MIDDLE EAST CENTER CALL FOR PAPERS

Collaborative project between the London School of Economics and the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University

“Egypt in the Arab Spring: Multidisciplinary Research Perspectives” 

Second graduate conference:

Perspectives from History and International Relations

Faculty of Economics and Political Science (FEPS), Cairo University, Egypt

27 June 2013

Submissions are welcome for papers to be presented at the second of two one-day graduate conferences jointly organized by the London School of Economics and the Faculty of Economics and Political Science (FEPS), Cairo University.

Master and PhD candidates from FEPS are welcome to apply by Sunday 14 April 2013 with single-authored papers in English on either of the two research themes mentioned below.

The successful applicants will present their papers in mixed panels formed by both UK and FEPS students, and will have the chance to network with their UK colleagues and LSE members of staff in formal and informal settings.

The presenters will be asked to submit a first draft of their paper of at least 3,000 words by Sunday 16 June 2013 and will be expected to submit a full and final version of their papers by the end of July 2013 to be uploaded on the website of the project.[1]

Theme of the conference

The conference aims at discussing the causes and immediate implications of the Egyptian revolution in the context of the Arab Spring from the perspective of modern history and international relations. The conference will be structured in two sections; each section will be introduced by a paper by one of the members of the steering committee of the collaborative project and will include at least six papers from students, organized in two panels.

1)    History

This section will be introduced by a paper by Dr Mohammed Soffar (FEPS) titled: Historical models and the 25th January revolution. Submissions are welcomed on papers attempting to provide a historical perspective on the events of the revolution and explore similarities and differences with past “revolutions” and other episodes of social unrest, social mobilization, and coups – both in Egypt and in the region.

2)    International Relations

This section aims at shedding light on aspects of the Egyptian revolution, and broadly the Arab Spring, from the perspective of international relations studies. It will be introduced by a paper by Dr Jasmine Gani (LSE) titled: Revolution in the Middle East – the Rising Role of Public Opinion and the American

Dilemma. Submissions are welcome on any aspect related to the study of international relations, including international security studies, international political economy, foreign policy analysis, and international political theory.

Submission procedure (UK)

Please submit your paper proposal by Sunday 14 April 2013. The proposal must be submitted via email as a Word document or pdf attachment; the email must be sent to Dr Marco Pinfari (m.pinfari@lse.ac.uk) and Ms Dahlia AlOrabi (masteuromed@yahoo.com) as CC.

The proposal should include:

- The title of the paper

- An outline / abstract of the content (max 250 words)

- A brief overview of the academic literature and methodology to be used in the paper (max 250 words)

Please note that the proposals and the final papers must be written (and presented) in English, and that only single-authored papers will be considered.

The coordinators of the project will assess the proposals on the basis of three criteria, which will be given equal weight: 1) overall relevance and importance of the themes and approaches described in the abstract; 2) methodological consistency and evidence of engagement with current academic debates in the chosen issue-area; 3) relevance for (at least) one of the two conference themes.

The coordinators will contact all applicants by Sunday 28 April 2013. Short-listed applicants may be asked to attend an interview, which can be held via Skype. The decision of the coordinators is final and non-negotiable.

If you have any question, please feel free to contact Dr Marco Pinfari (m.pinfari@lse.ac.uk).

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