April 10th – 12th 2020
Middle East Technical University (METU) Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences
A Historical Materialism: Research in Critical Marxist Theory Conference
In Association with
Praksis Journal
Turkish Social Sciences Association
Sosyal Araştırmalar Vakfı (Social Research Foundation), SAV
Mülkiyeliler Birliği
and Political Science and Public Administration Department at METU
Conference Fee*:
| Global North | Global South | |
| Full Time Academics | 70$ | 50$ |
| Low-waged | 25$ | 20$ |
| Unwaged | 10$ | 5$ |
*Payment Method and accomodation suggestions will be announced in coming dates.
The rise of far right authoritarian regimes, nationalist and populist political parties and movements, and neo-conservative ideologies and politics across the globe, present a new challenge to states and to the global order. For those on the left and the center-right embracing neo-liberalism, the new challenges of autocratic leaders and fundamentalist radicalisms require analyses and responses. The popularity of those right movements, and their political success in both democratic politics and their political success in securing power within democratic politics has jeopardized the main tenets of liberal democracy. Increasingly, authoritarian and populist political strategies have frustrated democratic opposition movements and challenged political resistance. The left needs to understand the rise of the far right parties, examining their social/class basis as well as their historical and geographical context. Equally, the left needs to examine the effectiveness of its resistance and responses to the outrage of the right.
The rise of authoritarianisms has had severe implications at the local as well as global levels, including diplomatic tensions, wars, refugee crises, ecological crises, urban crises, casual cultural and purposeful misogyny and racism.
Historical Materialism Ankara invites contributions that enrich radical critical understandings of the present conjunctures. Papers that analysing the problems and developing coherent and effective responses are also welcome. Papers are especially encouraged on the following themes:
- Authoritarianisms old and new, and the lessons from history
- Changing conceptions of national security and democratic openness
- Recent/Ongoing changes in the state and global legal/political apparatuses and state-class relations
- Land politics and new authoritarianisms
- The political economy of new authoritarianism
- Marxist political theory and the genealogy of authoritarianism
- New fascisms: ideology, politics and impact
- Populism, theirs and ours?
- Trump and the state of American Imperialism
- The legacy of the states of emergency/exception: from France to Hong Kong
In addition to these themes, HM Ankara also welcomes panel and paper proposals that advance Marxist and left radical thought and politics. This includes:
- Political economy, value theory and Capital
- Feminist, social reproduction, queer, crip and racial critiques
- The analysis of states: histories, ideologies and politics
- Culture, literature and the arts
The conference will also include the following streams (see the link for full details):
- Sexuality and Political Economy Stream – Authoritarianism, the Right and Contemporary Queer Politics
- Marxism and Islam Stream – Marxism and the Political Economy of Islam
- Latin America Stream – Comparing Authoritarianisms: Latin America and elsewhere
- Global Eastern Europe Stream – Authoritarianism and Anti-Fascist Strategies, Past and Present
- Marxism and Ecology Stream – Dimensions of the Ecological Crisis and Resistance Strategies
- Marxist Politics and Strategy Stream – Looking for a New Strategy in Weary Times
This conference is organised under the aegis of Historical Materialism: Research in Critical Marxist Theory (http://www.historicalmaterialism.org/), which supports a journal (http://www.historicalmaterialism.org/journal) a book series (https://brill.com/view/serial/HM) and Marxist conferences across the globe.
More information: https://hmankara.net/call-for-papers/?fbclid=IwAR0zXcCZlIKghRHePzyjWrgDNBEYp101ttmtITDM45tnPfEkD5BnfOeXhv8