Home

Candace Johnson, University of Guelph, cajohnso@uoguelph.ca

The overall theme of the 2010 APSA call for papers is "politics in hard times." But times are harder in some places and some nations than in others. They are also harder for some people and communities than others. The context of "hard times" invites assessment of the consequences of decline for vulnerable and / or disadvantaged groups. How have "hard times" affected politics concerning cultural diversity, racial difference, or gender equity? What are the consequences of "hard times" for Aboriginal communities, immigrant populations, people with disabilities, or women?

A call to investigate the implications of "hard times" also invites comparative analysis from the perspective of Canada. The country's natural resources wealth may buffer it from the worst of hard times elsewhere in the world. At the level of everyday life, English-speaking Canadians are immersed in the popular culture of the United States, and rely on American media outlets for their information about the world. Can we expect Canadians - and their leaders - to be insulated from the politics of hard times? Will policy makers be able to design made-in-Canada policies that fit the country's relatively resilient situation?

In addition, the arrival of hard times coincides with the ascendancy of new emerging superpowers in Asia and Latin America. If a new world order emerges from these hard times, how will Canada fit in?

We ask researchers in this section to develop roundtables, and paper and panel presentations around these ideas. Either single-country or comparative research is welcome under this umbrella. These themes are meant to stimulate ideas. We welcome proposals (including those to be panel chairs and discussants) on the theme of "Canada and the politics of hard times" writ large.