Seven professors of the Graduate Institute attended the 2017 Annual Convention of the International Studies Association (ISA) held in Baltimore from 22 to 25 February. The convention, which was entitled “Understanding Change in World Politics”, gathered nearly 6,000 persons for over 1,500 panels, special programming and events. What is the point of such a spectacular event? Why does it attract nearly the entire faculty of the International Relations/Political Science Department? What are the main concerns and trends currently shared by the ISA community? Answers with Professor Elisabeth Prügl, just back from Baltimore.
Why do most professors of the International Relations/Political Science Department attend this annual convention?
ISA brings together scholars working on international affairs mostly from North America, but also from around the world – about 40% of its members are non–North American. It is THE professional association for those of us who work in that field. People present their ongoing research in the many panels. But perhaps more important is the networking that goes on around the convention. I catch up with colleagues whom I haven’t seen for a while and find out what they are doing. It’s also a great place to find out about the latest scholarly trends and exciting new publications. I also coordinate publication efforts and contribute to organisational matters in ISA’s Feminist Theory and Gender Studies Section.
What is the subject of the convention paper that you presented?
My paper deals with gender expertise in peacebuilding. It is a discourse analysis of 35 documents produced in international organisations on the topic. It is part of my larger project of mapping gender expertise in international governance.
Did you identify major research tendencies at the convention?
Within feminist international relations there has long been a focus on security studies, and I noted that people are also beginning to work on the role gender can play in preventing violent extremism. In the area of feminist international political economy (IPE), there seems to be a new attention to “everyday IPE” and, in this context, a concern with theorising feminised spaces of reproduction.
Did you feel a special atmosphere in the community of political scholars, after the inauguration of Donald Trump?
No question! People are concerned, upset and angry about the Trump administration. There was a demonstration against Trump’s executive order banning people from seven majority-Muslim countries. Close to 200 participants chose to cancel their participation in the conference, either because they feared not being allowed to enter or decided to stay away in protest. And there were expressions of solidarity throughout the conference. Many panels and roundtables addressed the issue. And of course the new Republican administration was a major topic of discussion in the hallways. While people are angry, many also seem energised and determined not to let Trump destroy American democracy.