Dear IAPSS Network,
I have the privilege and honour to share some truly great stories from IAPSS’ presence at the International Political Science Association’s (IPSA) World Congress in Seoul. While we did not provide an official delegation this time around, IAPSS saw a list of our most distinguished members attend for a myriad of reasons.
Some members attended as panelists, having had their papers accepted, and getting the chance to join over 3000 scholars from around the world in presenting their research on the international stage. While I could not attend every panel, I was fortunate enough to see a sample, and to hear about many of the great presentations delivered after the fact. Here is the presentation of IAPSS members Valezka Yrigoyen and Shalvi Ponwar, titled, Democratic Backsliding and Autocratization In Polarized Societies: Power Concentration and Power Dilution in India and Peru. It was very well done (despite the ladies working on it at 4am Korean Standard Time) and prompted great discussion and questions from other panelists.
While in attendance, I was grateful for the opportunity to deliver a partnership report to the IPSA Executive Council on IAPSS’ affairs from the last two mandates. This was an amazing chance to both showcase our global programs and events while also bragging about the hard work that all of our volunteers and members have done to produce those things. I have a general distaste for patting myself on the back, but apparently I showcased us well enough to have professors notify Politikon‘s Editor-in-Chief, Anya Kuteleva, of incoming submissions to the journal. They were not aware of Politikon, IAPSS’ biggest academic journal, and subsequently unaware of the opportunity for their students to get their work published. I am grateful to IPSA, their Secretariat, and the amazing leadership that came to shake hands with me, those who gave me compliments, and promised closer future collaboration. Here I am with the (now) Past President, Pablo Oñate.
Speaking of Politikon, IPSA’s World Congress had the honour of having Anya as a speaker during a panel on early scholar publishing. Anya provided an amazing presentation and essentially hosted a discussion that knew no bounds! Without exaggeration, the hosting room was the most packed I had seen it all conference (besides the plenary speech by former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon)! Safe to say that Anya cemented herself as the face of the journal, being subject to a long line of cued-up questions post-panel. I hope the editors are ready for a flurry of submissions! Strong leadership like that displayed by Anya was recognized on the biggest stage in the world and ends up inspiring to me… Here is Anya directing the discussion and the room that she was speaking to (note the people standing and lining every side of the room).
But the best part? Making new friends out of complete strangers that normally live thousands of kilometres away. Academics and non-academics from France, Germany, Ukraine, Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, Korea, the USA, the Netherlands, Russia, India, Pakistan, and more! I enjoyed sharing conversations on politics, political science, and life more broadly. Within and beyond the conference itself, I also got to meet and have fun with old friends and fellow IAPSS teammates actively volunteering from home. Together, we all made memories that should last us a lifetime. I sincerely cannot wait to see everybody again, somewhere, sometime in the future. Pictured here are some of the IAPSS members that were able to coordinate for an IAPSS team picture!
Some other photos:
