12th Annual American Graduate School in Paris Student Conference
Off the Beaten Track: Nonwestern Perspectives in International Relations
Dates: Friday, April 21, 2017
Venue: 101 Boulevard Raspail, Paris 75006

Located in the heart of Paris in the 6th district, 5 minute walk from the beautiful Luxembourg gardens which hosts the French Senate, the American Graduate School (AGS) organizes its Graduate Student Conference each year on different themes. This year’s theme is ‘Off the Beaten Track: Nonwestern Perspectives in International Relations.’ The conference will be held on Friday April 21st 2017 and will include 4 Graduate student panels and an additional Keynote Panel with Experts & Professionals. The conference theme derives inspiration from the non-Western students at AGS from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Philippines, Liberia, Vietnam, Thailand who often ask questions about the Western biases in IR and Amitav Acharya and Barry Buzan’s book entitled “Non-Western International Relations Theory: Perspectives on and Beyond Asia” (Routeledge 2009).

"Given that the world has moved well beyond the period of Western colonialism, and clearly into a durable period in which non Western cultures have gained their political autonomy, it is long past time that non Western voices had a higher profile in debates about international relations, not just as disciples of Western schools of thought, but as inventors of their own approaches. Western IR theory has the advantage of being the first in the field, and has developed many valuable insights, but few would defend the position that it captures everything we need to know about world politics." (Acharya and Buzan 2009).

We invite paper submissions to present at our annual graduate student conference which will be divided into four panels: "International Theories", "International Law", "International Organizations" and “Proponents of Continuity: Why Change the Status Quo?”

Submission

Who can submit?

Submissions will be accepted from senior level undergraduate students, graduate and doctoral level students, academics, and professionals in the fields related to the theme of the conference. Attendees are not restricted to those that submit papers. All are welcome to attend the conference.

Deadlines
- Abstract Submission Deadline: December 14, 2016
- Final Paper Submission Deadline: March 24, 2017

How to Submit
Abstracts are to be a maximum of 500 words and submitted electronically to conference@ags.edu as an attachment (Microsoft Word or PDF). The subject line should include the name of the candidate as well as “AGS Conference Abstract Submission.” Please also give a potential, if not finalized, title for your paper.

Additional Information (Abstract):
- Research question
- University affiliation (degrees earned and those in the process of concentration and completion)
- Professional affiliation (if applicable)
- If the applicant has prior conference presentation experience
- Letter of reference from institution faculty (if applicable)
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Fees and Conditions

All accepted candidates will be required to pay a non-refundable 50-euro registration fee (payable here) that will help pay for organizational and administrative costs. This fee does not cover personal costs to the applicant, such as transportation, accommodation, etc. Fees are due from accepted candidates within 10 days of receiving acceptance letters.

Visa

The conference committee will provide visa letters upon request to accepted candidates and moderators. In addition to verifying attendance to the conference, candidates may be asked to sign a visa liability agreement. Please note that participants are responsible for fulfilling the visa procedure according to their home country’s rules and regulations in connection to entering France.

For Visa information, transportation and housing please click here.

Contact
Graduate Student Conference Committee
American Graduate School in Paris
101 boulevard Raspail
75006 Paris
France
Telephone: +33 (0)1 47 20 00 94
Email: conference@ags.edu

For any questions about the conference, feel free to contact Megan Pritchard and Wanraree Kruawan, the Student Conference Coordinators, at conference@ags.edu.