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The Politics of Belonging: Conflict, Community, Curriculum

The politics of belonging are ubiquitous at the international, national and local levels. Conflicts at the global level often revolve around competing claims to territory. These protracted conflicts pit contested visions of belonging: Who does this territory belong to? And who belongs to this territory? Scholars of ethnic conflict know all too well how identity politics can intersect with other factors to fuel intra-state conflicts.

Yet the politics of belonging do not only play out at the global level. Nor do they necessarily breed violent conflict. Local communities across Canada have experienced heated conversations around belonging that challenge the longstanding model of multiculturalism. From divisive debates around immigration to the rise of nativism, who belongs – and who does not belong – are central questions underpinning difficult discussions around citizenship and nation-building. While Québec’s Bill 21 has generated much discussion in media and scholarly circles regarding religious community rights, provinces such as Alberta have also waded into the waters of identity politics by threatening the rights of the transgender community. These and other recent developments reveal the need to recognize the intersectional nature of the politics of belonging as race, gender, religion, class, sexuality, etc. intersect in various ways to include/exclude different communities.

Finally, the politics of belonging clearly inform our practice as teachers in the classroom as we are confronted with the challenge of updating our curricula. As the political science community works towards Indigenizing our discipline, we are reminded of the narrowness that long informed our approach to teaching in this field. Yet as we work to Indigenize our curricula and decolonize our universities more broadly, we ought to take note of the recent developments and pushback against critical race theory in our neighbor to the south. Despite the repeated invocations to academic freedom, the university curriculum is clearly not immune to the politics of belonging in our wider society and continues to be shaped by coloniality.

While we welcome a diversity of approaches, perspectives, and topics in this call for papers, we encourage you to reflect on the ways in which the politics of belonging shape our world, communities, and wider profession. As such, we look forward to receiving your paper proposals and to engaging in thought-provoking discussions at George Brown College in Toronto in 2025!

The Programme Committee also invites submissions in all areas of political science, spanning one or more of our 16 disciplinary sections and competitions (3MT and Posters).

Deadline to submit your proposals: November 6, 2024 @ 11:59 pm PST (Pacific Standard Time)