The 121st APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition, “Reimagining Politics, Power, and Peoplehood in Crisis Times,” was held September 11–14, 2025, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
This year, over 5,000 political scientists, scholars, and experts, along with more than 300 online participants, came together to share ideas, research, and innovations in the field. The meeting provided a vibrant space for advancing Civically-Engaged Research (CER) and highlighted the growing impact of community-centered approaches in political science. Across a variety of sessions and events, participants engaged in lively discussions about CER methodologies, challenges, and opportunities while building connections with scholars within the growing CER field, including program alumni from the Institute of Civically Engaged Research (ICER) and the JPSA/APSA working group generously supported by the Haynes Foundation and Japan Foundation, respectively.
Civically-Engaged Research across Political Contexts: A Conversation on the Diversity of Forms of CE
On Saturday, September 13, APSA hosted a roundtable discussion exploring the diverse forms that civically engaged research (CER) can take. Moderated by ICER 2023 Fellow Stephanie Chan (Lafayette College), the panel featured Ngoc Phan (Hawai’i Pacific University), Christina Sciabarra (ICER 2022, Bellevue College), Jody Neathery-Castro (ICER 2022, University of Nebraska at Omaha), Sara Carrasco Granger (ICER 2022, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos), and Frank Reichert (ICER 2023, The University of Hong Kong).
The meeting provided a vibrant space for advancing Civically-Engaged Research (CER) and highlighted the growing impact of community-centered approaches in political science.Panelists shared their experiences conducting CER in a wide range of political contexts, from working with marginalized communities to navigating authoritarian environments. The discussion highlighted both shared themes and distinctive challenges, such as ethical collaboration, power dynamics, and the practical realities of engaging communities as equal partners. Participants left with valuable conceptual frameworks as well as practical strategies for developing CER projects that are both locally relevant and methodologically rigorous.
JPSA/APSA Working Group: Alumni Roundtable on Civically Engaged Research
The Friday, September 12 roundtable offered reflections from the JPSA-APSA Working Group on “Civically Engaged Research for Critical Issues in Society” within a broader discussion of the challenges and best practices in conducting CER. Roundtable attendees, including several JPSA-APSA Working Group alumni, discussed initiatives in the U.S. and Japan that exemplify community-centered research that addresses pressing societal challenges, from political polarization to civic disengagement. The session emphasized the role of rigorous, participatory scholarship in building stronger communities and highlighted opportunities for scholars to partner meaningfully with civil society organizations and other stakeholders.
The JPSA-APSA Working Group is a three-year initiative supported by the Japan Foundation. Each year, invited scholars from American and Japanese universities will attend a conference Working Group to share and improve research towards publication, develop new scholarly networks, and explore the use of civically engaged research in investigating some of the critical issues facing our societies. This year’s program focused on “Political Transitions in Aging Societies” and feature research from 16 junior scholars (7 from Japan and 9 from USA). The program will be held alongside the JPSA Annual Meeting, from October 9-12, in Tokyo, Japan.
Civically-Engaged Research Reception
The CER Reception on Saturday evening provided an informal space for ICER alumni, JPSA/APSA Working Group members, and members interested in learning more about CER to connect, celebrate shared accomplishments, and build networks for future collaborations. The reception underscored the sense of community within the CER field and the ongoing commitment to fostering ethical, collaborative research practices.
APSA’s Commitment to CER
Together, these sessions reflected APSA’s broader commitment to CER and showcased the vibrancy of a growing community of scholars dedicated to producing research that is both academically rigorous and socially impactful. By providing frameworks, practical tools, and reflective spaces, the 2025 APSA Annual Meeting affirmed the critical role of civically engaged research in addressing both local and global challenges in political science.