BRICS Societies in a Multi-Polar World: Historical-Comparative Perspectives and Current Challenges
The intensified co-operation between Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa (BRICS) has become a significant factor in global politics. What is lacking, however, is a similar intensification of co-operation in the social sciences and humanities to improve the knowledge about BRICS societies and their histories within these societies themselves and to identify common challenges that these societies are facing in the contemporary global constellation. International academic exchange has increased considerably, but most of it still concerns bilateral co-operation between one of the BRICS societies and either the USA or countries of the European Union.
This conference aims at remedying this situation by bringing post-graduate researchers from all BRICS societies together to exchange information about their work and discuss their projects among peers as well as with senior colleagues. It is addressed to young scolars working on any aspect of the society and history of a BRICS society or in comparative perspective, at the post-doctoral, doctoral or advanced masters level. Its academic objective is the promotion of an analysis of the current social world in which the experiences of, and perspectives from, the BRICS societies enter in their own terms.
The conference will proceed in three forms: lectures by senior scholars on key issues of BRICS studies in the social sciences and humanities; doctoral seminars in which the participants present their projects and discuss them with colleagues working in similar areas; and reading group seminars in which recent analyses of the current global constellation are discussed in detail.
It is hoped that this conference will mark the beginning of intensified academic co-operation between BRICS scholars. The convening institutions are committed to this objective, and this meeting has been prepared by a first international BRICS conference at Ural Federal University in December 2014. The conference will close with a programme meeting setting details of further events of a similar kind.
The keynote presentations include contributions of:
· Prof. Peter Wagner, The University of Barcelona, Spain
· Prof. Daniel Alexandrov, Higher School of Economics, Saint-Petersburg
· Prof. Maxim Khomyakov, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg.
· Other scholars from important BRICS universities and research centres
The conference will take place in Saint-Petersburg, one of the most beautiful Russian cities. The conference will partly overlap also with another important event – annual conference “Education and Global Cities”. The participants of the graduate conference are invited to take part in this conference’s proceedings as well.
The participants are expected to cover their travel and accommodation expenses. No registration fee is envisaged. To support the best contributions, a limited number of scholarships are available.
In order to apply for participation, please, send completed application form with all relevant attachments by February 15, 2016 to the following e-mail address:
APPLICATION_FORM (DOCX, 17 Кб)