Schiller Study Day on the Theme of Political Uncertainty

The Paris Campus of Schiller International University is organizing a Study Day on Wednesday, May 6th on the theme of political uncertainty.

The theme of political uncertainty is more than merely topical. If politics is the unexpected happening all the time as Hannah Arendt said, then it may be further said that the past fifty years of this university’s existence has accompanied the normalcy of ongoing disruption. Today’s uncertainty forces us to ask questions anew and even aspire to achieve a degree of lucidity known by past generations.

To pursue research on this question of political uncertainty, several angles of interrogation may be explored. First, having posed the existence of uncertainty, it may be judicious to question this very premise. That is to say, what are the conditions to determine what constitutes political uncertainty? Second, what are the lessons that can be drawn from history and past experiences of contexts which can be considered to have been described in terms of political uncertainty?  Third, how may this problematic be developed according to different disciplines that study political phenomenon – history, political science, economics, sociology, etc.?  Other lines of questioning may also be pursued with the hope that they join the aforementioned in a fruitful exchange.

We will have the special pleasure of hosting as invited speaker Mr. Edward Cross, economist, former MP (MDC) of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, and commentator on the economies and politics of southern Africa and Zimbabwe.

Each paper to be read will be allotted 30 minutes of presentation followed by Q & A sessions. Papers are ideally to be at least 2500 words.

Special consideration is given to graduate students.

Contributors may send a proposal of no more than 300 words to the following email address: [email protected]

Deadline for proposals/ call for papers: Friday, April 17th.

Only a select number of papers will be read due to limited time and space.

Location : Maison internationale d’Accueil Saint François d’Assise, 220 rue de la Convention, Paris 75015

Program (provisional) :

8h00 – 9h30 welcome café/tea/croissants

9h30 -12h00 workshops/presentations in conference room and amphitheater

12h00 – 13h00 lunch

13h00 – 15h30 workshops/presentations in conference room and amphitheater

15h30 – 17h00 closing session and remarks

For questions, feel free to contact the Director and Dean of the campus, Dr. James Brown, at [email protected].