> Please consider submitting papers to a panel sponsored by the  
> Committee on Political Sociology (CPS) of the International  
> Sociological Association (RC18) and the International Political  
> Science Association (RC6) at this summer's American Political  
> Science Association (Chicago, 30 Aug-2 Sept 2007)
>
> Changing Forms of Political Activism: Mobilization,  
> Professionalization and Outsourcing," Chaired by Florence Faucher- 
> King and Dana R. Fisher Recent research has focused on the ways  
> that politics have been professionalized and outsourced as response  
> to the growing challenges of fundraising and recruitment. The  
> professionalization of political activities has meant that  
> functions traditionally fulfilled by local organizations and  
> volunteers are now performed by outside organizations that have  
> perfected the techniques in their field. This evolution affects not  
> only communication but also campaigning and fundraising. As  
> political organizations increasingly mirror the model of the  
> private firm in the way they manage their business, it becomes  
> necessary to assess how such trends are affecting citizen  
> participation in politics, as well as politics more broadly. The  
> panel welcomes papers focusing on the professionalization of  
> political activities and the role of activists in contemporary  
> organizations. Does this trend affect equally all parts of the  
> political spectrum, is it a phenomenon that is limited to the US or  
> are there similar tendencies in other democracies?
>
> Please submit your paper proposal by January 1, 2007 to  
> florence.faucher@???
>
> ---
> Dana R. Fisher, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor
> Department of Sociology and Columbia Earth Institute
> Columbia University
> 324M Fayerweather Hall
> 1180 Amsterdam Avenue        | Internet drf2004@???
> Mail Code 2551            | ph: 212-854-9623, fax:  212-854-2963
> New York, New York 10027        | http://www.columbia.edu/~drf2004/
>