CALL FOR PAPERS - Annual conference of the Italian
Political Science Association (
http://www.sisp.it/convegno)
University of Roma Tre, 13-15 September 2012
Section: Political Participation and Social Movements
Panel: New movements for old conflicts? The Social
Economy and Solidarity Movements as new forms of self-organization and
political participation
Chairs:
Francesca Forno francesca.forno@???
and Paolo R. Graziano paolo.graziano@???
Abstract: The mobilizing capacity of social movements is
conditioned by the characteristics of the environment within which these actors
operate. The degree of openness and closedness of political, economic and
cultural opportunities affects not only the action strategies adopted by these
collective actors, but also their organizational structure. Looking at the
history of social movements, we may identify periods during which these actors
have directly opposed the dominant power structure by using protest actions,
and periods in which movements have proposed and sustained forms of self-help
and self-production (mutualism, cooperativism).
In the current economic crisis, social movements are
simultaneously facing two types of challenge: firstly, they are confronting
institutions which are less able (or willing) to mediate new demands for social
justice and equity emerging from various sectors of society; secondly, giving
the highly individualized structure of contemporary society, they are also
experiencing difficulties in building bonds of solidarity and cooperation among
people, bonds which are a fundamental resource for collective action.
It is in this context that protests waves which may be
huge are in fact often short-lived, and it is here that we see the rise and
consolidation of new mutualistic and cooperative experiences within which (like
in the past) new ties for collective action are created. In this workshop we
intend to discuss contributions which analyze new forms of self-organization
that address both the intensification of economic problems and the difficulties
of rebuilding social bonds and solidarity within society, emphasizing
solidarity as the use of ‘alternative’ forms of consumption as a means to
re-embed the economic system within social relations, starting from the local
level.
Despite the rapid growth of experiences such as the
Italian GAS (Gruppi di Acquisto Solidale) groups, the French AMAPs
(Associations pour le Maintien d'une Agriculture Paysanne), the CSA (Community
Supported Agriculture) movement which started in Europe and spread to the U.S.,
the so-called Transition Town Movement, the Latin American Solidarity Economy
Network, as well as more radical groups promoting low or no growth etc,
empirically the role and composition of these movements/organizations has been
neglected. Currently, there is little information available on the one hand
with regard to the spread of these forms of self-organization; on the other
hand, there is no information as concerns their influence on decision-making
processes in contemporary democracies.
The purpose of the workshop is to gather empirical
studies that shed light on the organizational aspects in particular, as well as
the role of the political representation of these organizations and their
ability to influence decision-making processes. Comparative studies will be
particularly appreciated, but we are also interested in theoretical
considerations and in-depth cases studies.
SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
In order to be taken into consideration, proposals (which
may be submitted either in English or Italian) should include name,
institutional affiliation and contacts of the proponent, as well as a working
title and a short abstract of no more than 250 words.
- Proposals must be sent to the panel chairs by 1st May
2012.
- Decisions on which contributions to include in the
panel will be made by 28th May 2012 at the latest.
- In order to ensure quality of discussion, all papers should
be circulated by email by 2nd September 2012 and published on the SISP website.
- Final Papers should not exceed 60,000 characters
(spaces, notes and references included).
Please send proposals to both chairs:
- Francesca Forno, email: francesca.forno@???
- Paolo Graziano, email: paolo.graziano@???
The co-organizers will be glad to answer any questions
you may have about the panel.
---
Francesca Forno, PhD
Department of Human Language, Communication and Cultural
Studies University of Bergamo P.zza Rosate, 2
24129 Bergamo
Italy
Tel: +39 0352052758 (office) +39 3482838712 (mobile) francesca.forno@???;
www.unibg.it/cores
