Canada Colloquium — Challenges to Democracy

Challenges to Democracy:
Political Polarization, Sustaining Multi-ethnic Democracies, Economic Inequality, Democratic Discontent, and Populism

CALL FOR PAPERS

In partnership with the Center for the Study of Canada at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh, the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco, Fulbright Canada is pleased to announce the fourth in our Canada Colloquium series. These scholarly colloquia address critical contemporary social, political, and economic issues relevant to Canada, the United States, and the international community.

This iteration of the colloquium, Contemporary Challenges to Democracy and Democratic Institutions, will commence with the authors’ workshop, designed to produce an edited volume, on campus on October 26th-27th. The colloquium will close with an open town hall meeting that includes students, professionals, officials, and the interested public, at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa on the evening of October 27th.

Dr. Michael Hawes, President and CEO of the Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States of America (aka Fulbright Canada), Dr. Denise Eby Konan, Dean of the College of Social Sciences at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and Dr. Christopher Kirkey, Director of the Center for the Study of Canada at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh, will coordinate the colloquium.

We enthusiastically invite submissions for scholarly papers from various perspectives, from doctoral candidates, junior academics, established scholars, and working professionals from across the international community. The deadline for proposals is July 15th, 2023.

Our Host

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, founded in 1907 and proud of its Indigenous and multi-ethnic heritage, is in the beautiful Mānoa Valley just outside downtown Honolulu on the island of Oʻahu. It is a Carnegie Endowment R1 research institution and one of a handful of land, sea, space, and sun-grant institutions in the United States.

Our Focus

Democracy in North America and worldwide currently faces increasingly complex challenges. Social, ideological, economic, and racial divisions have heightened political and cultural polarization. Gaps are widening between people and power, and internal and external authoritarian movements directly challenge the nature of pluralist democratic societies and cultures. Our 2023 colloquium examines various issues relating to the contemporary challenges to democracy and democratic institutions.

These challenges include, but are not limited to, political polarization, threats to multi-ethnic democracies, economic inequality, the growing maldistribution of wealth and income, democratic discontent, and the rise of populism. The colloquium organizers are especially interested in scholarship that examines whether creative institutional reforms can address some of these challenges. In addition, we are particularly interested in how these challenges affect Canada and the United States while, at the same time, recognizing the importance of critical comparative analysis.

Colloquium Participation, Timing, and Results

Interested parties should submit a proposal that includes an abstract, not to exceed 500 words, that clearly states the central argument of the proposed paper, sets out the theoretical approach, identifies the empirical evidence to be examined, and provides a working title. In addition, all submissions should include a current curriculum vitae for the author or authors. Submissions should be sent electronically to the conference coordinators at CanadaColloquium4@fulbright.ca by July 15, 2023. An academic panel will review all submissions, with decisions being made and individuals contacted by August 1, 2023. A maximum of 25 proposals will be accepted for the colloquium. Two panels will be dedicated to scholarly presentations from the University of Hawaiʻi faculty. Invited participants will receive detailed guidelines for their papers (length, format, footnote/reference style requirements, etc.). The colloquium participants will present draft papers for discussion at the authors’ workshop in Hawaiʻi and should be prepared to revise the documents for publication within six months.

Support for Participants

To facilitate involvement in this project, the colloquium conveners are pleased to be able to provide the principal author with the following support:

• Hotel accommodations for three (3) nights for out-of-town participants,
• Economy class airfare to Honolulu,
• Opening reception, and
• Lunches at the authors’ workshop.

Please note that the conference coordinators will organize some post-colloquium off-site activities should the demand warrant these no-host excursions.

We trust that you will agree that this is an exciting initiative. Please contact us at CanadaColloquium4@fulbright.ca with any inquiries.

We look forward to receiving your proposal!