Armenia’s Transformation in a Comparative Context: Restarting Democratization?
Inaugural AUA Political Science and International Affairs Conference
Hosted by AUA, Co-Sponsored by the Zoryan Institute
November 14-15, 2019
Deadline for abstract submissions: April 28, 2019
The 2018 “Velvet Revolution” in Armenia aspired to fundamentally transform Armenian society and the political landscape of the country. Peaceful mass protests and the resulting change in government continue to serve as sources of both popular inspiration and numerous questions among democracy practitioners and scholars alike. For example, in his September 2018 address to the UN General Assembly, the Secretary-General referred to Armenia as a “fantastic example… of hope”; in December, The Economist named Armenia “country of the year”. One year after the change of government, what has Armenia achieved and what are the challenges ahead? How does Armenia compare with other countries that experienced massive anti-government protests?
A year-and-a-half after the dramatic events of the “Velvet Revolution,” this two-day conference will bring together social scientists from Armenia and abroad to discuss various aspects of the Revolution and its aftermath. The objective of the conference is to critically reflect on the Armenian developments and to place them in the broader context of similar events, worldwide.
The main target community is that of scholars working in political science and international relations, but contributions from the fields of economics, media studies, sociology, history, anthropology, legal studies, and other overlapping disciplines are welcome. This conference seeks to place Armenia in the larger regional context by comparing it with other post-Soviet and Middle Eastern countries with successful or failed attempts at similar social and political transformations. Papers from/about Serbia, Georgia, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Russia, and the Middle Eastern countries involved in the Arab Spring uprisings are particularly welcome. The language of the conference is English, but Armenian panels with simultaneous translation can be scheduled, if requested.
Submissions will be vetted for publication consideration in an edited volume – an inaugural publication of the newly established AUA Press.
Conference Timeline
- April 28: submission of abstracts
- June 2: decision on abstract acceptance communicated to authors
- June 23: travel grant application deadline
- September 20: early registration deadline (reduced registration fee)
- October 20: paper submission deadline, late registration deadline
- November 14-15: conference
Abstract Submission Guidelines
An abstract of 300-500 words should be submitted to [email protected] by April 28, 2019. Please include your name, institutional affiliation, and the title of the panel to which your paper most closely relates. Please indicate if you believe your paper might fit into more than one panel. We are also accepting full panel proposals (3-4 papers per panel). If the organizers find that your abstract is a better fit for a panel different from the one you’ve indicated, the organizers reserve the right to place the paper in a different panel.
To be considered for review, the abstract should include:
- A working title that clearly relates to the theme of the conference
- A research question, a hypothesis, or a statement of the empirical or theoretical concern
- A short summary locating the topic of the paper within a wider body of literature
- A brief statement of the methodology and/or data to be used in the paper
- The main argument of the paper or the line of inquiry to be pursued.
Please note: abstracts must be submitted in English. Abstracts not corresponding to the formal requirements listed above will be declined without further notice.
The full announcement can be accessed here. More information about the conference to be added soon.