Book launch tomorrow

The Research Group in Constitutional Studies and the Department of Philosophy are pleased to invite you to a Joint Book Launch to celebrate the recent achievements of some of our colleagues.

In celebration of:

Hasana Sharp (Philosophy), Spinoza and the Politics of Renaturalization (University of Chicago Press), and

Robert Alan Sparling (SSHRC Postdoctoral fellow, Political Science), Johann Georg Hamann and the Enlightenment Project (University of Toronto Press).

Speakers: Jacob T. Levy, Natalie Stoljar, Matthias Fritsch, Rob Sparling, and Hasana Sharp.

Thursday, April 19
3 to 4:30 pm
Paragraph Books
2220 McGill College Avenue

There will be a wine and cheese reception.

POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE
Montréal, le 15 mars 2012

Un colloque international
pour les 80 ans de Charles Taylor
L'événement soulignera la carrière et les contributions exceptionnelles de l’éminent philosophe

Montréalais de naissance, diplômé et professeur émérite de l’Université McGill, éminent philosophe et intellectuel, Charles Taylor sera le sujet et l’invité d’honneur du colloque international Charles Taylor à 80 ans, une importante conférence qui se tiendra au Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, du 29 au 31 mars 2012. Dans le cadre de cet événement, des intellectuels du monde entier analyseront ses travaux, ainsi que son apport à la vie publique canadienne.

« Charles Taylor a exercé une profonde influence sur des générations de spécialistes en sciences humaines et sociales au Canada et partout dans le monde, affirme Daniel Weinstock, de l’Université de Montréal. L’annonce de ce colloque a suscité un engouement extraordinaire. »

Dans le cadre de cet événement, certains des scientifiques et des théoriciens parmi les plus éminents au monde présenteront des exposés sur divers aspects des réalisations de Charles Taylor dans les domaines des sciences politiques et de la philosophie. Parmi eux : Craig Calhoun, prochain directeur de la London School of Economics; Tariq Modood (Université de Bristol), spécialiste des minorités ethniques et religieuses en Grande-Bretagne; Jean Bethke Elshtain (Université de Chicago), éthicienne politique très influente aux États-Unis; Anthony Appiah (Université Princeton), philosophe né à Londres qui a grandi au Ghana et étudié en Angleterre et aux États-Unis et dont les travaux sur le cosmopolitisme, l’ethnicité et l’identité lui ont récemment valu la Médaille nationale des sciences humaines du gouvernement américain; et Joseph Heath (Université de Toronto), éminent commentateur sur l’éthique et l’économie au Canada et ancien étudiant de Charles Taylor. Dans l’ensemble, 27 sommités de sept pays et de trois continents livreront une présentation sur la carrière de Charles Taylor. Soulignons par ailleurs que l’honorable Michel Bastarache, ancien juge à la Cour suprême du Canada, fera également partie des panélistes.

Le 30 mars, en soirée, une séance spéciale portera sur la carrière publique de Charles Taylor. « Depuis la création du NPD et les débats sur le rapatriement de la constitution, le fédéralisme et le statut du Québec jusqu’à ses travaux sur le multiculturalisme et les accommodements religieux, Charles Taylor a exercé une influence qui dépasse celle d’un simple "intellectuel engagé" , affirme le professeur Jacob Levy, de l’Université McGill. Pendant plusieurs décennies, il a joué un rôle de premier plan dans la vie publique montréalaise, québécoise et canadienne, et sa vision personnelle de la communauté politique, ainsi que son sentiment d’appartenance à cette dernière, ont donné vie aux débats politiques. »

Au cours des dernières années, ce sont surtout les travaux de Charles Taylor sur la question religieuse qui ont retenu l’attention. Ainsi, en 2008-2009, il a coprésidé, avec Gérard Bouchard, la Commission Bouchard-Taylor sur les accommodements raisonnables envers les minorités religieuses. Il a également reçu, en 2007, le prestigieux Prix Templeton pour le progrès et la découverte dans la recherche sur les réalités spirituelles, et a publié, la même année, un essai colossal intitulé L’âge séculier.

Au cours de sa carrière qui s’est échelonnée sur plus d’un demi-siècle, Charles Taylor a publié une quinzaine d’ouvrages sur des sujets aussi variés que Hegel, la méthodologie des sciences sociales et le multiculturalisme. Il a été titulaire de la Chaire Chichele à l’Université d’Oxford (il succédait alors à son professeur Isaiah Berlin et a par la suite été remplacé par un autre Montréalais d’origine, G. A. Cohen). Il a été invité à présenter les résultats de ses recherches dans le cadre des prestigieuses Conférences Massey. Enfin, il a reçu le Prix Kyoto, a été fait Compagnon de l’Ordre du Canada, été nommé Grand Officier de l’Ordre national du Québec et membre de la Société royale du Canada. Actif sur la scène politique canadienne depuis près de 50 ans, Charles Taylor a été candidat du NPD à quatre reprises au cours des années 1960 et a été défait par Pierre Elliot Trudeau lors de la première campagne électorale de ce dernier.


*Les discussions se tiendront en français et en anglais.

Renseignements :
http://www.mcgill.ca/rgcs/gripp/events/taylor ou http://creum.umontreal.ca/spip.php?article1280

L’inscription est gratuite et obligatoire. Pour vous inscrire, prière d’envoyer un courriel avec votre nom et affiliation à l’adresse suivante : taylor.conference.2012@gmail.com.

À propos du colloque :
Le colloque est organisé conjointement par Daniel Weinstock, titulaire de la Chaire de recherche du Canada en éthique et philosophie politique de l’Université de Montréal; Jocelyn Maclure, professeur agrégé de philosophie à l’Université Laval; et Jacob T. Levy, titulaire de la Chaire de théorie politique Tomlinson de l’Université McGill. L’événement est une initiative conjointe du Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en philosophie politique de Montréal, du Centre de recherche en éthique de l’Université de Montréal et du Groupe d’études constitutionnelles de l’Université McGill.



Personnes-ressources :
Cynthia Lee
cynthia.lee@mcgill.ca
Relations avec les médias
Université McGill
514 398-6754
http://francais.mcgill.ca/newsroom/
http://twitter.com/#!/McGilluMedia


William Raillant-Clark
w.raillant-clark@umontreal.ca
Attaché de presse international
Université de Montréal
514 343-7593
Cell. : 514 566-3813

Charles Taylor at 80: An international conference

Event celebrates prominent philosopher’s career and contributions

McGill: Forum on Open Expression

The next open forum on free expression chaired by Dean Manfredi will be held Monday, March 12th from 10:30-12:00 in the Break Out Room (2nd floor) of the SSMU building.

Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in the Theory and Practice of Constitutionalism and Federalism

Applications now being accepted for 2013-14. $US 25,000 stipend for a semester of research in residence at RGCS at McGill. (US citizens only, post-PhD.) See full description here.

Student protest communications

(Need for this post mooted by http://6partylive.tumblr.com/)

Hither and yon, England edition

Wednesday, January 18: LSE political and legal theory workshop, 5 pm, "Contra Politanism"
Friday, January 20: Southampton political theory workshop, "Contra Politanism," 2 pm
Monday, January 23: Nuffield College Oxford political theory workshop, 2:15 pm, "Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom"
Tuesday January 24: Institute for Economic Affairs, "Rationalism and Pluralism," 6:30 pm
Wednesday January 25, Queen Mary, University of London political theory workshop, "Rationalism, Pluralism, and Freedom," 4.30pm, Laws 1.19

Passage of the day

From Jeremy Jennings' magisterial Revolution and the Republic, A History of Political Thought in France since the eighteenth century, pp 410-11:

"[W]e might turn our attention to Charles Fourier's Theorie des Quatre Mouvements, first published in 1808. With its accounts of copulating planets, the sea tasting of lemonade, and the nine degrees of cuckoldry, this is undoubtedly one of the strangest books ever written... There is no need to analyse Fourier's taxonomy of what he took to be our 'luxurious,' 'affective,' and 'distributive' passions, nor to dissect his classification fo the 810 personality types which derived from it: the point was that Fourier believed that it was a mistake to repress the passions. This explains why he allotted such a central place to 'amorous freedom' and what he termed 'combined gastronomy.' If, as Fourier believed, sensual pleasure was the primary and immutable source of human activity, the trick was to so arrange society that it should be maximized. Exquisite food and a rich diet of sexual partners would secure social harmony."

The MHERC Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Equity Research
2012 Call for Applications

The Montreal Health Equity Research Consortium (MHERC) is seeking to appoint up to four post-doctoral fellows doing research related to health equity and the social determinants of health (SDH). Applications on any dimension of this general theme will be considered, but the following areas are of particular interest:

The epistemological, conceptual, and ethical foundations of health equity and SDH.
Conceptual and practical problems raised by the measurement of health inequalities and SDH.
Experimental (e.g. cognitive psychology, behavioral economics) approaches to decision-making and health policy development.
Case studies in the analysis of health equity or SDH.

The duration of the award is 12 months, renewable for a second year, commencing on September 1, 2012. The value of each award will be CA$40,000. Fellows will be in residence at the Université de Montréal or McGill University in Montreal.

Applicants should have at the time of award completed a PhD in a relevant discipline including, but not restricted to, philosophy, cognitive psychology, epidemiology, health economics, and sociology. Applicants may not have received their PhDs more than 5 years before the beginning of the fellowship.

MHERC is a collaboration between the MEDEC Lab (http://www.medeclab.net/) at McGill University, and the Centre de recherche en éthique de l’Université de Montréal (CRÉUM), under the direction of Principal Investigators Daniel Weinstock (Université de Montréal) and Nicholas King (McGill University). Funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Programmatic Grant on Health and Health Equity, the project is comprised of a multidisciplinary team of researchers conducting research in philosophy, epidemiology, sociology, and cognitive psychology.

Successful applicants will be provided with office space in one of the two participating research centers associated with the project, and will be expected to participate in all of MHERC’s activities.

Applications should be written in English, and include a cover letter describing the candidate’s background, qualifications, and research interests; a complete Curriculum Vitae; a writing sample; and the names of three referees. Applications should be sent to Pierre-Yves Néron at py.neron@gmail.com.

International Conference on the Work of Charles Taylor on the occasion of his 80th birthday/ Colloque international en l’honneur de Charles Taylor à l’occasion de son 80ième anniversaire


March 29-31 2012, Musée des beaux-arts, Montréal

A conference of the Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Philosophie Politique [GRIPP] de Montréal, Centre de Recherche en Éthique de l’Université de Montréal (CRÉUM) and McGill University’s Research Group on Constitutional Studies [RGCS].

This conference will feature two and a half days of papers engaging with the many various themes in Charles Taylor's uniquely wide-ranging academic work, including agency, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, Hegel, political theory, modernity, Canada, and secularism and religion. It will also feature a special session on Taylor's career as a public intellectual and political actor, from his work in the early days of the New Democratic Party through his interventions in Canadian constitutional debates about the judiciary and about Quebec and federalism to his recent work on religious accommodation in Quebec. Professor Taylor will respond to the papers.

The final conference schedule is forthcoming. The current list of those giving papers at the conference includes (see the list below):

-------------------

29 au 31 mars 2012, Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

Un colloque international organisé par le Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Philosophie Politique [GRIPP] de Montréal et le Centre de Recherche en Éthique de l’Université de Montréal (CRÉUM) et le Research Group on Constitutional Studies [RGCS] de l’université McGill.

Ce colloque regroupera des chercheurs de réputation internationale dans le domaine des sciences humaines et sociales qui seront réunis pour commenter, comprendre et interpréter l’œuvre de Charles Taylor. Les grands thèmes de celle-ci y seront abordés, du multiculturalisme à l’interprétation de la modernité en passant par la philosophie de l’identité personnelle, la philosophie de l’esprit et du langage, la politique canadienne et la sécularisation. Il est à noter que ce le colloque sera complété par la tenue d’un évènement public portant sur l’engagement public de Taylor sur des enjeux comme l’avenir de la sociale démocratie et la pensée progressiste au Canada, la constitution canadienne, le fédéralisme, les accommodements raisonnables et la gestion de la diversité culturelle.

Programme complet à venir. La liste des conférenciers invités :


K. Anthony Appiah (Princeton University)
Ronald Beiner (University of Toronto)
Richard Bernstein (New School for Social Research)
Rajeev Bhargava (Delhi/Center for the Study of Developing Societies)
Craig Calhoun (New York University)
José Casanova (Georgetown University)
John Christman (Pennylvania State University)
William Connolly (Johns Hopkins University)
Nigel DeSousa (U. Ottawa)
Hubert Dreyfus (University of California at Berkeley)
Jeanne Bethke Elshtain (Georgetown University)
Rainer Forst (University of Frankfurt)
Shaun Gallagher (University of Central Florida)
Ian Gold (McGill University)
Joseph Heath (University of Toronto)
Nancy Hirschmann (U. Penn)
Cécile Laborde (University College, London)
Guy Laforest (Université Laval)
Jacob T. Levy (McGill University)
Dominique Leydet (Univeristé de Québec à Montréal)
Tariq Modood (University of Bristol)
Michelle Moody-Adams (Columbia University)
Michael Rosen (Harvard University)
Hans-Julius Schneider (University of Potsdam)
Evan Thompson (University of Toronto)
James Tully (University of Victoria)
Jeremy Webber (University of Victoria)

Conference co-organizers: Daniel Weinstock (Montreal), Jocelyn Maclure (Laval), Jacob T. Levy (McGill).

Paper titles and abstracts, a complete conference schedule, and registration information will be posted as they become available at http://www.mcgill.ca/rgcs/gripp/events/taylor.

Waldron on Dignity

The pieces in the forthcoming ASU Law Journal symposium on Jeremy Waldron's Schoen Lectures are gradually appearing on SSRN.

Jeremy Waldron, "Dignity, Rights, and Responsibility"

Brian Bix, "Rights, Responsibilities, and Roles"

Katherine Franke, Dignifying Rights

Jacob T. Levy, "The Right to be Dignified, or the Dignity of Liberty

I'll post more as I become aware of them.

Oxford graduate political theory conference

Theme: Political Theory and the ‘Liberal’ Tradition

Department of Politics and International Relations, Oxford University, 19-20 April 2012

Graduate students are invited to submit paper proposals for the inaugural Oxford Graduate Conference in Political Theory, to be held at the Department of Politics and International Relations on 19-20 April 2012.

The theme for this conference is “Political Theory and the ‘Liberal’ Tradition”, and there will be two keynote addresses, given by Jeremy Waldron (NYU; All Souls’ College, Oxford) and Charles Mills (Northwestern University). The theme may be broadly construed, and we welcome papers addressing any of the following themes:

• The ‘liberal’ tradition and history of political thought: The canon of great political works is still believed to offer crucial insights for current theorising, thanks to their perception as continuous sources of wisdom about the salient principles of good government. But why are certain thinkers traditionally included, whilst others are not? Why are most ‘great’ thinkers dead, white, and male? Has liberalism been insensitive to the grievances of minorities, and to certain forms of oppression and exclusion? Finally, is the ‘liberal’ tradition a retrospective construct, which paradoxically includes thinkers who never considered themselves ‘liberals’?

• The core values of liberalism: The basic liberal tenets of liberty, democracy, solidarity, and equal rights have often been used as the basis for analysis of contemporary issues such as multiculturalism, human rights, and concern for future generations. Liberal political thought has also been closely entwined with Western conceptions of statecraft and diplomacy, and has significantly shaped the development of international norms in an era of increasing global interrelation. But how have these fundamental values been interpreted and balanced, and what are the tensions between them? Can there be new ways to apply the core values of liberalism to key questions in contemporary political philosophy?

• Liberalism and ideology: Historically, the liberal tradition competed with, and evolved alongside, many other political ideologies—including conservatism, socialism, anarchism, nationalism, and green politics— with which it has often combined to form important new hybrids. Is it possible to write about a fixed substantive content of liberal ideology? What are the commonalities and overlaps between liberalism and other traditions? How have the various ‘liberalisms’ present in modern political thought developed historically and ideationally? And what is the relationship between liberal ideology and ‘real’ liberal politics at national and international levels?

Up to twelve papers will be accepted overall; each panel will be led by an Oxford Faculty member and include a graduate student as respondent.

Proposals of no more than 500 words are requested by 15 January 2012, with accepted papers to follow by 31 March 2012. Please submit abstracts formatted for blind review, along with your name, educational status, and institutional affiliation, to oxford.poltheory.conference@gmail.com. Details on how to register for the
conference to follow shortly.

Princeton Graduate Conference in Political Theory

Graduate Conference in Political Theory

Princeton University

April 6-7, 2012

Call for Papers (deadline January 16, 2012)

The Committee for the Graduate Conference in Political Theory at Princeton University welcomes papers concerning any topic in political theory, political philosophy, or the history of political thought. Papers should be submitted via the conference website by January 16, 2012. Approximately eight papers will be accepted.

The Graduate Conference in Political Theory at Princeton University will be held from April 6-7, 2012. This year, we are excited to include Professor Elisabeth Ellis, Texas A&M University, as keynote speaker and conference participant.

The conference offers graduate students from across institutions a unique opportunity to present and critique new work. Each session, led by a discussant from Princeton, will focus exclusively on one paper and will feature an extensive question and answer period with Princeton faculty and graduate students. Papers will be pre-circulated among conference participants.

Submission Information:
· Due date January 16, 2012
· Submissions must be made in PDF format via the conference website: http://politicaltheory.princeton.edu
· Papers should be no more than 7500 words.
· Format for blind review; include title but exclude all personal and institutional information.
· Submissions by email or postal mail will not be accepted.

Papers will be refereed on a blind basis by political theory graduate students in the Department of Politics at Princeton. Acceptance notices will be sent in February.

Assistance for invited participants' transportation, lodging and meal expenses is available from the committee, which acknowledges the generous support of University Center for Human Values and the Department of Politics at Princeton University.

Questions and comments can be directed to: polthry@princeton.edu

For more information, please visit the conference website at http://politicaltheory.princeton.edu

According to blogger, and with apologies to Bilbo

this is my eleventy-eleventh post.

Newly posted on SSRN

"The Right to be Dignified, or the Dignity of Liberty," forthcoming Arizona State Law Journal in a symposium on Jeremy Waldron's Schoen Lecture.

Other platform alert

I've been tweeting about the McGill protest and police response.

I'm puzzled.

I'm also unsympathetic, but I mean to keep that separate from this puzzle.

Some Arts undergraduates are "striking" tomorrow to demand the abolition of tuition.

They are also mass-emailing professors asking the professors to cancel classes in support of the strike.

But if the professors cancel classes, in what way are the students on strike? The professors are then on strike for a day. Students-- if we continue to use the labor law language that doesn't really make sense in this context anyways-- are then being subjected to a lockout. But their refusal to show up becomes irrelevant, because there's nothing to show up to.

Conceptually, wouldn't faculty compliance with this request abolish the student strike and just turn it into a faculty strike?

Political philosophy rankings

The top 20 programs in political philosophy, from the new round of Leiter's Philosophical Gourmet Report

Group 1 (1): rounded mean of 4.5 (median, mode)
University of Arizona (4.5, 4.5)

Group 2 (2-9): rounded mean of 4.0 (median, mode)
Brown University (4, 4)
Duke University (4, 4)
Harvard University (4.25, 5)
New York University (4.5, 4.5)
Oxford University (4, 5)
Princeton University (4, 4)
Stanford University (4, 4)
Yale University (4, 4)

Group 3 (10-20): rounded mean of 3.5 (median, mode)
Australian National University (3.5, 4)
Queen’s University (Canada) (3.5, 4)
Rutgers University, New Brunswick (3.5, 3.75)
University College London (3.5, 3.5)
University of California, San Diego (4, 4)
University of Chicago (3.5, 3.5)
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (4, 4)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (4, 4)
University of Pennsylvania (3.5, 3.5)
University of Toronto (3.5, 4)
University of Virginia (4, 4)

JTL: I have friends and colleagues who've been involved in the serious pushes and investments Arizona, Brown, and Duke in particular have made in political philosophy in the past several years, and am very pleased to see their excellence and progress recognized.

Reading list

Two former McGill theory faculty and one recent McGill theory visitor with new or forthcoming APSR pieces.

Alan Patten, Rethinking Culture: The Social Lineage Account.

James Booth, "'From This Far Place': Social Justice and Absence.

Andrew Rehfeld, "The Concepts of Representation

Federalism and freedom

Quebec rejects and refuses to pay for a draconian [and dumb] new federal crime bill.

TERRITORIALITÉ, IDENTITÉ NATIONALE ET JUSTICE MONDIALE

3-4 November, 2001

Colloque jeunes chercheurs organisé par le Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire sur la diversité au Québec (CRIDAQ).

Salle D-R 200 (pavillon Athanase-David)
Université du Québec à Montréal

PROGRAMME
JEUDI 3 NOVEMBRE
8h45 : Mot de bienvenue

Première séance : Territorialité, identité, justice mondiale : perspectives théoriques
9h00 à 10h00
Quel territoire en partage? L’étude de la territorialité à l’heure de la mondialisation
Alexandre Germain, doctorant en science politique, Université du Québec à Montréal

Commentaire : Jean-François Thibault, science politique, Université de Moncton


Pause
10h15 à 11h15

Violence de masse et sécession : le cas du Kosovo
Philippe Roseberry, Doctorant, Université Queen’s

Commentaire : Frédérick-Guillaume Dufour, sociologie, Université du Québec à Montréal


Pause
11h30 à 12h30

Immigration, Territoriality, Societal Cultures and the Conceptual Limits of Liberal Multiculturalism
Arjun Tremblay, doctorant en science politique, University of Toronto

Commentaire : Christine Straehle, philosophie, Université d’Ottawa


Deuxième séance : Territoire et identités nationales
14h00 à 15h00
De sub-nationalisme à nationalisme : le nationalisme insulaire expliqué et appliqué au cas de Terre-Neuve
Valérie Vézina, doctorante en science politique, Université du Québec à Montréal

Commentaire : Daniel Kofman, philosophie, Université d’Ottawa

Pause

15h15 à 16h15
Les diasporas contigües et le multiculturalisme libéral
Jean-François Caron, postdoctorant en sciences politiques, Université Libre de Bruxelles

Commentaire : Stéphane Courtois, philosophie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières


Pause
16h30 à 17h30


Grande conférence
Margaret Moore, science politique, Queen’s University
Commentaire : Arash Azibadeh, science politique, McGill University

17h30
Cocktail
19h30 Banquet


VENDREDI 4 NOVEMBRE

Troisième séance : Territorialité et nations autochtones
10h00 à 11h00

La collectivisation des droits des peuples autochtones et tribaux sur le territoire et les ressources naturelles : regard croisé des juges régionaux de protection des droits humains
Doris Farget, postdoctorante, section de droit civil, Faculté de droit, Université d’Ottawa

Commentaire : Ingride Roy, Université de Montréal.

Pause
11h15 à 12h15

Les rapports entre les nations autochtones et la nation québécoise en vertu d’objectifs concurrents
Jean-Olivier Roy, doctorant en science politique, Université Laval

Commentaire : Pierre Trudel, Collège du Vieux-Montréal


13h30 à 14h30
Grande conférence
Dominique Leydet, philosophie, Université du Québec à Montréal

Commentaire : Christine Straehle, philosophie, Université d’Ottawa


Pause
14h45 à 17h00 Table ronde présidée par Michel Seymour, philosophie, Université de Montréal

THE ANNUAL MONTREAL POLITICAL THEORY MANUSCRIPT WORKSHOP AWARD

Call for applications: The Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en philosophie politique de Montréal (GRIPP), spanning the departments of political science and philosophy at McGill University, l'Université de Montréal, Concordia University, and l'Université du Québec à Montréal, invites applications for its 2012 manuscript workshop award. The recipient of the award will be invited to Montreal for a day-long workshop in April/May 2012 dedicated to his or her book manuscript. This "author meets critics" workshop will comprise four to five sessions dedicated to critical discussion of the manuscript; each session will begin with a critical commentary on a section of the manuscript by a political theorist or philosopher who is part of Montreal's GRIPP community. The format is designed to maximize feedback for a book-in-progress. The award covers the costs of travel, accommodation, and meals.

Eligibility:

A. Topic: The manuscript topic is open within political theory and political philosophy, but we are especially interested in manuscripts related to at least one of these GRIPP research themes: 1) the history of liberal and democratic thought, especially early modern thought; 2) moral psychology and political agency, or politics and affect or emotions or rhetoric; 3) democracy, diversity, and pluralism. 4) democracy, justice, and transnational institutions.

B. Manuscript: Book manuscripts in English or French, not yet in a version accepted for publication, by applicants with PhD in hand by 1 August 2011, are eligible. Applicants must have a complete or nearly complete draft (at least 4/5 of final draft) ready to present at the workshop. In the case of co-authored manuscripts, only one of the co-authors is eligible to apply. (Only works in progress by the workshop date are eligible; authors with a preliminary book contract are eligible only if no version has been already accepted for publication).

C. Application: Please submit the following materials electronically, compiled as a single PDF file: 1) a curriculum vitae; 2) a table of contents; 3) a short abstract of the book project, up to 200 words; 4) a longer book abstract up to 2500 words; and, in the case of applicants with previous book publication(s), (5) three reviews, from established journals in the field, of the applicant's most recently published monograph. Candidates are not required to, but may if they wish, submit two letters of recommendation speaking to the merits of the book project. Please do not send writing samples. Send materials by email, with the subject heading “2012 GRIPP Manuscript Workshop Award” to Arash Abizadeh . Review of applications begins 10 January 2012. Contact Arash Abizadeh with questions.

Previous GRIPP Manuscript Workshops:
May 2011: James Ingram (McMaster), Radical Cosmopolitics: The Ethics and Politics of Democratic Universalism
April 2010: Hélène Landemore (Yale), Democratic Reason: Politics, Collective Intelligence, and the Rule of the Many
April 2009: Alan Patten (Princeton), Equal Recognition: The Moral Foundations of Minority Cultural Rights
March 2009: Kinch Hoekstra (UC Berkeley), Thomas Hobbes and the Creation of Order

------------------------------------------------

LE PRIX ANNUEL DE L’ATELIER DE MANUSCRIT DE PHILOSOPHIE POLITIQUE DE MONTRÉAL

Appel à candidature: Le groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en philosophie politique de Montréal (GRIPP), qui réunit des chercheurs des départements de science politique et de philosophie de l’Université McGill, de l’Université de Montréal, de l’Université Concordia et de l’Université du Québec à Montréal, fait un appel à candidature pour son prix 2012 de l’atelier de manuscrit. Le lauréat sera invité à Montréal en avril ou mai 2012 pour un atelier d’une journée complète consacré au manuscrit de son livre. Cet atelier du type « l’auteur rencontre ses critiques » comprendra quatre ou cinq séances de discussions critiques sur le manuscrit ; pour chacune d’entre elles, un spécialiste de théorie politique ou un philosophe membre de la communauté montréalaise du GRIPP lancera la discussion par un commentaire critique d’une des sections du manuscrit. Ceci a pour but de faciliter les échanges sur un livre en chantier. Le prix couvre les dépenses de voyage, d’hébergement et de repas.

Éligibilité :

A- Sujet : De façon générale, le manuscrit doit traiter de théorie politique ou de philosophie politique, mais nous sommes tout particulièrement intéressés aux manuscrits qui correspondent à l’une des thématiques de recherche du GRIPP : 1) l’histoire de la pensée libérale et démocratique, et notamment du début de la pensée moderne; 2) la psychologie morale du sujet (ou encore de l’agent) politique, ainsi que la politique et les affects, les émotions ou la rhétorique; 3) la démocratie, la diversité et le pluralisme; 4) la démocratie, la justice et les institutions transnationales.

B- Manuscrit : Sont éligibles tous les manuscrits de livres en français ou en anglais, non encore publiés et non en version acceptée par une maison de presses, et dont l’auteur a reçu un doctorat avant le 1er août 2011. Les candidats devront avoir une version complète, ou presque (au moins 4/5e de la version finale), à présenter à l’atelier. Pour ce qui concerne les manuscrits coécrits, seul l’un des coauteurs est éligible.

C- Soumission : Vous voudrez bien fournir les documents suivants, en format électronique, dans un seul fichier PDF : 1) un curriculum vitae; 2) une table des matières; 3) un court résumé du projet du livre de moins de 200 mots; 4) un résumé plus long, de moins de 2 500 mots; et, dans le cas de candidats ayant déjà publié, 5) trois recensions parues dans des revues spécialisées et reconnues dans le domaine de la plus récente monographie publiée. Les candidats peuvent, s’ils le souhaitent, joindre deux lettres de recommandation présentant l’intérêt de leur projet de livre. Nous vous prions de ne pas envoyer d’extraits de manuscrit. Envoyez ces documents par courriel, avec le sujet « 2012 GRIPP Manuscript Workshop Award » à Arash Abizadeh . L’examen des candidatures commencera le 10 janvier 2012. Pour toute information supplémentaire, veuillez contacter Dominique Leydet

Ateliers de manuscrit précédents:
Mai 2011: James Ingram (McMaster), Radical Cosmopolitics: The Ethics and Politics of Democratic Universalism
Avril 2010: Hélène Landemore (Yale), Democratic Reason: Politics, Collective Intelligence, and the Rule of the Many
Avril 2009: Alan Patten (Princeton), Equal Recognition: The Moral Foundations of Minority Cultural Rights
Mars 2009: Kinch Hoekstra (UC Berkeley), Thomas Hobbes and the Creation of Order

Egalitarianism workshop at McGill


Egalitarianism Workshop 2012
Call for Papers
Egalitarianisms: Current Debates on Equality and Priority in Health, Wealth, and Welfare

March 30th -31st, 2012

McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Confirmed Speakers

Nir Eyal (Harvard)
Iwao Hirose (McGill)
Nils Holtug (Copenhagen)
Dennis McKerlie (Calgary)
Shlomi Segall (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Workshop Description

Egalitarian theories of distributive justice have recently encountered fundamental challenges. Is egalitarianism susceptible to the leveling down objection? Is it less plausible than prioritarianism? Does it support reducing the inequalities resulting from brute luck, but not option luck? Does it aim to equalize the distribution of welfare at each time or over a lifetime? What does egalitarianism make of the strong correlation between inequalities in health and inequalities in socio-economic conditions? In this two-day workshop, we will discuss current theoretical issues and seek common and unified grounds for future research into egalitarian theories of distributive justice.

Call for Papers

We invite high quality papers on the recent philosophical challenges to egalitarian theories of distributive justice. We will include at least 5 submitted papers in the program. Papers should be suitable for blind-review and no longer than 6,000 words (must include a 200 word abstract in the first page). Please submit paper (Word or PDF file) through www.mcgill.ca/aggregation/submit We welcome submissions from graduate students. For accepted papers, the organizers will cover the cost of accommodation (up to 3 nights in downtown Montreal) and workshop banquet.

Deadline for submission: November 20, 2011 (Notification of acceptance by December 20, 2011)

Click here to submit your paper

Indians in Madison's Constitutional Order

This paper is now online. One of the two epigraphs is one of my favorite Madison quotes:

‘‘What’’—they [the Indians] may say—‘‘have we to do with the Federal Constitution, or the relations formed by it between the Union and its members? We were no parties to the compact and cannot be affected by it.’’ And as to a charter of the King of England—is it not as much a mockery to them, as the bull of a Pope dividing a world of discovery between the Spaniards and Portuguese, was held to be by the nations who disowned and disdained his authority?

The Political Safeguards of Federalism: Dead or Alive?


The Center for the Study of Federalism at the Meyner Center invites paper proposals for the 2012 APSA Annual Conference

The Political Safeguards of Federalism: Dead or Alive?

Submission deadline: December 15.

The Center for the Study of Federalism at the Meyner Center invites papers on the vitality of the “political and institutional safeguards of federalism” conceived broadly. Consistent with the conference theme of Representation and Renewal, we invite papers that especially examine the extent to which the interests of state and local governments continue to be represented in and protected by the political safeguards of federalism, such as representation in the U.S. Senate, the electoral college, and Senate confirmation of judicial appointments. In its 1985 Garcia decision, the U.S. Supreme Court opined that states should rely on such political safeguards rather than on the Court to protect their powers. We invite a range of papers, from normative and philosophical to historical and empirical, that examine the effectiveness of these safeguards generally and across different branches of government and different policies. Possible questions to consider include: Are the political safeguards of federalism fundamental to the American federal system or has the United States evolved beyond them? How do federalism's political and/or institutional safeguards affect citizen representation? How have the political safeguards fared under united and divided government of the last two decades? Do the political safeguards protect states from unwelcome federal intrusions? Finally, given that 2012 will be the tenth anniversary of the demise of the Supreme Court’s so-called federalism revolution, one can ask what happened to that revolution and are there any signs of a federalism revival from the Roberts’ Court? Papers on other federalism topics will be considered as well, depending on CSF’s panel allocation.

Submit your proposals to: Troy Smith at troy.smith@byuh.edu