Between 1995 and 2002 Manchester Metropolitan University hosted eight very successful international conferences on Alternative Futures and Popular Protest. A Ninth conference will be held from 22nd-24th April 2003.
The Conference aim is to explore the dynamics of popular movements, along with the ideas which animate their leaders and supporters and which contribute to shaping their fate.
Reflecting the inherent cross-disciplinary nature of the issues, previous participants (from over 40 countries) have come from such specialisms as sociology, politics, cultural studies, social psychology, economics, history and geography. The Manchester conferences have been notable for discovering a fruitful and friendly meeting ground between activism and academia.
Call for Papers
We invite offers of papers relevant to the conference themes. Papers should address such matters as:
- contemporary and historical social movements and popular protests
- social movement theory
- utopias and experiments
- ideologies of collective action
- etc
To offer a paper, please contact either of the conference convenors with a brief abstract:
EITHER Colin Barker, Dept. of Sociology
OR Mike Tyldesley, Dept. of Politics and Philosophy
Manchester Metropolitan University
Geoffrey Manton Building, Rosamond Street West
Manchester M15 6LL, England
email: c.barker@mmu.ac.uk
Tel: M. Tyldesley 0161 247 3460
email: m.tyldesley@mmu.ac.uk
Fax: 0161 247 6321 (+44 161 247 6321)
(Wherever possible, please use email.)
Conference Papers
Those giving papers are asked to supply them in advance, for inclusion in the bound volumes of papers which will be available from the conference opening.
- Either provide two single-spaced copies, on A4 or US Letter paper, with one inch margins, and with a copy of the text on a DOS disk in MS Word format (if in doubt, please contact one of the convenors in advance). Or send the paper to Colin Barker as an email attachment in Word.
- Word limit 7,000 words (including notes etc.)
- Final date for receipt of abstracts: 24 March 2003
- Final date for receipt of papers: 31 March 2003
- Participants who do not supply their papers by the final date are asked to bring 50 copies to the Conference for distribution. Advance submission is much preferred, since the bound volumes of papers are sent to the British Library but loose papers are excluded.
Further Information
- A selection of papers from the 1995 conference appeared in early 1996 as: Colin Barker and Paul Kennedy (eds.), To Make Another World: Studies in Protest and Collective Action, Avebury, 1996.
- Manchester University Press has recently published a volume of papers inspired by previous conferences: Colin Barker, Alan Johnson and Michael Lavalette, eds., Leadership in Social Movements (MUP, 2001).
- A few recent sets of conference papers (two vols. in each year, 25.00 each set, post free) may still be obtained from Colin Barker. Email to check availability. Cheques with orders, please, to Manchester Metropolitan University.
Conference Arrangements and Costs
- The conference will run from lunch-time Tuesday 22nd to lunch-time Thursday 24th April 2003.
- Cost, inclusive of three lunches, teas/coffees and copies of the bound Proceedings, will be 105 (students 65).
- Bed and Breakfast accommodation will be available at nearby UMIST, either in student bedrooms at 35 per night or in ensuite rooms at 49 per night.
- Conference participants will be invited to dine together at two local (and not too expensive) restaurants on the two conference evenings. Payment for dinners should not be made in advance, but directly to the restaurants on the night.