Call for Papers

Historical Materialism Ankara

April 10th – 12th 2020

ODTÜ (Middle East Technical University) Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences

A Historical Materialism: Research in Critical Marxist Theory Conference

In Association with

Praksis Journal

Turkish Social Sciences Association

Social Researchs Foundation

Mülkiyeliler Birliği

and the Political Science and Public Administration Department of ODTÜ

Submission Deadline: Friday 24th January

The rise of far right authoritarian regimes, nationalist and populist political parties and movements and neo-conservative ideologies and politics across the globe present a new challenge to states and the global order. Both on the left and amongst right-centrists who embraced neo-liberalism, the new challenges of autocratic leaders and fundamentalist radicalism such as ISIS require both analysis and response. The popularity of these right movements and their political success in both democratic politics and in securing power in democratic states has subverted and jeopardized the main tenets of liberal democracy. Increasing authoritarian and populist political strategies have both frustrated democratic opposition and challenged political resistance. The left needs to understand both the rise of the far right parties, examining their social/class bases as well as their historical and geographical context and conjunctures. Equally, the left have to audit the efectiveness of their responses and resistance.

The rise of authoritarianisms have had serious global and local implications, such as diplomatic tensions, wars, refugee crises, ecological crises, urban crises, casual cultural and purposeful misogyny, racism and and a precarious labor market.

Historical Materialism Ankara invites contributions that widen and deepen radical critical understandings of the present conjunctures, both in analysing the problems and developing coherent and effective responses. Papers are particularly but not exhaustively sought on the following themes:

• Authoritarianisms old and new, and the lessons from history
• Changing conceptions of national security and democratic openness
• Recent/Ongoing changes in the state and global legal/political apparatuses and state-class relations
• Land politics and new authoritarianisms
• The political economy of new authoritarianism
• Marxist political theory and the genealogy of authoritarianism
• New fascisms: ideology, politics and impact
• Populism, theirs and ours?
• Trump and the state of American Imperialism
• The legacy of the states of emergency/exception: from France to Hong Kong

In addition to these themes, HM Ankara also welcomes panel and paper proposals for panels and papers that advance Marxist and left radical thought and politics. This includes:

• Marxist political economy, value theory and Capital
• Marxism and feminist, social reproduction, queer, crip and racial critiques
• Marxism and the analysis of states: histories, ideologies and politics
• Marxism and culture, literature and then arts

This conference intiative is currently working with Historical Materialism Journal (http://www.historicalmaterialism.org/) and Historical Materialism book series (https://brill.com/view/serial/HM) on this project.

Submission Deadline: Friday 24th January