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Call for applications: Eight South-South Institute. Inequality and Social Justice: Perspectives from the Global South

Action alertsCall for applications: Eight South-South Institute. Inequality and Social Justice: Perspectives from the Global South

 

csm_codesria_logo5_01_6f0c10fd2fThe Latin American Council of Social Sciences (CLACSO), the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and the International Development Economic Associates (IDEAS), are pleased to announce, within the framework of the third three-year phase of theAfrica/Asia/Latin America Scholarly Collaborative Program, the call for applications for participation in the Eighth South-South Institute on “Inequality and Social Justice: Perspectives from the Global South”. The Institute will be held in Durban, South Africa, from September 11 to 18, 2015, on the back of the third World Social Science Forum (WSSF III, jointly hosted by CODESRIA, the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa and the ISSC). The Theme of the WSSF III is: Transforming Global Relations for a Just World. For more information about the WSSF III, visit the forum website:http://www.wssf2015.org/.
The annual South-South Institute is a key part of the third phase of the Africa/Asia/Latin America Scholarly Collaborative Program and it aims at offering research training to younger scholars on the diverse set of issues that are relevant to the countries of the South. The institute seeks to promote the revival and growth of comparative research and cross-regional networking among a younger generation of Southern scholars. Annual sessions of the South-South Institute rotate among the three continents where the lead collaborating institutions are located, namely, Africa, Asia and Latin America. This exposes participants, who are drawn from all three continents to the socio-historical contexts of other regions of the South and helps broaden their analytical perspectives and improve the overall quality of their scientific engagements.

1. OBJECTIVES:

The underlying objective of the South-South Institute is to offer advanced research training opportunities to participants working on various key issues relevant to the South. It seeks to impart theoretical and methodological perspectives that might be appropriate for gaining a full understanding of the specific situation of the countries and peoples located outside the core of the international system such as it is presently structured. All of this is premised on the glaring inadequacy of much of the theories and methodologies developed in the North and crystallised in the mainstream social sciences, to provide the required instruments for a sound understanding of the problems confronting the countries of the South. The institute hopes to mobilise young scholars from across Africa, Asia and Latin America to reflect on the alternatives that are available for overcoming the challenges facing the countries of the South. It is also expected that participants will become acquainted with the local intellectual environment in the regions where different sessions of the institutes are hosted, and strengthen their comparative research capacities. In sum, the institutes are structured to serve as a unique forum for enhancing a deeper understanding among a younger generation of Southern scholars of the history, politics, economy and culture of the countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, and offer an opportunity to participants to develop long-lasting collaborative relationships with their counterparts from other Southern countries.

2. ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION:

Younger scholars resident in countries of the South and who are pursuing active academic careers are eligible to apply for a place in the Institute. Each applicant should have university education, preferably with a minimum of a master’s degree in any of the social sciences and humanities. Applicants should have a demonstrable working knowledge of English. Selection for participation will be on the basis of a competitive process. Altogether, 30 candidates will be selected for participation in the Institute, with 10 each from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The full participation costs of the selected laureates will be covered, including their travel (economy return air tickets), accommodation and subsistence.

3. FACULTY:

Each session of the South-South Institute is led by a faculty of tri-continental Southern scholars who are leading contributors to the thematic area covered by the Institute This will foster mentorship of the participants as well as exchanges between faculty that will inform inter-continental understanding of processes in the South. We shall also draw upon intellectual resources we can locate in the countries hosting each edition of the institute.

4. THE EIGHTTH SESSION OF THE INSTITUTE: 

The eighth session of the South-South Summer Institute, as decided by CLACSO, CODESRIA and IDEAS, will take place in Durban, South Africa. The theme of the eighth institute is Inequality and Social Justice under Neoliberalism: Perspectives from the South. The theme builds upon that of 2014 institute in Bangkok, which was devoted to Inequality, Democracy and Development under Neoliberalism and Beyond. CODESRIA will lead the organization of the 2015 institute, which will run from September 11 to 18, 2015.

5. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Researchers wishing to participate in the institute as laureates are invited to submit an application with the following documents:

a) A research proposal, written in English, French, Spanish or Portuguese, on the subject on which the prospective laureate would like to work during the Institute. The topic selected must be related to the theme of the Institute. Proposals should not exceed 10 pages in length and should have a clearly defined problematic;
b) A one-page cover letter, which should indicate the motivation of the prospective laureate for wanting to participate in the Institute and explain how they envisage that they and their institution will benefit from the Institute;
c) A Curriculum Vitae complete with the names of professional and personal referees of the prospective laureate, the scientific discipline(s) in which s/he is working, the nationality of the applicant, a list of recent publications, and a summary of the on-going research activities in which the applicant is involved;
d) A photocopy of the highest university degree obtained by the applicant and of the relevant pages of his/her international passport containing relevant identity data; and
e) A letter from the applicant’s institution (university department/faculty) or research centre supporting his/her candidature. This statement of institutional support should be done on institutional letter-headed and must be duly signed and stamped.
To receive certificates of participation laureates will be required to draw on the lectures and materials from the institute to transform their proposal into a 20 pages  essay for consideration for joint publication and dissemination by CLACSO, CODESRIA and IDEAS.

6. APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND DEADLINE

The Tri-continental arrangement requires applicants resident in Africa to submit their applications to CODESRIA, those resident in Asia to IDEAS and those resident in Latin America to CLACSO. The full contact details for CLACSO, CODESRIA and IDEAS are
below. The deadline for the receipt of applications is April, 15 2015. Applications that are incomplete or late will not be considered. Successful applicants chosen by the selection committee will be notified immediately after the Committee completes it work. Notification of results will be done by e-mail, fax or post. The results of the selection exercise will also be published on the websites of CLACSO, CODESRIA and IDEAS.

African applicants should send their applications to:
CODESRIA
Email: south.institute@codesria.sn
Website: www.codesria.org
Asian applicants should send their applications electronically to:
IDEAS
south.institute@networkideas.org
Latin American and Caribbean applicants should submit electronically their applications through:
CLACSO website: www.clacso.org
ANNEX

Inequalities and Social Justice under Neoliberalism: Perspectives from the Global South

Since the late twentieth century the world has witnessed an unprecedented wealth increase. Overall, corporations and individuals have become richer. This development that was driven by the accumulation of capital of various kinds, has seen capital multiplying itself in a long process, despite the crises and the metamorphoses that it went through.
However, this increase in production and wealth has been very uneven across countries, regions and time. In fact, it is estimated that about half the world’s wealth is currently in the hands of about one percent of the population. On one hand Globalization under neoliberalism has seen a slowing down of growth in a number of South American countries forcing experts to speak about a “lost decade”, which was accompanied by high unemployment and inflation rates. On the other hand emerging economies like the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have seen sharp increases in growth. While between 1900 and 1980, Europe and America controlled between 70% and 80% of the world’s production of goods and services, that proportion has been in steady decline over the last four decades.

 

Importantly, growth, where it has occurred has been accompanied by the intensification of social and economic inequalities. Many southern countries are experiencing higher growth rates marked by high levels of poverty and inequality. We know for instance that in Africa, in 2011, 46.8% of the population was living on less than $1.25 a day. Unemployment rates among the youth are extremely high. The withdrawal of the state has led to the emergence of powerful private entities, and increased the power of global finance and transnational companies that are guided only by the motive of profit and are not democratically accountable.  The privatization of access to education, healthcare and culture has made it difficult for certain sections of the population to access these services, further widening the gap between rich and poor. Differences in access to basic services such as water, sanitation, health, education and housing are a reality across the world, but the deficit is particularly alarming in so-called developing countries.

As a result of outcomes such as these, neo-liberalism, which fetishizes the unrestrained market and presents itself as a benign universal doctrine has revealed its limits.  Decades of experience of neoliberalism has provided ample evidence that we now live in a less free, more unjust, undemocratic and unsafe world.  What are the trends in inequality and social justice across the Global South? How has economic growth affected the social dynamics in countries in the global South? What is the relationship between different models of economic growth and inequality rates? How is neoliberalism connected with the issue of inequality in different regions and countries? What mechanisms can be exploited to address the issues of inequality and social justice?
The Eighth Institute will explore these questions, with a particular focus on the location of women in these dynamics. It will discuss the similarities and differences between countries of the South, highlight their peculiar challenges and identify the contributions of different disciplines in the social sciences (economics, sociology, political science) towards understanding and addressing inequality and social justice.

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