Call for Papers: Radical Democracy Conference, New York, April 4-5, 2011

Call for Papers: Radical Democracy Conference, New York, April 4-5, 2011

April 4 – April 5, 2011, New York, NY
Paper Abstracts Submission Deadline: January 31
Notification Date: February 18
Full Papers Deadline: March 21

The Department of Politics at The New School for Social Research, incollaboration with the Institute of Comparative Literature and Society at Columbia University, is sponsoring a two-day graduate student conference interrogating the concept, history, and implications of radical democracy. Striving to assess the legacy of antiquity o ncontemporary radical democratic theory, as well as explore the work of contemporary theorists such as Abensour, Arendt, Castoriadis, Mouffe, Negri, Ranciere, and Wolin, we invite you to submit abstracts on any theme pertaining to the history, meaning, development and application, or critique of the concept of “radical democracy.”

We strongly encourage submissions that touch upon any of the following themes; however, papers exploring other relevant topics and issues are also strongly encouraged:

• Promises, limits and critiques of the concept of radical democracy
• Ancient democratic thought in relation to modernity and post-modernity
• Technology and the mediums of (radical) democracy
• Consensus building/agonistic democracy
• Engendering radical democracy: race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class
• Post-Leftist democratic politics
• Radical democracy and anarchism

Relationships between radical democracy and traditional regime forms such as oligarchy, liberalism, republicanism, socialism, communism

Exploring the relationship between radical democracy and keyconcepts in political theory such as: participatory/direct democracy;agency and autonomy; state and nation; capitalism; imperialism;anarchy and authority, dictatorship and tyranny; sacrifice andviolence; revolution and reform

Interested participants should submit a one-page abstract (up to 300words) that includes institutional affiliation, academic level, and contact information by Monday, January 31.
You will receive a notification of our decision by Friday, February18. Full conference papers will be due by Monday, March 21.
Please submit your abstract at radicaldemocracy@newschool.edu.
For more information about the conference, please visit our Web site at constituentpower.blogspot.com.