THE AFRICA/ASIA/LATIN AMERICA SCHOLARLY COLLABORATIVE PROGRAM

NEWSLETTER 1

APISA: www.apisainfo.org     CLACSO: www.clacso.org    CODESRIA: www.codesria.org

OSSREA: www.ossrea.net    AAPS: www.aaps.org.za        SEACSN: www.seacsn.net

The South/South collaborative program was launched in 2005 by some of the leading social sciences research networks in Africa, Asia and Latin America, including: the Latin American Council of Social Science (CLACSO), the Council for Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), the African Association of Political Sciences (AAPS), the Organization for Social Sciences Research in East and Southern Africa (OSSREA), the Asian Political and International Studies Association  (APISA) and the Southeast Asian Conflict Studies Network (SEACSN). The full program is available in www.apisainfo.org, www.clacso.org, www.codesria.org.

The South/South program aims to:

•        Develop comparative research cooperation among the scholars of the South, including their institutions;
•      Enhance the production of knowledge that is suitable for fostering the development of alternative paradigms on development, democratic governance and peace building;
•      Build a Southern-networked perspective on these critical issues, with the aim of feeding these into global debates in the social sciences.

The proposed activities of the South- South program are:

• Organization of nine comparative International Research Conferences (three per year, one in each region);
• Development of three Summer Institutes (one each year);
• Publication in English, French and Spanish of the Conference and Summer Institute proceedings in books, special issues of international journals, and occasional papers.

Thematic areas

From the assumption that common problems exist in the three regions, and considering the necessity to promote the use of new theoretical schemes and strategies of research for the accomplishment of rigorous comparative studies, the thematic areas to be covered in the three regions are:

• Democracy, Social Movements and Governance in the South.
• Rethinking Development.
• International Hegemony and the Countries of the South.

The leading institutions agreed that they will inform one another of their activities through a NEWSLETTER format.

APISA, CLACSO and CODESRIA, were elected to serve as the lead institutions for the period 2005-2008. Steps will also be taken to recruit new additional institutional partners into the emerging network.  

 ACTIVITY PROGRAM DEVELOPED DURING 2005/2006

1- THE STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN PARIS

To begin with the implementation of the Trilateral Project, a meeting of the Steering Committee was organized in Paris, from 22^nd to 23^rd June, 2005, to agree on the future activities and the commitments of each regional organization. Adebayo Olukoshi and Ebrima Sall from CODESRIA, Hari Singh from APISA, and Atilio Boron and Gladys Lechini from CLACSO, attended the meeting.

2- SUMMER INSTITUTE IN HAVANA

Taking into account that one Summer Institute would be implemented each year to systematically train younger scholars on diverse Southern perspectives and to expose them to varied contexts, the first Summer Institute was organized by CLACSO in Havana, Cuba from 7^th               November to 2^nd December, 2005. The theme of the Summer Institute was “International Hegemony and the South. A Tricontinental perspective”.

The candidates were selected among several applications received by the three regional institutions. The Professors invited to give the lectures were: Prof. Guillermo Castro from Panama, Prof. Prabhat Patnaik from India, Prof. Abubakar Momoh from Nigeria, and Prof. Teothonio Dos Santos from Brazil.

3- INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP IN KUALA LUMPUR

In the framework of the program, International Workshops and Conferences have been considered the appropriate place to discuss research progress and theoretical approaches and to promote academic exchanges.

The inaugural workshop was held in Kuala Lumpur from 11^th to 12^th November, 2005. It was on “Democracy and Domestic Politics: Comparing Africa, Asia and Latin America”. The Workshop was an expression of the broader intellectual agenda on “Democracy, Social Movements and Governance in the South”.

The highlight of the workshop was the comparative democratic experiences in the three continents.

 4- THE POJECT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN BUENOS AIRES

To reinforce the institutional building process but also in accordance with a prior agreement to evaluate project performance on a yearly basis, the Project Management Committee met in Buenos Aires in February 2006.

Adebayo Olukoshi (CODESRIA), Hari Singh (APISA), and Atilio Boron and Gladys Lechini (CLACSO) met at CLACSO’s premises three times to finalize the organization of the scholarly collaboration for 2006. These meetings provided the opportunity for the Memorandum of Understanding that was prepared by Olukoshi to be endorsed by the Executive Secretaries of the three lead institutions.

                                                           ACTIVITIES FOR 2006

1- SUMMER INSTITUTE IN DAKAR- SENEGAL

The second Summer Institute will take place in Dakar, Senegal from 15^th May to 9^th June, 2006. It will be a four-week special training program in research and theory targeted at young scholars coming from Africa, Asia and Latina America. The theme of this Institute is “Re-thinking Development in the South: A Tricontinental Perspective”. The selection process will be made by the three lead regional organizations. The deadline for the receipt of applications is 31^st March.

2- INTERNATIONAL SEMINARS

a- IN CARACAS - VENEZUELA

From 8^th to 9^th June, CLACSO will organize an International Workshop on: “The Impact of the Washington Consensus on Democratic Stability: Perspectives from the South” in Caracas, Venezuela.

b- IN PRETORIA – SOUTH AFRICA

From 6^th to 9^th July a South-South Comparative Research Seminar, organized by CODESRIA, will be convened in Pretoria, South Africa, where AAPS has its headquarters. The theme will be “Re-thinking the International Development Architecture: Perspectives from the South”. The call for applications has been recently announced. The deadline for the receipt of applications is 15^th May 2006.

 c- IN KAMPALA - UGANDA

From 20^th to 22^nd October, CODESRIA will organize an International Workshop on the theme of the “Feasibility of Democratic Developmental States in the South”.

 d- IN SAN JOSE - COSTA RICA

 From 16^th to 18^th November CLACSO will organize a Workshop on “Democratic performances in the South”.

 e- IN BANGKOK - THAILAND

 From 4^th to 6^th December, APISA will convene an International Workshop on International Hegemony. The proposed title of the workshop is: “Managing Global and Regional Hegemony”.