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CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS

Education, Imperialism, and Resistance
Shih Hsin University, Taipei, Taiwan
August 10-11, 2009

Deadline for abstracts: January 31, 2009
Notification of acceptance: March 31, 2009
Deadline for papers: May 31, 2009

The International League of Peoples’ Struggle Working Group on
Teachers, Researchers, and other Education Personnel invites
academics, scholars, researchers, education and social activists and
progressive intellectuals to an international conference on
"Education, Imperialism, and Resistance," to be held in Shih Hsin
University, Taipei, Taiwan on August 10-11, 2009. It will be hosted by
the International Center for Taiwan Social Studies and Taiwan: A
Radical Quarterly in Social Studies.
The conference aims to bring together academics and social activists
to put forward a progressive critique of imperialism and education.
Imperialism is at the root of untold suffering for billions of people
throughout the world. Imperialist banks and corporations reap huge
profits from the exploitation of working people even as the world
economy is racked by crises, the gap between rich and poor countries
widens, hundreds of millions are thrown into unemployment, billions
are kept in poverty, and environmental destruction proceeds unabated.
The imperialist countries, led by the United States, wage wars of
aggression to control valuable markets and resources and suppress
revolutionary movements. All over the world, imperialism intensifies
the oppression of women, exacerbates racial and ethnic conflicts, and
incites discrimination against migrants.
In the guise of neoliberal globalization, imperialism is having a
devastating impact on education. Drastic cuts in public spending for
education have become the norm. Teachers, researchers, and other
education personnel suffer deteriorating standards of living as
salaries fail to keep up with rising costs. Large numbers are being
laid off as governments close down schools and universities deemed
inefficient. As education becomes the flashpoint for popular
struggles, schools and universities are increasingly subjected to
state repression.
Imperialism exercises an ever-tightening grip on education. The WTO's
General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) has placed
liberalization of the so-called education market and the privatization
of education on the agenda of future negotiations, along with other
basic social services. Teaching and research are to an unprecedented
extent driven and defined by corporate interests.
Imperialist control of education is a key element in imperialist
domination of culture as a whole. U.S. imperialism, in particular,
makes full use of the means at its disposal—chiefly its huge
monopolies in mass media—to shape world public opinion according to
its interests. Monopolies have increasing influence over curricula,
education programs, institutional organization, and research agendas.
Struggle over knowledge and research is a key aspect of struggles
against imperialism. On the one hand, imperialist domination of
education and research is used to undermine people’s struggles. On the
other, a critique of imperialist ideology can be an important tool in
the struggle for radical structural change. Throughout the world
today, education workers respond to imperialist globalization through
solidarity and struggle to defend their rights and welfare, the
people’s right to education, and advance the struggle for a more just
and humane future for all.
Participants to the conference are invited to present a critique of
any aspect of imperialism and education including access to education,
education sector reforms on neoliberal lines, right to education and
livelihood, the political economy of education, the politics and
theories of knowledge production and research, the impact of
privatization and liberalization on educators and students and the
impacts of education sector reforms on societies. We encourage
interdisciplinary approaches to these concerns.

Individual papers and panel presentations on the general theme are
most welcome. Specific papers on any of the following themes may be
submitted for consideration. Tracks correspond to the possible
organization of the plenary sessions. The program committee reserves
the right to merge, reschedule or reassign topics, based on
suggestions and interest from the participants.

Track 1. Education and Imperialism

• Education and Imperialism: Historical Perspectives
• Basic Education and Imperialist Globalization
• Higher Education and Imperialist Globalization
• Debt, Aid, and Education

Track 2. Education and Markets

• Education, Industry, and Imperialist Globalization
• Free Trade Agreements and Education
• Global Migration and Education
• Transnational Education

Track 3. Education, Oppression, and Resistance

• Education and the Social Movements
• Education and National Liberation
• Race, Ethnicity and Education
• Education and Human Rights
• Gender Issues and Education
• Rights and Welfare of Educators

Participants may also form panels and are urged to submit the
corresponding proposals. Panel organizers will be responsible for
organizing panels put forth by them.

The organizing committee will review submissions and decide on the
final schedule of presentations. Selected papers will be considered
for publication, after peer review.

Papers should be prepared and presented in English. There is no page
limit but contributors are encouraged to limit their paper to less
than or equal to 20 pages (A4 paper, font 12, double-spaced) including
the cover page, abstract, text, references, tables and figures. The
format should follow standard academic styles.

An abstract of not more than 500 words, together with a one-page
resume of the proponent, must be submitted to the Conference
Secretariat on or before 31 January 2009 at the following email address:

conferencesecretari at.ilps11@ gmail.com

Notification of acceptance will be released on 31 March 2009.
Completed papers must be submitted electronically to the Conference
Secretariat on or before 31 May 2009 for inclusion in the final
conference program.

Deadline for submission of panel proposals is February 15, 2008. The
panel line-up will be announced on April 30, 2009.

Presentations should be limited to 15 minutes including Q & A.
Proposals for artistic performances (music, poetry, exhibits) must be
cleared with the Conference Secretariat for available space and time.

Outstanding papers and presentations will be awarded in the closing
ceremonies, based on the following criteria: innovation, significant
contribution in the theory and practice of education and resistance,
and other criteria to be identified by the Program Committee.

Inquiries may be sent to the Conference Secretariat. For more
information, please visit the conference website at
http://ilps11. webng.com.

Registration fees: US$200.00 on site, $ 175.00 if paid on or before
June 30, 2009 to the designated conference bank account. Foreign
students: US$ 100. Domestic participants: US$ 40 (US$ 30 if paid on
or before May 31, 2009). Registration will cover modest hotel
accommodation, conference kit, CD-ROM with conference papers and
materials, souvenir photos, and other amenities. It is expected that
participants will seek funding for their own travel, meals, visa,
insurance, and other expenses.