LAW AND SOCIETY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING, MAY 27 - 30, 2004 Chicago, IL, U.S.A.

Program Committee   Attendance Planning Information   Submit a Proposal for a Paper, Session, or Volunteer as chair or discussant Proposal Keyword List   Collaborative Research Networks   Graduate Student Workshop   Preliminary Program

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION  Due Date: December 17, 2003 Late proposals accepted only on a space-available basis The 2004 annual meeting of the Law and Society Association, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Association, will take place at the Renaissance Hotel in Chicago, Illinois, USA on May 27-30. Theme: Law, Power, and Injustice: Confronting the Legacies of Sociolegal Research The year 2004 marks the 40th anniversary of the Law and Society Association, an anniversary that corresponds to the 40th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education, and the 60th anniversary of the publication of Myrdal’s American Dilemma. Those events raised critical issues about the relationship between law, power, and injustice, and about the role that law and society scholarship can and should play in efforts at social change. What can we learn from these experiences and those in other areas of the world? How do global developments—from the collapse and reemergence of colonialism to the Cold War competition between capitalism and socialism; from the rise of new international frameworks on human rights to new conflicts on world trade; from tensions between the “rule of law” and the “war on terrorism” aid our understanding of the relationship between law and power?

The theme of this year’s meeting asks for a critical examination of the legacy of law and society scholarship in the context of new challenges to it. How do we now think of the momentous events whose anniversary we share? Were they liberatory moments that fundamentally altered patterns of social injustice, primarily symbolic achievements, mechanisms for legitimizing new forms of inequality or some combination? How well have the traditional methods and epistemologies of social science served to understand these issues, compared to new approaches such as critical feminist, race, and cultural studies? We invite papers and panels that look to the past and to the future on these or other themes important to law and society scholarship.
 
As with every annual meeting, though, panels need not be centered on the conference theme.  As usual, submissions on any law and society topic are welcome.

PROPOSALS:  INDIVIDUAL PAPERS AND PANELS

Individual Proposals:

We invite submissions of individual paper proposals. We strongly encourage authors contemplating individual paper submissions to use the meeting discussion website to network with scholars to form panels organized around a common theme. Where this is impossible, the Program Committee will attempt to place related papers together in sessions. A clear abstract and careful selection of keywords will help the Program Committee place the paper in an appropriate session and assign a chair/discussant where necessary. Once papers are placed in sessions, presenters are expected: 1) to circulate their papers to the session discussant and other presenters in advance of the meeting; 2) upload their completed papers to the meeting website prior to the meeting (to be made available after the meeting); and 3) to make available a large print outline or paper to session attendees who may be visually impaired.

We encourage submission of proposals for fully formed sessions: both paper presentation sessions and roundtable panels. Other formats also are welcome. Fully formed session proposals with paper presentations include a chair, a discussant if appropriate (who may also serve as chair), and three or four individual papers. Roundtable session proposals include a well-formulated topic for discussion, a chair, and at least three discussants.  In order to stimulate intellectual exchange, we urge that panels be diverse in their composition, by including, for example, participants from different countries, disciplines, and intellectual perspectives, participants of different ages, career stages, gender, and race/ethnicity. Program Committee members are available to assist in the development of session proposals. The Committee reserves the right to make changes in panels in the interests of the general program.

Session Proposals:

Session proposals should include: a designation of session type; a title and description; keyword(s) designation; a list of participants, and for paper sessions, titles and abstracts. If the session has a sponsoring CRN, the number should be noted in the panel title. Prior to the meeting, each paper presenter is required to circulate her/his paper with the panel members and is encouraged to upload a copy of her/his paper to the meeting database, for public access after the meeting. Session organizers should read the instructions below before submitting a proposal. Chairs of paper sessions should inform paper presenters about their obligations, including keeping to presentation time limits and making available a large print outline or paper to session attendees who may be visually impaired.

Roundtable Proposals:

Roundtable proposals should include: 1) a completed Session Proposal Form including designation of session type, a list of participants and keyword choice(s); 2) a general description of the roundtable’s topic; and 3) if applicable, a reference to the sponsoring CRN. Each participant’s participation will be confirmed by signing-in to the meeting submission site.

Book Sessions:

The Subcommittee on book sessions will assemble author-meets-reader panels and would appreciate receiving suggestions for books and panel participants. Book sessions may revisit classic books, or consider a recent book or several related books on law and society. Individuals who wish to propose a book session should use the Session Proposal Form. Proposers should be sure to include a diversity of perspectives among the readers. Questions about book sessions should be directed to Beth Mertz.

Volunteers for chair and/or discussant roles:

For individuals who wish to participate in the meeting but who do not wish to propose a paper or who otherwise have only one participation, we invite volunteering to participate as a chair and/or discussant in sessions related to their interests. The program committee will later contact volunteers, so identified, to serve in those roles in sessions organized by the committee.

Collaborative Research Networks:

Several collaborative research networks (CRNs) have been formed under the auspices of the Law and Society Association to facilitate ongoing dialogue and research collaboration, often with an international dimension. The Association seeks to support the existing CRNs and encourages the formation of additional CRNs. Information about CRNs and procedures for establishing new CRNs is available here or by directly contacting the CRN coordinator, Robert Nelson. Modest stipends to assist with travel to Chicago in 2004 are available from the International Activities Committee for the organizer of any new CRNs if the organizer is based outside North America (one award per CRN). For information on stipends contact David Trubek.

Submissions for sessions from existing CRNs or new CRNs are most welcome. CRNs are open to all interested scholars. CRNs are encouraged to sponsor a series of panels at the annual meeting. To do so, CRN organizers should notify CRN members of their willingness to submit fully formed panel proposals on behalf of the CRN. The CRN organizer then should follow the instructions above for session proposals. CRN sponsored panels will be noted in the Program.

SUBMISSION PROCEDURES:

Because of the tight space requirements at the meeting hotel and scheduling problems caused by late submissions, proposals submitted after the deadline will be considered only on a space-available basis.

Participants requiring a Visa for admission to U.S.:

Scholars attending from outside the United States and who require a visa are encouraged to submit their proposals early in order to facilitate attendance at the meeting. The Law and Society Association is committed to having broad representation of scholars from outside the U.S. at the meeting, and will provide the required documentation in order to facilitate this process as soon as possible after requested. If there is any other way in which LSA can facilitate the process of entry to the U.S. to attend the meeting, please contact the Executive Office.

Disability Access:

The Law and Society Association is committed to ensuring that all events at the meeting are accessible to persons with disabilities. The proposal forms and registration forms include a place to indicate if accommodations will be required. Detailed information about the location’s accessibility will be available in this website beginning in December. Persons with disabilities may contact the Mary McClintock at the Executive Office for further information or assistance.

Information for New or Newer LSA Members:

If you re a new or newer member to the Law and Society Association and would like information from the Connections Committee about the Association, resources, and activities for integrating newer scholars into the LSA Community, please check the “Newer Member” box on your registration form or contact Kaaryn Gustafson directly.