Crisis of political representation: when God is everywhere but only attends to people in capital cities
The Center for Advanced Latin American Studies (CALAS) invites participants to contribute papers and discussions to the Dialogue Platform “Crisis of Political Representation: When God Is Everywhere But Only Responds in Capital Cities.” This activity is part of the Knowledge Lab: “ Strategic Identities and Crises in Latin America: Processes and Tensions ,” CALAS’s fourth initiative on “Addressing Crises: Transdisciplinary Perspectives from Latin America.” This particular Dialogue Platform will be organized jointly with and supported by the Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO).
This Knowledge Lab at CALAS explores the notions and interrelationships of identity and crisis in Latin America from an interdisciplinary perspective, drawing on the social sciences, humanities, and art. The Lab analyzes how social change—driven by constant crises—is perceived and how this is reflected by different social actors in diverse fields, including politics, economics, cultural and artistic production, media, and social movements. In the region, this social change has been expressed through intense political, economic, and social conflict between hegemonic powers and marginalized identities. Consequently, this Lab invites reflection on how identities are constructed and reconstructed, who the social and individual actors are that participate in these processes, and how these identities are represented or what forms they take.
This call for proposals is part of the activities of the third research axis of the laboratory “Crisis of Representation and New Identities in Actors of Democratic Public Life.” A central characteristic of the current functioning of contemporary democracies, particularly since the beginning of the 21st century, is the transformation and crisis of the forms of representation that had been established since the mid-20th century.
Among the various processes shaping a landscape of constant change, with recurring crises and multiple impacts on key players in public life, we can identify the declining centrality of political parties as structuring forces in public discourse and the rise of audience-driven democracy; the growing prominence of personal leaders and the emergence of "compass" leaders; the increase in demands for particularistic rights at the expense of universal ones; the proliferation of protests and citizen mobilizations; the rise of "anti-system" discourses, polarization, and political antagonisms, among others. In short, these processes challenge the very idea of representation, the delegation of power, and political leadership, and contribute to a growing dissatisfaction with the usual forms of mediation between civil society and the state.
However, most of these processes have been—and continue to be—primarily studied at the national level, with the central state as the measure of all analysis. Therefore, we believe it is necessary to reflect in two particular directions. On the one hand, to investigate how these political processes are reconfigured in light of different local, regional, and/or subnational scales, and what territorial characteristics the multiple facets of the crisis of representation take on beyond the strictly national sphere. On the other hand, to analyze the reactions and strategies of the various actors in the face of political dynamics that seem to be defined or resolved in the centers of political power, or in other words, “in the capital cities.”
In this regard, we invite you to reflect on the following questions: How are new forms of mediation between civil society—expressed in multiple identities—and the state replicated at the local, subnational, and/or regional levels? How do executive powers at these levels typically deal with the various facets of the crisis of representation? To what extent and under what conditions can processes of political conflict escalate from the local to the national arena? What characteristics do territorial protests take, and to what extent do they express new inequalities between the political center and different territories? To what extent are local political elites challenged by the emergence of new forms of representation? How are political and identity relations being reconfigured within and between the center and the peripheries of nation-states in this new scenario of political crisis and uncertainty?
The platform has three areas of focus for analysis:
- Subnational policies. State responses to transformations in political representation in increasingly unpredictable scenarios.
- Social movements and territorial identities. Emergence of new actors and challenges to traditional political logics.
- Protest and contentious politics. Challenges to traditional representation, the emergence of new territorial demands, calls for participation, and the multi-scalar nature of conflicts.
Event and application rules:
The Platform will feature conferences by specialists and will be developed in a Workshop format with debate sessions in which participants and guests are expected to present and discuss their own work.
Location: Miguelete Campus – National University of San Martín (UNSAM), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Date: September 4 and 5, 2024
Addressed to : The call is aimed at graduates, researchers, activists, artists, and social leaders involved with the topic, who on the one hand work from diverse disciplines and knowledge that can contribute both theoretical-methodological reflections and/or experiences and ways of doing from the links to the territories in relation to the theme convening the platform.
Languages: Spanish (preferred), Portuguese, English.
Application: Complete the online application form with the title and summary of the proposal (300 to 400 words) and a brief profile indicating your professional background, publications and/or relevant activities in the subject.
Deadline for submitting proposals: May 1, 2024.
Academic Committee:
Dr. Lucas Christel (UNSAM), Dr. Claudia Hammerschmidt (Universität Jena), Dr. Jacqueline Behrend (UNSAM), Dr. Claudia Tomadoni (Universität Jena), Pablo Vommaro (CLACSO).
The academic committee will select the submissions based on criteria of excellence. Applicants will be notified of the decision regarding their submissions before May 31, 2024.
CALAS will cover accommodation and food expenses. In addition, there will be a limited budget for travel expenses.
The selection results are now available. If you haven't received them, please contact CALAS by email at the address below.
For more information :
Maria Sibylla Merian Center for Advanced Latin American Studies, tel. +52 33 3819 3000 (ext. 23594 or 23742)
Email: [email protected]
Download the call for applications
Location: National University of San Martín
