The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies will convene its Second Annual Conference of Strategic and Policy Studies Research Centers in the Arab world from December 7 to December 9, 2013 in Doha. The 2013 conference will focus on "The Cause of Palestine and the Future of the Palestinian National Movement". The conference organizers chose this theme because the Palestinian cause is "pivotal in the formation of Arab consciousness" and a top priority for Arab research institutes.
By focusing on the paths to the formation of a Palestinian national entity, the 2013 conference aims to tackle the primary challenges facing Palestine and the Palestinian National Movement. To do so, the conference will cover a variety of topics, including: changes in the Palestinian armed struggle; the refugee issue and the conditions of Palestinian refugees; and the status of Palestinian society under Israeli occupation, especially in terms of the social and political movements that have developed in response to these conditions. The conference will also cover developments in the official attitudes of Arab governments toward the Arab-Israeli conflict, both before and after the Arab Spring. Finally, there will be a set of academic sessions devoted to enriching the attendees' knowledge and understanding of Israeli colonialist policies, as well as the transformations affecting Israeli society and politics.
With the resistance in Palestine being subject to regional and global machinations, in addition to a stalled and fruitless "peace process," this conference and its chosen theme take on an exceptional urgency. In this regard, the Arab Spring, while renewing the hopes of many, has also highlighted a sense of foreboding, and introduced a new set of complexities, as Arabs are being compelled to concentrate on their domestic affairs.
The ACRPS invites Arab scholars and researchers to submit original academic work for consideration as part of the meeting. All submissions are to be peer reviewed; a full list of submission guidelines can be found on the ACRPS website: http://172.17.30.6:3030/sites/doiportal/en/archive/pages/submission_guidelines_publication_guidelines_and_channels.aspx. Researchers wishing to take part in the meeting are requested to submit a comprehensive abstract (250 words) and a concise biography (200-250 words) no later than June 15, 2013. In order to ease the process of reviewing drafts and finalizing the conference's agenda, completed first drafts of approved research must be submitted by the end of September 2013. Submissions should be sent to ACRPS Researcher Nerouz Satik: nerouz.satik@dohainstitute.org
To show a full listing of themes of the Conference, click here.
