ATWS 2012: 30th ANNUAL CONFERENCE of the ASSOCIATION OF THIRD WORLD STUDIES

Hosted by ATWS and BERRY COLLEGE

THEME:

WINDS OF CHANGE: CRISIS AND CHANGE IN THE THIRD WORLD

In his January 15, 2012 Keynote Address on Reform and Transitions to Democracy in Beirut, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said this of events in 2011: “The lessons of the past year are eloquent and clear: The winds of change will not cease to blow.” The Arab Spring represents not just immense and intense popular demand for political opening sweeping across the Arabic speaking countries but surging mobilization for political, social and economic change across the Global South. At the same time the attention it has received threatens to obscure other relevant dynamics that continue to challenge the Global South. As the Arab Spring has opened up opportunities to critique business as usual in the Third World, we confront the necessity to address the struggles waged along the fault lines between the Global North and the Global South. If the proper purpose in life of intellectuals is to advance knowledge and freedom, then the tasks of compassing, explaining and critiquing transformation of such magnitude represents both profound responsibility and extraordinary opportunity. Motivated by the excitement of the historic moment, scholars in many disciplines will come together at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Association of Third World Studies to share their research and insights.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF ABSTRACTS: June 30, 2012

Papers and panels from all academic disciplines that deal with Africa, Asia (except those with an exclusive focus on Japan), Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North/South dynamics are welcomed.

John Hickman, PhD: Program Chair and Conference Site Coordinator