IPS Conference Proceedings : International, Political, Sociology, October 26th-27th 2007

IPS – COST CONFERENCE

Sciences-Po Paris, October 26th-27th 2007

On October 26th and 27th, 2007, researchers and specialists gathered at the premises of Sciences Po-Paris to start a debate on the concepts of international, political and sociology at the conference organized by IPS (International Political Sociology Journal [1]) and the COST network [2], under the scientific responsibility of Didier Bigo (CERI-Sciences Po-Paris) and R.B.J. Walker (University of Victoria / Keele University).

The conference was opened with an address by Bruno Latour, Professor and Vice-President for research at Sciences Po. Mr. Latour focused on the fact that sociology has long time suffered from its limitation to national borders and commended the advanced research to bring sociology at the global level. He also stressed the variety of definitions of what is globalization and the presence of a strong debate between ideas on this phenomenon. Latour referred to the sociologist Gabriel Tarde reminding the importance of his work in building a global sociology.

Following this inaugural speech, Didier Bigo and Rob Walker presented the IPS project. They explained that bringing sociology of the global with International relations (IR) and developing exchanges between Anglo-Americans who work on IR and European sociologists are some of the main objectives of this journal. They stressed how important it is to put the disciplines together, to discuss on concepts of external and internal and on the frontiers between disciplines. Creating this journal was for Didier Bigo and Rob Walker a mean to bring to light the ongoing reflexion on the kinds of dynamics that can emerge and be created between International, Political and Sociology. Participants to the eponymous section of the International Studies Association, this journal renews research in International Relations through the provision of innovative researchers from Europe, USA, Canada and Australia. Encouraging a transdisciplinary perspective in the analysis of global phenomena, this initiative would like to provide an area of confrontation in the work of researchers around the world.

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IPS Conference Proceedings