Call for Applications: Japan America Women Political Scientists Symposium

Call for Applications: Japan America Women Political Scientists Symposium
for early-career scholars from the USA and Japan

Deadline: Monday, April 30th, 2018.

The American Political Science Association (APSA) is pleased to announce a Call for Applications from early-career scholars who are interested in attending the 2018 Japan America Women Political Scientists Symposium (JAWS). Hosted by the Rosenberg Institute for East Asian Studies at Suffolk University, the program will take place in conjunction with the 2018 APSA Annual Meeting in Boston, MA from August 28-31.

JAWS, which was an initiative for promoting scholarly exchanges between Japan and the US and to help increase the representation of women political scientists as well as add a gender perspective in the discipline, first began in 2000 at the Women and Politics Institute at American University.  Subsequently, over the past two decades, three previous iterations of JAWS have met in the US (2003, 2006, and 2010) and in Japan (2004, 2009, and 2017).  Dozens of American and Japanese women scholars have benefited from this network’s activities in the United States and Japan, which has resulted in numerous publications and networking opportunities.

The 2018 JAWS will again provide an opportunity to advance current research towards publication, participate in the APSA annual meeting, and develop new scholarly networks. Focusing on the theme of “Gender and Democracy,” the program will bring together women who study related issues in Japanese Politics and American Politics at the intersection of gender. Building on the success of past JAWS, this year’s program will include research panels, engagement with local practitioners and/or policy makers, professional development sessions, and numerous networking opportunities. Research papers will be circulated in advance of the program to allow time for thorough review by all participants and facilitators. Organizers will cover participation costs (including airfare, accommodation, and conference registration) for up to twelve qualified applicants, six from Japan and six from the US. The working language of the program is English.  Program information and a web link to the online Application Form can be found at https://apsa.wufoojapan.com/forms/japan-america-women-political-scientists-symposium/ . The deadline for applications is Monday, April 30th, 2018.

Participation is open to early-career political scientists (PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, and scholars less than five years from the completion of their degree) who are currently based at universities in the US and Japan. Scholars from other social science disciplines undertaking research related to the workshop theme are also welcome. Applicants must be working on an article-length research project that is at a stage of development which would benefit from intense discussion and critique. Research should not be part of a co-authored project, nor should it be an excerpt from an already completed work. Applications from female scholars working on the following topics are especially encouraged:

  • Women’s Political Activism and Behavior in the United States and/or Japan in the age of Trump/Abe
  • Transnational Women’s Activism/Solidarity Networks
  • Gender and Democracy in comparative perspective on the US, Japan, US and Japan, or Japan with another country or countries.
  • Gender gaps in representation, campaigning, and leadership.

Applications must be in English and include:

  1. The completed online Application Form.
  2. A detailed, recent Curriculum Vitae/resume.
  3. A 500-word abstract with the expectation of a completed 5,000-8,000 word (including abstract, not including references) research manuscript that will be brought to the program for discussion. The full draft must be completed two weeks before APSA.

The deadline to submit an application is Monday, April 30th. Selected applicants will be notified of their invitation in mid-May. For more information, contact Linda Hasunuma at lhasunuma@gmail.com

View the PDF here.