CHALLENGING AUTHORITY
3rd Biennial Conference of the Caucus for a New Political Science
February 26 – February 28, 2023 | Isla Grand Beach Resort, South Padre Island, Texas
Click to visit the CNPS Conference website: www.cnpsconference.org
“Ordinary people exercise power in politics mainly at those extraordinary moments when they rise up in anger and hope, defy the rules that ordinarily govern their daily lives, and, by doing so, disrupt the workings of the institutions in which they are enmeshed. The drama of such events, combined with the disorder that results, propels new issues to the center of political debate, issues previously suppressed by the managers of political parties that depend on welding together majorities. When the new issues fracture or threaten to fracture electoral coalitions, political leaders try to restore order and stem voter defections by proffering reforms. These are the moments that produce democratic moments in political development.” –Francis Fox Piven, Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America (2006)
The upward transfer of wealth and the dismantling of the welfare state has recently fused with toxic masculinity, militarism, and ethno-nationalism. Tack on the increasing criminalization of dissent and widespread misinformation from media monopolies and a dark shadow dims the prospects for real social and political change. In the face of this grim situation, challenging authority, as Francis Fox Piven suggests, has historically constituted the identity and path forward for the progressive Left.
What exactly does it mean to challenge authority today? Should critically oriented intellectuals use neoliberal language, tactics and strategies against neoliberalism itself? Must we attack and undermine neoliberalism head-on in the name of a socialist alternative? Is challenging authority ultimately an incomplete project if it lacks a utopian vision for political change? What creative, inspiring and innovative practices and strategies are taking place around the world today that challenge unaccountable authority in the name of a democratic alternative?
CNPS 2023 is a space to explore these questions and related themes, including the need to undermine the rising tide of authoritarianism and to articulate a positive progressive vision for political change.
This call for papers for CNPS 2023 welcomes research pertaining to challenging authority from a variety of critically oriented perspectives (e.g., race, class, gender, queer, (dis)ability, intersectionality; etc.) and, irrespective of the approach, enlists political science in the struggle for a better world.
The Conference organizers will receive paper and panel proposals in the following broad areas:
Capitalism & Globalization
The State & Political Power
Class & Class Conflict
Race & Ethnicity
Gender & Sexuality
Political Ecology & the Environment
Social Movements & Protest
Ideology & Culture
Pedagogy, Politics, & the Profession of Political Science
Submit Proposals for a Paper or Panel to: cnpsconference@yahoo.com
Deadline for Paper & Panel Submissions: July 29, 2022.
Notification of Acceptance: August 26, 2022.
Conference Website: www.cnpsconference.org
To Submit a Proposal for a Paper or Panel Send:
1. Name of Proposer, Title, Affiliation, and Contact Information (mailing address, email address, and telephone number).
2. Title of Paper and 150 word Abstract.
For full panel proposals, please submit ONE proposal with all of the required information for all papers.
All panels will be 2 hours in length and limited to no more than 3 papers (25 minutes each) and 1 discussant (15 minutes) to insure that participants have adequate time to present their papers and discussants and the audience have sufficient time to discuss the papers.
We are hoping to have some genuine intellectual discourse and not just a 5 minute “line on the CV” type of conference.
Registration Fee: $175 due by January 15, 2023 (for all panelists).
Late & On-Site Fee: $225
The preferred method of payment is Zelle. However, the conference will accept personal checks, money orders, or cash.
Registration fee will be waived for all students (graduate and undergraduate) upon presentation of a valid Student I.D.
Opening Dinner (at hotel) & Keynote Speaker (TBD) February 26, 2023 6:00-8:00pm: Please inform conference organizers whether you will attend the Opening Dinner. Additional dinner fee applies only to a second guest not registered for the conference.
Additional $50.00 for 2nd Guest
LOCATION
Please mention the CNPS and make hotel reservations directly with:
Isla Grand Beach Resort
South Padre Island, Texas 78597
Tel: 956-761-6511
Room Rates: Cabanas $96 per night (2 persons) / Condominiums $196 per night (4 person)
Rooms must be reserved by January 20, 2023 for conference rate.
For more information about the hotel, see, http://islagrand.com/
ARRIVAL INFORMATION
It is recommended that conference attendees arrive at Valley International Airport in Harlingen, Texas, which is served by Southwest Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines. A non-stop shuttle is available from the airport to South Padre Island for $50 roundtrip. Auto Rentals are also available at airport. Go to:
If you plan to rent an automobile, you may also choose to fly into McAllen (Miller International Airport), which is 70 miles from South Padre Island or to Brownsville/SPI International Airport, which is 20 miles from South Padre Island.
CONFERENCE FORMAT
The conference format will be face-to-face and in-person at the Isla Grand Beach Resort.