the broad field of politics and history.

Division Chair: Margaret Roberts

The Political Methodology division welcomes all types of proposals addressing any aspect of empirical political methodology. The wide range of possible topics include but are not limited to: measurement techniques, design of experimental and observational studies, methods for field research (including but not limited to field experiments), causal inference, methods for discovering and defining new concepts, computation and machine learning methods, survey methods, integration of quantitative and qualitative methods, and estimation and hypothesis testing. We encourage proposals that develop new, generally applicable techniques and also innovative applications of existing techniques to any substantive subfield of political science.  We hope to curate a diverse program of application areas, approaches, and scholars.

We welcome full panel and roundtable proposals that are organized around cohesive topics of interest to both methodologists and applied political scientists. We encourage submissions of short course and workshop proposals that are intended to disseminate recent methodological developments to the broader community of applied researchers. Proposals that fit this year’s conference theme are also welcome. 

Division Chair: Mary Ann McHugh and Elizabeth Matto

The Political Science Education section invites a range of proposals in a variety of formats that address this year’s conference theme of “Populism and Privilege.” As this section is dedicated to the study and promotion of exemplary teaching and scholarship within all of political science, we welcome submissions from political scientists from the diverse institutions that compose our membership as well as from all sub-fields.

As we have seen, the rise of populist movements in the United States and throughout the world has brought new challenges to political science. These movements are attacking political institutions, public policies and political culture, with their effects uncertain. These movements challenge us as educators to confront our own values, practices, and pedagogies. They also offer an opportunity for those who study the scholarship of teaching and learning to share our research and education practices and contextualize this era. How do political scientists teach in this age? How and what are our students learning? How do we discuss and promote the values of citizenship, engagement and democracy in such a turbulent time?

Therefore, the Political Science Education section welcomes proposals for individual papers, Organized panels, Research cafes, Roundtables, Short courses and Poster presentations that address these questions and provide a broad range of approaches to teaching and evaluation. We are primarily interested in proposals that research and explore innovative pedagogies, experiential learning, civic engagement, the role of technology, simulations and games.

Division Chairs: Karen Anderson and Sam Handlin

The Comparative Politics section welcomes proposals that make theoretical, conceptual, and/or empirical contributions to any area of comparative politics.

We particularly welcome proposals that address this year’s conference theme: Populism and Privilege. For example, submissions might examine the nature and roots of populist movements; the relationship between populism and social, economic, and/or political inequalities; the ways populist movements construct notions and perceptions of privilege; how privilege can be politicized, defended, and attacked; or how privilege otherwise shapes patterns and processes of political participation and representation.

We are open to submissions from scholars working from various theoretical perspectives and utilizing all methodological approaches. We particularly encourage well-organized and coherent panel proposals whose participants also reflect the diversity of our discipline. We are also open to innovative panel formats, including author meets critics and thematic roundtables, which address the conference themes.

Division Chairs: Jennifer Bussell and Ken Shadlen

The Comparative Politics of Developing Countries Division welcomes paper and panel proposals for research that advances our understanding of politics in developing countries. Submissions that address the annual meeting’s theme of “Populism and Privilege” are especially welcome. Many of the subjects raised in this theme, such as the rise of anti-establishment politicians and the contributions of inequality to political mobilization and regime dynamics, have long been central to the inquiries organizing this division. Other arenas of particular interest include investigations of key policy choices, the politics of distribution in the aftermath of the commodity boom, the drivers of national strategies of integration in the global economy, and the effects of international and internal migration in both democratic and non-democratic regimes across the developing world. We are especially interested in research that addresses important substantive questions with theoretical and empirical contributions, and we are open to research based on all methodological approaches. We encourage substantively cohesive panel proposals that bring together scholars from within and across subfield lines.

Division Chairs: Mark Dallas and Regine Spector

We invite submissions that advance our understanding of a range of topics related to Communist and post-Communist politics and societies. This year, we are particularly interested in submissions that speak to the conference theme of “Populism and Privilege,” in particular the ways in which populist leaders, movements and ideas, combined with growing inequality within these contexts, can both illuminate the particular nature of Communist and post-Communist societies as well as inform global populist trends.

We are also open to papers that ask enduring questions of both historical and contemporary significance. Topics of interest may include, but are not limited to: political participation and legitimacy; stability and dynamics of authoritarian, hybrid, and democratic regimes; violence and unrest along ethnic, religious, gender and other sectarian lines; politics of economic development and inequality; relationships among international actors, national and local governments; the changing influence of Russia and China in their near-abroad and global relationships; and the politics of information, technology, labor, migration, education, energy and environment.

In addition to diversity in paper topics, we seek to promote dialogue across multiple methodological approaches and methods, and are particularly interested in papers that include between- and within-case comparative analysis, process tracing and archival analysis, interviewing, participant observation, conceptual analysis, discourse and textual analysis, and statistical analysis. Finally, we seek to promote diversity in presenters across gender, nationality and rank, including from scholars in these regions of the world. In addition to individual paper submissions, we particularly encourage coherent panel proposals or other panel formats such as roundtables and author-meets-critics sessions that reflect the diversity in our discipline.

Division Chairs: Debra Leiter and Amy Catalinac

The division welcomes paper and panel proposals that identify theoretically and substantively important problems in the study of advanced industrial societies, as well as proposals that employ diverse and innovative methodological approaches and empirical data. In accordance with this year’s theme, “Populism and Privilege”, we welcome both comparative institutions and comparative behavior proposals that examine questions pertaining to the origins, formation and performance of parties that, whether right or left, fall under the populist umbrella. We are also receptive to proposals that go beyond the conference theme to address key issues across advanced industrial societies.

Division Chair: Jane Gingrich

Populist reactions against both national and European Union institutions have dominated discussions of contemporary European politics, both inside and outside of academia. Despite long-standing attention to populism in the study of European politics, both its causes and implications remain an area of vibrant academic research. Does the populist label make sense in contemporary Europe? Why have populist movements had more success in some areas than others? What explains the relative success of left and right populists? How do contemporary populist movements compare to historical movements? What is the relationship between rising inequality and populism? We welcome both panels and papers that engage with the 2019 meeting theme “Populism and Privilege” but also welcome those that address topics pertinent to European and politics and society broadly defined beyond the conference theme. Panels that examine the changing nature of political economy, voting behavior and social cleavages, legislative politics in European countries and the European Union, interest group and social movements, democratic trajectories, and comparative historical analysis of European polities, among other topics, are encouraged to apply. The section is open to a variety of panel formats, from traditional paper-based panels to roundtable, author meets critics, and extended panels.

Division Chairs: Erica Owen

The International Political Economy (IPE) section welcomes paper, panel and roundtable proposals related to one of the many substantively important questions linking political and international economic factors, broadly defined. Submissions that address the meeting theme of “Populism and Privilege” and contribute to our understanding of the relationship between globalization and populism are especially welcome. Potential topics include globalization pressures as a possible source of populist sentiment, the impact of populist movements on the domestic and international political economy of openness, and the role of international economic institutions. We welcome proposals on these and other questions, and from any theoretical or empirical approach. We encourage cohesive panel proposals that bring together scholars from within and across subfield lines.

Division Chair: Sarah Bush and Erin Graham

The International Collaboration division welcomes papers and panel proposals for the 2019 APSA conference under the following theme: “Populism and Privilege.” All proposals dealing with international collaboration will be considered. This broad subject area includes, but is not limited to, international organizations, international law, diplomacy, economic coordination, conflict resolution, and transnational advocacy. Proposals that address either international conflict, political economy, environment, or other substantive issues are welcome, as are proposals from different theoretical and methodological perspectives.

Division Chairs: Stephen Grenier, Sumit Ganguly and Lise Morje Howard

The 2019 APSA Annual Meeting theme – Populism and Privilege – is an opportunity to examine the influence of “populist” movements on established political, economic, and social norms. Groups representing every segment of the political spectrum are challenging entrenched “elites” and disrupting regional power dynamics. Government leaders are publicly questioning the value of longstanding alliances, exchanging historic partnerships based on shared principles and interests for a disordered foreign policy. In turn, newly abandoned states are pursuing other diplomatic opportunities that are resulting in unique, if not surprising, bilateral and multilateral collaborations.

These political developments offer exciting opportunities for research. Thus, Division 19, International Security, welcomes individual paper, panel, and roundtable proposals on conflict and security issues, broadly defined. These topics include, but are not limited to: coercion; deterrence; alliances and security institutions; civil-military relations; gender; cyber and artificial intelligence; international development; terrorism; war and peace causation; information warfare; transnational organized crime; proliferation; civil and regional war; nuclear weapons; terrorism; polarity; insurgency; peace operations; arms control; intelligence; and the changing character of war. Recognizing that international security encompasses a diverse collection of academic disciplines, proposals that utilize interdisciplinary theoretical or methodological approaches will be favored.

Division Chair: Megan Stewart

The Foreign Policy section invites paper, panel, and roundtable proposals related to the study of foreign policy, and especially encourages those related to the conference theme, “Populism and Privilege.” The global rise of populist leaders has increasingly raised questions about what a populist foreign policy means for the liberal world order, as well as the international institutions and global powers that regulate it. Are long-standing alliances in jeopardy, and with whom might new alliances be forged? What are the consequences of traditional world leaders disengaging with the international community? Will a United States skeptical of NATO, the EU and the UN increasingly abandon its mantle of global leadership, and what does that mean for international security and economic well-being? Can global shifts toward populist foreign policy be reversed? The Foreign Policy section welcomes proposals that reflect the diversity in both the theoretical and methodological approaches to, as well as scholars of, foreign policy.

Division Chairs: Yonatan Lupu and Ursula Daxecker

The Conflict Processes section invites paper, panel, and roundtable proposals related to the onset, resolution, and dynamics of political conflict and violence. Political conflict includes a broad range of interactions, ranging from non-violent resistance to violent dissent and insurgencies to interstate and intrastate wars. This year’s conference theme, “Populism and Privilege,” is an especially poignant one with respect to conflict processes, which often pit the haves and have-nots in contests for resources and survival. We are therefore especially interested in proposals that consider the economic and ethnic dimensions underlying many conflict processes, including those that address the role of individual and group perceptions in shaping the dynamics of political conflict. In addition, we welcome proposals that address any dimension of political conflict and violence, especially those transcending the various substantive research agendas within research on political violence. We welcome proposals from a broad array of theoretical and empirical approaches that focus on increasing our understanding of conflict processes.

Division Chairs: Eleanor Powell and Gisela Sin

The Legislative Studies Section welcomes paper, panel, and roundtable proposals on a wide range of topics related to legislatures at the state or national level, in the United States or around the world. Research advancing new theories, analyzing original data, or employing innovative experimental and observational methods are especially welcome. Proposals addressing the conference’s core theme of “Populism and Privilege” are encouraged, but we welcome all proposals that are theoretically and empirically compelling. We are especially interested in proposals for substantively cohesive panel and roundtables. We strongly encourage those submitting panel proposals to consider including a diversity of panelists and the chairs reserve the right to add scholars from underrepresented groups to any panel that does not already include them.

Additionally, we especially encourage submissions from women, scholars of color, and other underrepresented groups.

Division Chair: Adam Warber

The Donald Trump presidency has ushered in a new era of executive branch politics in the American political system. In the 2016 presidential election season, Trump portrayed himself as a populist candidate who vowed to be the voice for working class Americans while pledging to drain the political swamp in the nation’s capital. Despite winning the presidency, it remains to be seen regarding whether the Trump administration’s populist appeal represents the beginning of a long-term change in the presidency as a political institution, or whether President Trump is merely riding the crest of a populist wave that is destined to crash in the near future. Specifically, does the rhetoric and policy actions of the Trump administration represent a new and enduring populist flavor in American politics? Are we at a new crossroads regarding the evolving American presidency? More specifically, how much of the executive branch as we know it today will be permanently changed by the Trump presidency, and how much of it will remain the same?

This section welcomes all types of proposals for papers and panels on presidents and executive branch politics, especially those that dovetail with this year’s conference theme that centers around the recent wave of populism that has occurred around the globe. We encourage proposals that will utilize a variety of methodologies to examine a wide array of research questions on topics such as the public presidency, press reporting of administrations, electoral politics, White House organization and staffing, the unilateral presidency, presidential relations with the Congress and federal judiciary, the historical presidency, and the policy process in the executive branch. In addition, we invite proposals that seek to make important theoretical and empirical contributions with respect to cross-national executive politics.

Division Chair: Ling Zhu

The question about how public organizations represent citizen interests through effective policymaking and public management has been at the core of public administration research. For decades, public administration scholars have emphasized the importance of fairness, inclusion, and professionalism in effective governance. Yet, the sweeping populist movement around the globe has fundamentally challenged these core values and norms. The on-going populist movements across countries have created political dilemmas for public administrators and public servants. How could public servants reconcile and redefine their role in democracy while they need to constantly adjust to the political will of citizens and elected officials, including those who endorse populist principles? How could bureaucratic agencies sustain effective and innovative service delivery when facing challenges by the actions of populist governments? The section welcomes proposals for papers and panels on a broad spectrum of topics that link public administration scholarship to core questions about democratic representation in the context of surging populist movements. This can include research that focus on the relationships and interactions between political branches of government, administrative agencies, and the public. This can also include research that examines the effects of populist movements on public sector performance and public service motivation. We particularly encourage work that addresses these issues cross different national settings or in countries where standard models are challenged by the actions of rising populist governments.

Division Chair: Christopher Howard

The Public Policy section serves a diverse community of researchers who study policy to address the big questions of political science: who governs, and to what ends? The section welcomes proposals regarding all aspects of the policy process and the causes and consequences of government decisions (and non-decisions). These submissions could involve agenda setting, policy development and change, policy diffusion, policy feedback, historical and comparative perspectives on policy, and many more.

Proposals addressing this year’s conference theme—Populism and Privilege—are particularly welcome. In recent years, populist movements and leaders have gained power around the world. Wherever they are located on the political spectrum, these populists claim to represent “the people” against entrenched “elites.” They promise to change public policy so that it favors the many, not the few. In light of these developments, we might ask questions such as: To what degree is the rise of populism rooted in failures of public policy and political institutions? What role have established political organizations (e.g., interest groups, think tanks, foundations) played in helping populists to identify policy problems and develop policy remedies? Do populists consistently target the same elites for criticism and the same people for being neglected, or do those targets vary by policy domain? In what ways do populists rely on emotion or rationality to make policy decisions? To what extent do populists enact policies that benefit broad segments of the population, or do those policies instead try to preserve the privileges of established groups? How might historical and cross-country comparisons help us to understand what, if anything, is new about the latest surge of populism?

The Public Policy section is open to all methodological and theoretical perspectives. While individual paper proposals are welcome, we strongly encourage well-organized panel proposals.

Division Chair: Joseph Ura and Pamela Corley

The American Political Science Association’s (APSA) 2019 Annual Meeting addresses the theme “Populism and Privilege.” The scientific study of law and courts engages important issues related to the political balance between elites and the people and about individuals’ differential access to their societies’ material and symbolic benefits. These include judicial decision-making, the rule of law, access to justice, legitimacy, disaffection, and bias.

The Law and Courts Section invites proposals for participation in the APSA’s 2019 Annual Meeting. We welcome proposals for panels, papers, posters, roundtables, and other research presentations and discussions. Submissions related to the conference’s theme, “Populism and Privilege,” are encouraged. Proposals for complete panels or roundtables should include a diverse set of participants.

Division Chairs: Carol Nackenoff and Kathleen Sullivan

The Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence division invites proposals informed by the conference theme, “Populism and Privilege.” Should we understand populist movements as reactions against inclusion, as resistance to elite power, and/or as efforts to insulate certain types of privileges through the constitution and through courts? When populist movements gain national electoral victories, how do they seek to cement their victories through constitutional law and jurisprudence, and how successful are they likely to be?  Do political movements that use the courts have significant effect upon jurisprudence, or are they transformed by the legal system?  Do legal movements reproduce privilege or make the law more inclusive?  Papers might also question the effects of constitutionalism outside the courts. Are popular movements and methods critical? democratic? anti-democratic? What connections are there between populist movements and the politicization of the Supreme Court in the U.S.?  What is new, promising, or dangerous about recent trends?   How do historical studies of constitutional law and jurisprudence inform our understandings of populism and privilege? We encourage cross-national conversations about the impact of populist movements on constitutional law and jurisprudence.  We especially welcome panel proposals comprised of scholars at various stages of their careers and panels that reflect diversity in our profession.  The co-chairs reserve the right to add junior (pre-tenure) scholars to any panel that does not already include them.

Division Chair: Jacqueline Chattopadhyay

The Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations Section invites proposals for the 2019 APSA Annual Meeting. In addition to individual paper proposals, we encourage submissions for full panels (maximum of 4 papers), roundtables, and author-meets-critics sessions. We welcome theoretically grounded and methodologically rigorous proposals that contribute to our knowledge of politics and policy in federal systems. This includes research focused on federalism and intergovernmental relations within the United States, within other nations, or with a comparative perspective. We welcome studies that examine questions of federalism and intergovernmental relations by studying institutions, the mass public, or other appropriate units of analysis. We are especially interested in proposals that respond to the 2019 conference theme, “Populism and Privilege.”

Division Chair: Jim Battista

The State Politics and Policy Section invites proposals for the 2019 APSA Annual Meeting. We welcome proposals for panels, papers, posters, and roundtables focusing on subnational governments both in the US and abroad. We especially encourage proposals related to the 2019 APSA theme, “Populism and Privilege.” The diversity of American state governments — some generally progressive, some conservative in the traditional mold, and others that arguably have moved towards notionally populist conservativism — supports our participation in this year’s theme. Comparative subnational research investigating the emergence of notionally “populist” candidates, their selection by parties, how notionally-populist politics are affected by and affect political institutions, and related topics are especially welcome. However, as always we also would be delighted to receive proposals involving your best work in progress move beyond this year’s theme and we look forward to a set of panels that highlights the diversity of who we are, what we study, and how we study subnational politics.

Division Chairs: Reuel Rogers and Jessica Trounstine

The Urban and Local Politics Section invites proposals featuring research on topics of urban and local politics and policy, ranging from widely examined issues such as electoral-representative politics and agenda-setting to understudied questions about social control and how local dynamics inform ideological development. We are particularly interested in submissions that explore the 2019 conference theme, “Populism and Privilege.” The populist wave sweeping the globe has garnered considerable attention from political scientists studying recent trends in national politics in the United States, Europe, China, and elsewhere. The heavily nationalized focus of the scholarship too often obscures or ignores how populist impulses and movements have manifested in subnational and local politics. The familiar anti-elite grievances of populism, pitting “the people” against “the established order,” are frequently explained as reactions to inequalities, divisions, and dislocations that are actually most readily observable at the subnational level—whether they be economic, racial, cultural, religious, or the place-based differences between big cities and small towns. We encourage proposals that examine contemporary and historical variants of populism at the local level or the link between urban political developments and populist movements at the national level.

In addition to submissions exploring local politics in the United States, we invite proposals investigating urban political dynamics in other countries or within a global comparative perspective. As always, we welcome methodologically innovative and diverse research, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative approaches. We are happy to consider proposals for cohesive panels, roundtables, and papers as well as creative formats such as mini-conferences, author-meets-critics discussions, and short courses. All panel proposals should designate a panel chair and at least one discussant. We will be alert to opportunities to co-sponsor panels with other sections.

Division Chairs: Kristin Goss and Alice Kang

The Women and Politics Research Section invites proposals engaging themes of women, gender, intersectionality, and sexuality. We are especially interested in proposals on this year’s conference theme of “Populism and Privilege.” Gender scholars have much to contribute to our theoretical and empirical understanding of these dynamics in both global and domestic contexts. Papers might address the role of women and gender in populist movements and in the resistance. Papers may focus on women as candidates, political leaders, or voters with the power to decide elections. Papers might also examine how populist movements and counter-movements are influencing policymaking, particularly as it relates to women’s rights and wellbeing. Likewise, proposals might explore how policy changes are affecting women’s collective and individual action. Because women are diverse, occupying various locations on the scale of privilege, we welcome papers that address how gender intersects with race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national identity, physical ability, family status, and other identities so as to orient women’s politics and citizenship. Of course, papers need not directly engage the conference theme; we welcome the full range of original contributions.

We encourage paper submissions and organized panel submissions. Panel submissions must include at least four papers, a panel chair, and a discussant. Where appropriate, the program co-chairs may add papers to these panels. We ask that all faculty members submitting proposals also volunteer to serve either as panel chairs or as discussants. Because the conference includes new presentation formats, we encourage proposals for one of these new formats. Please submit proposals to a second APSA section so that we have the opportunity to co-sponsor panels.

Division Chairs: Pearl Karen Dowe and Rene Rocha

The 2019 APA theme statement emphasizes the ideas of populism and privilege. The study of race and ethnicity is central to both of these concepts in both the United States and abroad. To understand the rise of populism it is imperative to explore to what extent are newly raised political issues and dynamics a reflection of long standing patterns of racial hierarchy?

How is the growth of new political movements in the United States and across the world shaped by the politics of race?

The Race, Ethnicity, and Politics Section invites submissions that show the centrality of race in modern politics. We are particularly interested in research that connects to and advances the theoretical, methodological, and practical understandings of politics made by research conducted within other sections. We invite research that takes either a domestic or comparative approach, but we are especially interested in work that seeks to understand across borders and that relies on innovative tools to address these questions.

We encourage submissions that embrace the range of innovative presentation formats for APSA 2019such as teaching, research and outreach cafes; mini-conferences; short courses; 30-minute paper presentations; and author(s) meet critics discussions, as well as more traditional papers, panels, and roundtables. Given the interdisciplinary nature of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, we will actively seek opportunities to co-sponsor with other divisions and members of other social science disciplines.

Division Chair: Christopher Hale and Avital Livny

“Populism and privilege” are often intrinsic to the study of the relationship between religion and politics. Religions can be potent mobilizers of populist discontent, but they can also be used to uphold and legitimize political privilege. The APSA Religion and Politics Section invites submissions of individual papers, panels, and roundtables that explore the relationship between religion, populism, and privilege across a broad range of theoretical perspectives, substantive issues, and geographic regions.

The range of potential questions to be investigated by researchers is broad. Some examples might include, but are certainly not limited to, inquiries such as what is the relationship between religion and populism? When do religions prompt populist movements? What types of religious messages make religiously-associated populist movements more likely? When do populist religious movements ideologically align themselves with either the left or the right? How are populist movements mobilized within religions? Under what conditions does religious leadership support a populist political movement? What is the relationship between secularization and populist religious movements? What is the relationship between populist religious movements and political parties? When do these movements form alliances with political parties, and when do they form their own parties? To what extent are populist-based religious movements a response to repression by the state? When do populist religious movements become violent and why? What is the relationship between religion and the populist mobilization of gender, class, or race? Conversely, under what conditions do religious leaders or adherents support political “privilege” and the agendas of traditional and self-serving elites in power? We invite panels and individual papers addressing these and other related questions. We further encourage the submission of innovative program formats including mini-workshops, interactive discussion style sessions, and so on. Religion and Politics is an interdisciplinary field and panels and papers that foster exchange between diverse theoretical and analytical approaches are welcome.

Division Chair: David Lublin

The ability of institutional rules to shape electoral outcomes and representation is the core interest of our section. At the same time, it remains a jumping off point for other critical questions that give this subject such practical importance. To what extent can electoral rules help shape outcomes in ways that mitigate or alter trajectories driven by other factors such as ethnicity and economics? In divided societies or fragile democracies, what choices promote peace and stability? Do elections and electoral rules have an impact even in countries that hold neither free nor fair elections? What electoral rules help assure more inclusive representation of women and minority groups? Does inclusive representation have an impact on legislative outcomes or is it more symbol than substance? In line with the focus of this year’s conference, paper examining how electoral rules and representation promote or inhibit right-wing, left-wing or nationalistic populist movements will be of particular interest.

Division Chairs: Tim LaPira and Kristin Wylie

The Political Organizations and Parties (POP) section seeks proposals for papers, panels, roundtables, and alternative formats on a wide range of topics related to political parties and organizations. Our section is especially poised to showcase research related to the 2019 conference theme, Populism and Privilege. Potential issues for consideration include the effects of populism on party systems, the role of interest groups and social movements amidst general discontent with party politics, political activism fueling and/or resisting populist actors, and critical analyses interrogating privilege and oppression within political parties and organizations. POP encompasses innovative research on elections, legislatures, and policy-making institutions at the sub-national, national, and supranational levels in which political organizations and parties intersect and engage. Scholars are encouraged to provide thorough, concise abstracts to improve the quality and cohesiveness of POP panels. We especially welcome panel proposals whose composition reflects the diversity of the discipline.

Division Chair: Peter Loewen

The section welcomes proposals on a wide range of topics related to elections and voting behaviour, including experimental and observational work, current and historical work, and work related equally to elections and other questions in political behaviour. Substantive and methodological studies are equally welcomed, as are single studies from any country or comparative work across jurisdictions. We likewise welcome proposals that engage in cross-disciplinary debates as well as those that address understudied topics.  

Proposals that address the conference’s main theme of “Populism and Privilege” are especially encouraged. We invite the proposal of papers, panels, and roundtable discussions which consider the sources of populism, their interaction with various forms of privilege and inequality, and the institutional and cultural factors that make populism more and less likely. 

Division Chair: Natalie Masuoka

The section welcomes proposals on a wide range of topics related to public opinion, including causes and effects of attitudes, survey design and polling, and new innovations employing the use of experimental and observational methods.  We welcome proposals that engage in cross-disciplinary debates as well as those that address understudied survey populations or topics.  Proposals that address the conference’s main theme of “Populism and Privilege” will be considered. The section will consider proposals for individual papers, complete panels and roundtable discussions.

Division Chairs: Joshua Darr

The Political Communication section invites papers, panels, and roundtable submissions for the 2019 APSA conference. Proposals that address the conference theme, “Populism and Privilege,” are particularly welcome. Political communication scholars can provide important insight into the rise of populism around the world, and the ways in which media (old and new) interact with privilege and existing institutions. Proposals may engage with, but are not limited to, questions such as: How do the media assist or deter the rise of populist leaders? What is the nature of populist political communication, and how have recent changes in the political and media landscape empowered its rise? How have parties and political campaigns harnessed the power of political communication to engage populist publics? What role does political communication play in disseminating ideas about race, gender, nationality, and sexual orientation that may play a role in populist politics? Is political communication used to preserve privileges of established groups against economic, cultural, and demographic transformations? Proposals that are theoretically developed and empirically detailed and rigorous will be given preference. Proposals should not exceed one page in length and should clearly state research questions, theoretical structure, methodological approach, and overall implications for the field of political communication.

Division Chair: Kristin O’Donovan

The Science, Technology, and Environmental Politics (STEP) Section welcomes theoretically grounded and methodologically rigorous proposals that contribute to our knowledge of the politics of science, technology, and the environment addressing this year’s theme – Populism and Privilege. We encourage proposals that span disciplinary and sub-disciplinary boundaries and challenge traditional methodological approaches. Proposals that engage scholars from other sections are also strongly encouraged. In investigating “Populism and Privilege” issues related to climate change, environmental justice, the role of science and information and the actors and power dynamics at work within these systems are all critical areas of inquiry. For example, we cannot understand changes in environmental regulation without also analyzing the values, politics, interests, role of information (including science), and policy outcomes involved.

Division Chair: Cristian Vaccari

The Information Technology & Politics section invites paper, panel and roundtable proposals relating to research on any manifestation of political activity that revolves around, or is shaped by, digital media and information technology, broadly construed. We particularly encourage proposals connecting to the APSA 2019 conference theme of “Populism and Privilege”. Theme-related questions that can be addressed by authors in the ITP section include, but are not limited to, the following: How are populist leaders and parties taking advantage of digital media to set agendas, frame issues, mobilize supporters, and persuade voters? Are supporters of populist political actors using digital media in ways that are distinctive compared with the rest of the electorate, and towards what political ends? Are populist political actors mobilizing new cadres of activists and voters, and is political equality strengthened or weakened as a result? What can we learn about the complex and interdependent contemporary media ecosystem by studying how populist political actors and their supporters engage with information technologies? What role are the affordances of digital media playing in facilitating or hindering the spread of different types of populist messages and worldviews? The section encourages ambitious proposals that tackle underexplored questions based on innovative theoretical backgrounds and appropriate research designs. The section emphasizes methodological pluralism and invites submissions based on a wide variety of social science research methods.

Division Chair: Linda Beail

The Politics, Literature and Film section welcomes proposals for papers, panels and roundtables which illuminate and explore this year’s APSA theme, “Populism and Privilege” through imaginative texts and cultural processes. How do we see populism defined and represented in films, television and literature historically? Do these depictions resonate with contemporary populist movements, or is populism being reshaped in significantly different ways in current culture and media? How can we better understand and respond to populist movements through the popular itself — might analysis of new and evolving popular media forms bring deeper insight into the nature and tactics of populism? How do changes in the technology and consumption of culture enable or shift populist politics, or enhance existing privilege? What types of identities — racial, religious, economic, sexual and more — do we see reflected or created in literature, film and television? From the texts themselves, to production processes and audience receptions, what political struggles and opportunities regarding populism and privilege do we find in our popular culture, literature and film?

We encourage papers and panels that address such questions via diverse texts and media modes. Please consider submitting proposals to a second APSA section to allow us the possibility of co-sponsoring sessions.

Division Chair: Dean Snyder

The New Political Science organized section is devoted to scholarship that advances “the struggle for a better world.” As right-wing populist regimes have risen to positions of political power around the globe, progressive reforms in social, economic, and environmental policy areas are increasingly under threat of rollback or elimination. In this context, we seek proposals that engage the politics of populism and privilege from critical perspectives.

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, topics such as: the political conditions that have given rise to populist movements; debates over core concepts like neo-fascism and authoritarian populism; the implications of right-wing populism for marginalized and oppressed social groups; the relationship between the corporate media, social media, and far-right organizations; right-wing populism, economic nationalism, and the future of neoliberal globalization; comparative critical analyses of national Right populisms; anti-fascist, anti-racist, feminist, and climate change activism; Left populism, counter-hegemony, and political strategy.

New Political Science encourages submissions from all political science subfields, as well as interdisciplinary perspectives, in all program formats, including panels cross-listed by division. We also welcome submissions from independent scholars.

Division Chair: Stephen Nelson

The International History and Politics section invites paper and panel proposals that engage problems in world politics using the methodological and analytical tools supplied by historically oriented scholarship. We are particularly interested in proposals that theorize how temporal processes and sequences explain important contemporary puzzles in the study of world politics. We also welcome proposals that make use of fine-grained evidence, gleaned from archival materials and close reading of historiographies in the issue area(s) under study, to provide descriptive and/or causal analysis. In keeping with the program theme of the 2019 APSA meeting, “Populism and Privilege,” we encourage proposals that adopt an historical perspective to understand issues such as the deep roots of the recent wave-like spread of anti-globalization sentiment, the degree to which surging populist-nationalist political movements are resuscitated versions of longstanding ideological positions and popular grievances (and why these groups’ appeals have found mass support in many places in recent years), the lessons for the durability of contemporary international political order supplied by the study of the rise and obsolescence of prior orders, and the sources of backlash against international legalization in domains as varied as commercial relations and human rights protection.

Division Chair: Mike Miller

The Comparative Democratization section seeks papers, panels, and other formats that address fundamental questions regarding the study of democratization and democracy in the modern world. These questions include, but are not limited to, those pertaining to theoretical discussions of democratization and democracy; the role of institutions, the state, and non-state actors in transitions to and from democracy; authoritarian politics, institutions, and durability; and broader themes pertinent to political change. In light of the theme for APSA 2019 on populism and privilege, we especially welcome papers and panels related to how populism is employed in both autocracy and democracy, its relationship to democratic erosion, and how conflicts over the definition of “the people” relate to democracy. The section welcomes work defined by either its theoretical insights (e.g., new definitions of key ideas, formal-theoretical work, theories on regime change) or methodological innovations (e.g., in measurement, estimation) and research on any region of the globe. The section also welcomes submissions that depart from the standard panel format, as described on the APSA website.

Division Chair: Brooke Ackerly

We welcome proposals for comparative, critical, decolonial, feminist and analytic empirical and theoretical research on human rights norms, concepts, practices, laws, and struggles along with policy-relevant research concerning the political causes, consequences, and amelioration of human rights violations.

In keeping with the 2019 Annual Meeting theme, “Populism and Privilege,” we especially invite proposals that focus on the nexus between human rights, epistemic and material inequality, and popular and privileged discourses. For example, what is at stake for whom in pursuing “reproductive justice,” “reproductive freedom,” and “reproductive rights”?

Human Rights, and the Human Rights section of the APSA, is interdisciplinary. We welcome panels and papers that draw on theory, law, Comparative Politics, International Relations, and American Politics.

To enhance the presence of human rights research on the program across sections, we encourage constituted panels with diverse topics and composition, as well as proposals amenable to co-sponsorship with other sections–which should be indicated by the presenter.

Division Chair: Jennifer Larson

The Qualitative and Mixed Methods Research Section invites proposals for APSA 2019. We welcome research that develops qualitative or mixed methods research methodology as well as research that uses qualitative or mixed methods in pursuit of answers to any political questions. We define these methods very broadly, including but not limited to case studies, archival research, interviews, discourse analysis, and ethnography. Furthermore, we are open to including research that combines methods such as these with quantitative approaches including statistical methods and game theory. Proposals that address this year’s theme of Populism and Privilege are particularly welcome.

Division Chair: Patrick Egan

In light of the 2019 APSA meeting’s theme “Populism and Privilege,” the Sexuality and Politics section particularly encourages proposals this year to present papers addressing the implications of the rise of populism, ethnonationalism, and authoritarianism for sexual politics worldwide.

Democracies have long been at the vanguard of forwarding the formal rights of sexual minorities and establishing and protecting sexual freedom. What then are the implications for the politics of sexuality of the decline in democratic institutions and norms around the globe–and particularly, for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movements? In this era, are newly established rights fragile or resilient? Are sexual minorities targets for anti-democratic movements and leaders, or do such attacks fail to win support and votes? What is to become of the still-nascent effort by some democracies to promote sexual rights across borders through international institutions? And what can be said of the politics of sexual and reproductive health and the regulation of sexuality?

As always, the section welcomes diverse methodological approaches to the study of the politics of sexuality, including qualitative and quantitative empirical work and political theory.

Division Chair: Miriam Laugesen and Lawrence Brown

Panels and proposals should consider the implications of “Populism and Privilege” for health politics and health policy. Authors may address the topic from a domestic and/or comparative perspective. We especially encourage proposals and panels in collaboration with other sections and encourage papers and proposals from those new to the area of health policy or health politics or studying these topics in combination with others. Papers may address populism/privilege as a duality or interaction, or authors may focus on one of these exclusively; and while the conference theme is designed to foster coherence under this umbrella, creative and critical interpretations of the theme are welcome and encouraged. Papers and panels might explore the differences between the US and other countries and the place of health politics and policy and/or feedback effects from or to populism and/or privilege. To be sure, in most countries, reformers typically make some appeal to public opinion, or drum up opposition (such as “socialized medicine”), but are current debates in health policy populist? President Trump used the Affordable Care Act to mobilize voters in a way that appeared unusually potent. Meanwhile, Senator Bernie Sanders has championed a single-payer proposal that many believe is gaining support. In contrast, elsewhere around the world, the architecture of the healthcare system appears to be ranked well behind immigration when it comes to harnessing the wrath—or support—of voters. The concept of “privilege” may be directly related to populism, when people rail against elites, but it is articulated differently by the left and right–especially in the US context of health politics. In health politics and policy, scholars have long established the idea of privilege via the frame of disparities, but privilege is the other side of disparities. On the right, the classic dynamic of those benefiting from the Affordable Care Act voting for President Trump remains puzzling. These are just some of the themes that proposers might contemplate in their interpretation of the conference theme.

Division Chair: Antoine Yoshinaka

The Canadian Politics section invites paper, panel, and roundtable submissions on all aspects of Canadian politics. We encourage proposals that examine politics in Canada either as a stand-alone case or in comparative or historical perspective.

In light of the 2019 APSA theme statement on “Populism and Privilege,” we are particularly interested in proposals that address how Canadian politics has been shaped by, and has reacted to, recent developments related to the rise in populist sentiment both in Canada and around the world. How do we explain the election of a populist premier in Ontario? How has the presidency of Donald Trump, who was elected and has at times governed on the basis of a populist agenda, affected the relationship between Canada and its southern neighbor? How do we explain the (re)emergence of protectionist attitudes and policies, and how have elites responded to these changes? What is the effect of U.S. trade policy decisions on the Canadian political and economic landscape? How has the role played by Canada within the international community, NATO, or the G7 evolved recently? How has the relationship between government and various communities such as First Nations, women, immigrants, or refugees evolved over the last few years? These are some of the many questions that would fit squarely within the theme of this year’s conference.

The conference will also take place right around the start of the campaign for the 43rd Canadian general election in 2019. We therefore encourage proposals that critically assess the Liberal majority government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as well as proposals centered on the federal election such as election forecasts, campaign issues and polling, and prospects and challenges for the next government.

To enhance the presence of Canadian politics research on the program, we encourage constituted panels with diverse topics and composition, as well as proposals amenable to co-sponsorship with other sections–which should be indicated in the proposal.

Division Chair: Matthew Pietryka

Political actors rarely legislate, govern, or participate independently. Instead, politicians lobby each other to support policies, leaders forge international agreements only after considering their prior commitments, and potential protesters consult their compatriots before deciding whether to march. The political networks section invites proposals that entail research in any substantive domain of political science that explicitly accounts for such interdependence. Specifically, we invite original research that addresses the relationships among a set of units, be they politicians, countries, voters, organizations, political texts, or otherwise. We welcome papers making empirical, theoretical, or purely methodological contributions. We encourage single-paper proposals as well as organized proposals for thematic panels, short courses, workshops, and non-traditional formats.

Division Chairs: Brigitte Seim and Dan Butler

The Experimental Research section invites proposals addressing the use of experimental methods from all subfields of political science. We welcome theoretical, methodological, or empirical proposals.

This year’s conference theme—“Populism and Privilege”—offers scholars an opportunity to present experimental research related to democratic accountability, political parties and elections, social movements, civil conflict, and representation and participation. We welcome research on these topics and others.

We strongly encourage the submission of well-organized panel proposals. In particular, we are interested in panels that: consider a particular substantive area from different regional perspectives; integrate different experimental approaches (survey, field, laboratory) in examining one issue area; contribute to the debate on the ethics of experimental research; address scholar-policymaker partnerships; seek to replicate past experimental research; or present research designs rather than completed work. We welcome the involvement of participants at different career levels on panel proposals.

Scholars are also free to submit individual paper proposals, and other formats (e.g., roundtable, semi-structured debates, short courses).

Division Chairs: Amy Liu and Rahsaan Maxwell

The Migration and Citizenship section invites any and all proposals related to migration and citizenship from any subfield. In line with the 2019 APSA’s meeting theme, “Populism and Privilege”, we are particularly interested in proposals that focus on the effects of migration on the emergence of right-wing parties and escalating nationalism; the policies adopted by governments in response to the growing populism; and the politics of asylum applications and residency permits — e.g., who gets through and who gets denied. We welcome papers employing different methodologies and drawing on various disciplinary approaches.

Division Chairs: Graeme Blair and Mai Hassan

The African Politics Conference Group (APCG) invites submissions for proposals that focus on sub-Saharan African countries. We welcome proposals that reflect all areas of inquiry in the study of African politics, as well as a wide range of methodological approaches. We particularly welcome submissions from groups underrepresented in political science, especially African scholars. We encourage submissions that speak to the theme of the 2018 Annual Meeting, “Populism and Privilege.”

Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa transitioned to electoral democracy nearly 30 years ago, yet democratization unevenly and imperfectly ended the privilege and favoritism that benefits some parts of the population at the expense of others. Citizens in other regions have turned to charismatic leaders and populist parties in the face of disillusionment over the failure of democracy to deliver on its promises. To what extent have political and social leaders on the subcontinent used popular disillusionment for political gain and how have citizens responded? We hope to use the rise of populism worldwide to place politics in sub-Saharan Africa in comparative perspective, examining political action through a variety of lenses, including populism, collective action (e.g., strikes, protests, insurgencies), voting behavior, and other forms of participation traditionally conceived of as outside of the state (e.g., civic associations, religious groups, the private sector). We welcome proposals that consider these factors and their implications for sub-Saharan Africa.

Division Chair: Nick Clark and Jeffrey Friedman

The aim of the Ideas, Knowledge, and Politics (IKP) division is to promote research and dialogue on the nature and significance of ideas, beliefs, and knowledge in political action.  We welcome submissions from any subdiscipline that address the reasons political actors have for their actions. Submissions might seek to investigate the sources and accuracy of political actors’ beliefs, the motivational significance of political beliefs for political action, or the empirical conditions that may lead political actors to update these beliefs (accurately or otherwise). Alternatively, they might draw on critical approaches to investigate the epistemological problems empirical and normative researchers face in exploring, describing, and evaluating individual beliefs. Still others might focus on case studies or the methods appropriate to studying political actors’ knowledge and ideas. For 2019, in line with the program’s theme, we particularly encourage submissions on the epistemic and ideological bases of populism, such as “fake news” and perceived media bias.

One of the IKP’s key objectives is to promote interdisciplinary cross-fertilization, so panel and roundtable proposals that include both normative theorists and empirical researchers will be especially welcome.

Division Chair: Nicholas Carnes and Karen Jusko

The Class and Inequality Section invites paper proposals from all subfields that address the topics of economic inequality and social class stratification, especially those with broad implications for scholars working in other areas of the discipline. We hope to create diverse panels that explore important questions about class and inequality from a variety of different intellectual perspectives.

Division Chair: Daniel Klinghard

The American Political Science Association’s theme statement for the 2019 conference is “Populism and Privilege,” and further directs that “for the 2019 annual meeting, scholars throughout the discipline are invited to explore how political scientists should explain and assess the new self-proclaimed populist movements, their relationships to various systems of privilege, their historical antecedents, and their probable trajectories–as well as what kinds of political responses to them might serve as a feasible challenge, and what kinds might be normatively desirable.”

Scholars are encouraged to think about the ways in which their submissions to this division can contribute to this association-wide theme. Although we should always avoid the temptation to simply tack on keywords to an existing body of work in order to demonstrate relevance to a conference theme, there are few themes more relevant to American Political Thought than populism and privilege. From the Founders to Tocqueville, from Lincoln to Bryan, from Roosevelt to Reagan, Americans have long debated the problems associated with the excesses of democracy and the challenges of equality. Papers and panels that thoughtfully engage these and other historical legacies in ways that can illuminate the contemporary political environment are particularly welcome.

Division Chairs: Marc Lynch and Lindsay Benstead

The Middle East and North Africa Politics Section invites proposals for papers and panels which address pressing research questions in Middle East politics. The section especially welcomes submissions related to the theme of Populism and Privilege in the Middle East, including those which assess the lessons of the Middle Eastern experience for other regions.  Possible themes include, but are not limited to: the causes and consequences of the Arab uprisings; changing forms and modes of authoritarianism; transnational mobilization and cooperation; civil wars, failed states and new forms of intervention; the legacies of war and post-conflict reconstruction;  refugees and displacement; evolving forms of activism and political engagement;  changers in regional alliances and competition; political attitudes and new ways of assessing public opinion; social media and political communication; Islamism and the politics of religion; the political economy of oil; and gender and women’s political participation.  The Section is open to all methodologies and approaches to political science, and welcomes panels which engage across regions and subfields.