The theme for the 2022 theme for the APSA Annual Meetings is ‘A Post-Pandemic Political Science’. The conference chairs interpret that theme in with the goal to ‘Rethink, Restructure, and Reconnect’. The Conference Group on Italian Politics and Society (CONGRIPS) would like to use that theme to highlight the many lessons we can learn from Italy’s experience during the crisis.
These lessons related to social solidarity, political organization, institutional change, new issues emerging within public and political agenda (e.g., climate change, gender equality, civil rights…) and economic performance. They tell us about the nature of populism, the importance of leadership, the possibilities for coalition formation, and the potential for social transformation. They also tell us about relations within Italy, across society, between North and South, and related to government and opposition. Finally, they tell us about how modern Italy relates to its past, to Europe, and to the wider world. Like the conference program chairs, we invite contributions that are messy and inconclusive as well as those that are rigorous and parsimonious; we also invite contributions from researchers who are willing to start a conversation that is open to the wider public in addition to making an important contribution to scholarship.
We strongly encourage proposals relying on different methodological and theoretical frameworks even going beyond the disciplinary boundaries. Of course, Italy is hardly alone in facing this confluence of powerful forces. Therefore, CONGRIPS welcomes contributions that help to situate the Italian experience in a wider comparative or international perspective. The aim is to take advantage of the richness and complexity of Italian politics and society both to learn more about Italy and to draw insights from Italian experience for the rest of the world.
Applications should be submitted via the APSA process. Deadline: 10h January 2021. Informal inquiries can be made to the CONGRIPS program chairs, Erik Jones (erik.jones@eui.eu) and Antonella Seddone (antonella.seddone@unito.it).
