Centralizing the South in the Global Context: Troubling What’s Known & Re-imagining What’s Unknown
The Global South, for sociologists like Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, and Lester Frank Ward, is a social, cultural, and political concept that denotes a global divide drawing broad distinctions between advanced and primitive institutions and societies (Dados & Connell, 2012). The phrase Global South refers to the regions of Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. As a re-colonial discourse in social and sociological theory that defines geopolitical power relations, Global South is one of a family of terms, including “Periphery”, which implies regions outside Europe and North America, mostly (though not all) low-income and often politically or culturally marginalized.
This symposium theme asks the Global South Studies community to transcend normalized Eurocentric knowledge framed by Global North philosophies, theories, and praxes to discover unfamiliar perspectives and knowledge. We invite scholars and students, particularly those from the Global South, to submit research using interdisciplinary lenses and approaches in the arts, humanities, and social sciences to challenge Western-centric knowledge and knowledge systems to imagine boldly, creatively, and critically new ways of knowing and being. We encourage researchers to engage in global interdisciplinary dialogues and push traditional modes of inquiry and knowledge mobilization to advance research and serve the public good.
Areas of focus
We are interested in these topics & areas of Global South Studies:
Theme 1: Histories, Theories and Philosophies
- Foundational philosophies and theories of/within the Global South
- Historical moments and events that have shaped the Global South
- Shared religions, ideologies and traditional beliefs that inform common Global South practices of living and being
- Traditional ways of teaching and learning v.s. globalization and neo-liberalization of education
Theme 2: Media, Peoples and Cultures
- AI, social media & digitalism
- The arts, language and literature across cultures
- People and popular culture
- Ethnicity and identity
- Education & pedagogy in porous contexts of culture and media (i.e., social media and youth culture)
Theme 3: Emerging Trends and Innovations
- Current trends (research and praxis) in the Global South Studies
- Emerging contexts and constructs of the Global South (i.e., Inter-Asia, Global Asia)
- Globalization, (trans)nationalism, and neoliberalism that influence the scholarship of Global South studies
- The Global South from interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives
- The rise of new economic forces from the South
Theme 4: Social Movements
- Decolonial, postcolonial, and anti-colonial studies
- Social issues and social movements in the Global South in multiple settings (i.e., education, business and development, entrepreneurship, activism, etc.)
- Controversial topics in the Global South studies (i.e., gender and sexuality, conflicts and crises, environmental justice and sustainability)
- Governance, human security, and peacebuilding
Submission requirements
All submissions will be evaluated through an anonymous review process. Please do not include any identifying information in the paper.
- Paper (30 minutes/each). A paper is an individual paper with one or more co-authors.
Please submit an abstract of 300 words or fewer excluding references. Abstract uses APA 7th and must address the following six elements: (1) Objectives, (2) Perspective(s) or theoretical framework, (3) Methods of inquiry, (4) Data sources, (5) Results, and (6) scholarly significance of the research.
- Roundtable (20 minutes/each presentation). A research roundtable is a moderated meeting that features 3-4 presentations on a topic of shared interest.
Please submit an abstract of 300 words for one presentation or fewer excluding references. Abstract uses APA 7th and must address the following six elements: (1) Objectives, (2) Perspective(s) or theoretical framework, (3) Methods of inquiry, (4) Data sources, (5) Results, and (6) scholarly significance of the research.
- Workshop (45 minutes/each). A workshop is facilitated by researchers as trainers to demonstrate an interactive and innovative initiative with hands-on activities that engage the audience in knowledge re/production, sharing, and transformation.
Please submit a description of 300 words or fewer excluding references. The description uses APA 7th and must address the following elements: (1) an overview of the topic, (2) purposes and objectives, (3) a plan for activities, (4) instructional techniques, (5) creativity and innovation, and (6) scholarly contributions.
Participation fees
- Early bird (Before 30/6/2024)
International participants: 60 USD
Domestic participants: 1.200.000 VND
2. Regular price (After 30/6/2024)
International participants: 80 USD
Domestic participants: 1.800.000 VND
Fees include 4 lunches, tea/coffee breaks and refreshments, proceedings, certificates, program booklets, complimentary bags, and access to all activities at the symposium (except Gala Dinner: 500,000 VND/25 USD). Please note fees do NOT include accommodation & airport transport. Fees for online presenting participants: 50 USD/1.000.000 VND, including e-proceedings and e-certificates. As a recent common practice of many international conventions, e-proceedings and e-certificates will be issued to participants via emails provided in the registration form. Undergraduate students who want to participate will be considered for special deducted fees.
Publication opportunities: the publication fee for those who want to get their full papers featured in proceedings (ISSN) is 50 USD/1.000.000 VND (excluded from participation fees). The best papers will be reviewed to appear in a Special Issue of Pedagogy, Culture & Society, or Vietnam Journal of Education with affordable publishing fees.
Important Dates
- Deadline for proposals: May 20, 2024
- Notification of acceptance: June 20, 2024
- Participation registration (early bird): June 30, 2024
- Full paper submission: July 20, 2024
- Feedback to full papers: August 31, 2024
- Event dates: August 19 – 22, 2024