LAW AND SOCIETY ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING, June 2 - 5, 2005 Las Vegas, NV, U.S.A.

Program Committee Attendance Planning Information Submit a Proposal for a Paper, Session, or Volunteer as chair or discussant Instruction for Submission (READ FIRST) Proposal Keyword List Collaborative Research Networks New Members and First-Time Attendees Graduate Student Workshop

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION  Due Date: December 15, 2004 The 2005 annual meeting of the Law and Society Association will take place at the J. W. Marriott Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on June 2 - 5. Theme: Sociolegal Futures: Gambles, Dangers, Dreams, Stakes In the spirit of the Law and Society Association’s long tradition of research at the edges of unsettled and unsettling questions, the annual meeting in Las Vegas will offer an occasion for colleagues across disciplines to take stock of the new demands these times present to sociolegal scholars’ theoretical imaginations and professional practices. What are the major challenges and resources for sociolegal research in the twenty-first century? What draws us to do work in sociolegal studies now? What will draw the next generation of scholars from around the world to the sociolegal field? If law and society work has historically come into being in part in reaction to dominant tendencies in social science disciplines and in the law schools, how are the critical and reflexive spaces for sociolegal scholarship changing? What are emerging as new subjects and methodologies, and what world developments have pushed them there? Is there still a line between engagement and advocacy? How do we experience and configure a relationship between politics and scholarship? Are the ethics of research and of pedagogy changing? Does the world situation call on us to retheorize the connections between law and society?

The theme for this meeting encourages us to reflect on our aspirations as scholars and teachers. The immediate future before us is, as we all know, likely to be filled with war, terrorism, corporate globalization, global insecurity, militarized states, varieties of nationalisms, intolerance, and a politics of near despair. For those of us in positions of relative privilege, the immediate future also is likely to include the experience of continuity in our everyday lives as teachers, scholars, and legal actors. We hope that this meeting will offer space to reflect on what motivates us both in our engagement with the world and in the production of our scholarship.

The theme for this meeting also establishes a connection to Las Vegas as a site for this meeting. For some, Las Vegas may stand as a distinctive place of corruption and vice, and as an unreal environment, peculiarly the product of an entertainment industry. For others, it offers an apt place from which to reflect on such questions as the socialization and normalization of risk, the boundaries between corporate conduct and organized crime, the manipulation of desire and fantasy, the legal creation and maintenance of spaces for vice and criminality, the legal construction of global tourism, the global power of American entertainment and media, American appropriations of cultural identities and symbols, the significance of migratory labor markets, and the historical legacies of sexual and moral repression.

At its inception, the Law and Society Association was founded by scholars who focused on questions of inequality, of modernity and modernization, of access to lawquestions that reflected their times and that the mainstream disciplines deemed too marginal for serious attention. Those questions have, of course, left legacies of unfinished business, as well as of considerable achievements. So, too, does the energy for intellectual exchange at those margins remain, and those margins are wide enough to accommodate the hundreds of humanities, social science, and legal scholars, as well as advocates, from North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Near East, who do their work under the rubric of sociolegal studies. This annual meeting is an ideal occasion to gather together to consider theories, methods, and problems that are currently emergent, perhaps not yet even fully discernible. The call for papers is a broad invitation to look ahead, in the spirit of renewing the resources of sociolegal scholarship for the twenty-first century.

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 (“Unassigned”) Paper Proposals:

We invite individual submissions of paper proposals. We strongly encourage any author whose paper is not already part of a Session Proposal to use the Meeting Discussion Bulletin Board to network with others scholars to form panels organized around a common theme. Where this proves impossible, the Program Committee will attempt to place related “unassigned” paper submissions. A clear abstract and careful selection of keywords will help the Program Committee in this endeavor. 

To be considered ready for Program Committee review a paper proposal must include a title, keyword selection(s), and a 100-250 word abstract.

  Session Proposals:

We encourage submission of proposals for fully formed sessions. The Program Committee recognizes the importance of engaging the audience in a compelling manner, and we envision a conference that is dynamic, innovative, and interactive. Participants are, therefore, encouraged to present or teach their material rather than read their papers aloud. The program committee strongly encourages session organizers to break away from the conventional academic session format. We encourage proposals which are not constrained by the usual imposed categories of paper or roundtable or book sessions. We encourage debates, visual and musical performances, workshops, films, and other appropriate formats and encourage those proposing such sessions to consult with relevant members of the Program Committee. (Sessions with alternate formats and no papers should use the Roundtable Session Submissions Form.) In order to stimulate intellectual exchange, we also 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.

To be considered ready for Program Committee review session proposals with paper presentations must include a panel title, a Chair, a Discussant if appropriate (who may also serve as chair), and three, four, or five individual papers that are “assigned” by the Session Organizer. Roundtable Session proposals must include a panel title, a description of the topic and anticipated discussion, a Chair, and at least three Participants. Book Sessions must include the panel title comprised of the title(s) of the book(s) covered, a description of the session if needed, a Chair, the book Author(s) (if attending), and at least 3 Readers. Sessions of all types must also include keyword selection(s).
 

IMPORTANT: The Program Committee reserves the right to make changes in panels in the interests of the general program.

Once a paper is assigned to a session, either by the Program Committee or Session Organizer, the author is expected to:

1) have a written copy of the paper available one month prior to the meeting and
2) circulate the paper amongst the other session participants;
3) prepare a public presentation of the paper (simply reading from the paper is not acceptable) that conforms to the time constraints and the particular format or approach arranged by the session Chair; 
4) make a large print version of any material to be distributed in the session for attendees who may be visually impaired; and
5) bring 20 copies of the paper to the meeting for donation to the Association paper sales.

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For the detailed steps of preparing and submitting proposals, see “PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS, SUBMISSION PROCEDURES, AND HOW-TOs.”
 

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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 them to volunteer as a Chair and/or Discussant in sessions related to their interests. A specific form for volunteers is on the Submission Site. The Program Committee will later contact volunteers directly to serve in these roles in sessions organized by the Committee.

Individuals chosen to act as Session Chairs on paper panels are expected to fulfill the following responsibilities: Develop and inform paper presenters of the 1) format of the session and 2) their obligations as paper presentersincluding a) keeping to presentation time limits as set by the Chair, b) preparing their paper for completion one month before the meeting, c) circulating their paper amongst all session participants, d) making a large print copy of any material to be distributed in the session for attendees who may be visually impaired; e) bringing 20 copies of the paper to the meeting for donation to the Association paper sales.

COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH NETWORKS (CRN’s)

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. CRNs are open to all interested scholars. Information about joining and procedures for establishing new CRN’s is available here or by directly contacting the CRN coordinator, David Engel.  Modest stipends to assist with travel to Las Vegas in 2005 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 Engel.

Session Proposals from existing CRN’s or new CRN’s are most welcome. CRN Principals are encouraged to organize and submit a series of panels formed from papers written by members of their CRN. The CRN panel organizer should follow the instructions for submitting session proposals. CRN sponsored panels should include reference to the CRN number in the Session Title so that it will be noted in the Program.

PARTICIPATION LIMITED TO TWO PANELS

The Association limits conference attendees to no more than two appearances on the program. Serving as paper presenter, roundtable participant, author-meets-reader panelist, discussant, or panel chair counts as a participation. (Co-authors who do not present are not counted as making an appearance.) Participating as Chair in a session on which one also presents a paper counts as one participation. We regret that we will not be able to make any exceptions to this rule.

OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Audio-Visual Requests:

The paper and panel forms permit requests for audio-visual equipment to assist presentations. Included in the list is equipment for PowerPoint presentations (LCD projectors). As this equipment is prohibitively expensive to rent, we are exploring what options we may have to satisfy this request. In the event we are unable to provide LCD projectors because of cost, individuals requesting this equipment will be notified and provided with an overhead projector. Of course, anyone who wishes to bring her/his own projector may do so.

Late Submissions:

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 and have a high risk of not be accepted. Late proposals should be sent to rose@lawandsociety.org.

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.

New members and First-Time Attendees:

If you are a new to the field, a new member to the Law and Society Association, or a first-time attendee and would like information from the Connections Committee about the Association, resources, and activities for integrating newer scholars into the LSA Community, please check "yes" in the "first-time attendee" box on your personal information form or contact Kaaryn Gustafson directly.

UPDATES AND PRELIMINARY PROGRAM:

Updates and meeting information will be posted on this website and, occasionally, sent in group mailings to participants. The Preliminary Program should be available on the web by mid-March. Participants will be allowed to update information until April 16, 2005.The Preliminary Program will permit easy searching by topic and presenter, viewing paper abstracts, and assembling a "mini-schedule" of events.

MEETING REGISTRATION:

When the Program Committee accepts proposals, it expects that people will follow through with production of their papers or sessions unless they specifically notify the Law and Society Association office otherwise well in advance of the meeting. All participants are required to register for the conference. Registration forms will be available on this site in early March. Anyone requiring a hardcopy registration form should contact the Executive Office.

We look forward to your participation in the 2005 Annual Meeting of the Law and Society Association.