The Philippines

CFP: conference in Leiden

The 7th International Conference on Philippine Studies (7th ICOPHIL)
"The Philippines: Changing Landscapes, Humanscapes, and Mindscapes in a Globalizing World"
The Netherlands (Leiden-Amsterdam) 16-19 June 2004
Organised by the International Institute of Asian Studies (IIAS), Leiden

CALLS FOR PANEL AND PAPER PROPOSALS
Proposals for panels and papers should be submitted by 1 October 2003, and be sent to IIAS at iias@let.leidenuniv.nl or by fax: +31 71 527 4162. Proposals will be refereed. Abstracts of approved papers are to be submitted by 1 December 2003. Submission of complete papers to panel organisers by 1 April 2004. The Advisory Committee decides on admission of panels and papers upon receipt of proposals/abstracts. It will also actively approach scholars to organise panels on subjects as yet sparsely covered. The Organizing Committee encourages diversity and balance in the composition of panels, in particular concerning nationality and institutional affiliation. Panels consist of three to four scholars.

CONTACT PERSON FOR THE CONFERENCE:
Marloes Rozing
IIAS
P.O. Box 9515
2300 RA Leiden
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 (0)71 527 22 27
Fax +31 (0)71 527 41 62
E-mail: iias@let.leidenuniv.nl
Website: www.iias.nl/iias/agenda/icophil

AIM OF THE CONFERENCE:
The Seventh International Conference on Philippine Studies is organised to provide a forum for scholars engaged in research on Philippine society, culture, economy and environment. Focusing on past and present developments in the Philippines it will devote special attention to interconnections between the Philippines and the world at large.
A growing awareness of global relationships has become part of the academic disciplines from which the participants study Philippine issues. These disciplines include anthropology, history, linguistics, literature, sociology, political science, economics, geography, environmental sciences, performing arts, communication sciences and others in the broad field of the humanities and social sciences. Also scholars from the exact sciences who have hitherto not taken part in these conferences (for instance, specialists in meteorology, volcanology, agricultural sciences, medicine and engineering) are enjoined to discuss the social relevance of their subject matter for Philippine society.
Multi- and interdisciplinary perspectives are becoming increasingly important. This makes the organisation of periodical multidisciplinary conferences even more fruitful and inspiring. The International Philippine Studies conferences are held on a four-year schedule alternately in the Philippines and other continents. The European Philippine Studies Conference (Europhil) scheduled for the same year will be merged with the 7th ICOPHIL.
Scholarly contributions on major processes in the Philippines, and not only the ephemeral "newsworthy" ones, are needed in order to inform public discussions with historical and theoretical perspectives. Such processes include substantial shifts in the country's social, economic and political organisation, with considerable changes in identity of nearly 80 million Filipinos at home and more than seven million abroad. Consider, for instance, the rapid succession of political regimes, the rise of NGO activism, the urban sprawl, the substantial changes in the natural environment, the rise and decline of regional insurgencies, the economic downturn after the Asian crisis and the global shock of 11 September 2001. Questions of belonging to visible or imagined communities have emerged at many levels: local, regional, national and diasporic transnational. The rapid nationwide connection to the internet has further expanded the options. Comparative and connective perspectives on these and other relevant issues are particularly welcomed.
Valuable insights may be gained by comparing, for instance, Filipino nation-building projects, centralisation versus decentralisation or federalism, the role of economic elites, the protection of natural resources and the urban heritage, with similar processes in other countries. Much substantive research in Philippine studies remains to be done, but much is already being effected by a sizeable contingent of scholars all over the world, particularly in the Philippines itself. The ICOPHIL organisers are committed to provide a forum for them, and to help promote scholarship that does not remain inside the walls of academia, but contributes substantially to strategic thinking and policy making for sustainable development.

LOCATION AND TENTATIVE PROGRAM:
Registration will be in the morning of 16 June in Leiden. The participants will be transferred by bus to Amsterdam in the afternoon for the a plenary session with Opening Ceremony, Keynote Address and Reception. An evening program on current developments in the Philippines is planned in Amsterdam, after which participants will be brought back to their hotels in Leiden. 17, 18 and 19 June will be devoted to parallel panel sessions in Leiden, the closing session, and excursions. The conference will be designed in such a way that ample time for informal discussions will be available, while some extracurricular Philippine activities (special museum exhibition, photographic exhibition, film showings) are being considered.

PANEL TOPICS:
Some panel topics as suggested by the Organizing Board (naturally, other topics are also welcome):

  • Nationalism and culture
  • Indigenous peoples and ancestral domains
  • Environmental politics
  • Conflict and conflict resolution
  • State-society relations
  • Issues in agrarian change
  • Urban dynamics
  • Old and new social movements
  • Health, illness, and body politics
  • Gender, class, and ethnicity: connections
  • Socio-economic mobility
  • Demography: the population problem revisited
  • Philippine literature
  • The media in social life
  • Philippine studies: a state of the art
  • ICT and new global Philippine entrepreneurship
  • Regionalism and federalism
  • Geopolitical developments in and around the Philippines

FINANCES:
The Conference fee is Euro 150 which covers the conference costs, book of abstracts, transport to Amsterdam for the opening session and snacks after the opening session. Participants take part in the conference at their own expense.

COMMUNICATION:
This conference website www.iias.nl/iias/agenda/icophil will be updated regularly from autumn 2002 onwards. Information on the conference and programme will also be published in the IIAS Newsletter regularly.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE 7TH ICOPHIL 2004:
*=organizing board, # and & = advisory committee (international and local)
Greg Bankoff, University of Auckland and Wageningen University &
Erhard Berner, Institute of Social Studies, The Hague
Peter Druijven, University of Groningen
Aurora Galindo, Institute of Social Studies, The Hague
Thea Hilhorst, Wageningen University *
Otto van den Muijzenberg, University of Amsterdam (chair/convenor) *
Ton van Naerssen, Catholic University Nijmegen
Gerard Persoon, Leiden University *&
Rosanne Rutten, University of Amsterdam &
Denyse Snelder, Leiden University *&
Wim Stokhof, Leiden University/ IIAS
Willem Wolters, Catholic University Nijmegen *&

INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF PHILIPPINE STUDIES CONFERENCES:
Dean T. Alegado, University of Hawai at Manoa; Belinda Aquino, University of Hawaii (chair) #; Greg Bankoff, University of Auckland #; Ma. Cynthia Rose Banzon-Bautista, University of the Philippines, Manila; Bernardita R. Churchill, University of the Philippines, Manila; Michael Cullinane, University of Wisconsin at Madison #; Maria Fernanda Garcia de los Arcos, Mexico; Charles Macdonald, Université de Marseilles; Virginia Miralao, Philippine Social Science Council; Otto van den Muijzenberg, University of Amsterdam; Raul Pertierra, University of New South Wales, Sydney; Florentino Rodao, AIEEP, Madrid; Felice-Noelle R. Rodriguez, Ateneo de Manila University; Rosanne Rutten, University of Amsterdam; Victor Sumsky, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow; Sida Sonsri, Thammasat University, Bangkok; Takefumi Terada, Sophia University, Tokyo; Mark Turner, University of Canberra; Robert Youngblood, Arizona State University

ADVISORY COMMITTEE:
The Advisory Committee decides on the qualification of panels and admittance of paper proposals to panels. The Committee will be supported by the International Board of the Philippine Studies Conferences.