The 2021 IPSA World Congress of Political Science concluded with a virtual ceremony presented by IPSA Executive Director Kim Fontaine-Skronski. On behalf of the World Congress Team, Dr. Fontaine-Skronski thanked all the delegates, attendees, exhibitors and partners for their participation and support. She then introduced IPSA Past President Marianne Kneuer.
In her Closing Ceremony address, Prof. Dr. Kneuer emphasized that the World Congress was successful in every respect. Moreover, Prof. Dr. Kneuer announced the establishment of a new award, the IPSA Guillermo O'Donnell Award for Latin-American Scholars. The award is named after Prof. Guillermo O'Donnell, IPSA's Past President and one of Latin America's most prominent political scientists.
Next, IPSA’s newly elected President, Dianne Pinderhughes, explained how Ilter Turan and Marianne Kneuer’s Presidential leadership terms have substantially institutionalized IPSA since 2016. She explained that the IPSA Constitution has been revised, and the 2018-2022 Strategic Plan reaffirmed the Association’s commitment “to promote the advancement of political science throughout the world”.
The identification of five missions, including 1) a Global Political Science Community, 2) Inclusivity and Diversity, 3) Academic Freedoms, 4) Robust Networks and 5) Ethics, provides for mutually reinforcing values.
Dr. Pinderhughes also highlighted IPSA’s dazzled capacity as an organization with various projects and publications, including IPSAPortal, IPSAMOOCs, 51 Research Committees, Summer Schools, IPSR and Abstracts journals, and the IPSA Digital project. Dr. Pinderhughes reassured the delegates that she would continue to work to extend these resources.
She indicated the importance of continuing to develop strategies for expanding membership on the African continent to further advance Prof. Dr. Kneuer and Past Vice President Christopher Isike’s existing work in these efforts. She also mentioned that the Association will focus on Latin America and Asia.
Next, the Program Co-Chair, Hasret Dikici Bilgin, provided a brief overview of the World Congress Program. She discussed new nationalisms that became oppressive and created obstruction and excluded various groups.
The next speaker was Rodney Hero, the Chair of the IPSA Committee on Organization, Procedures and Awards (COPA), to present the following IPSA awards:
The Francesco Kjellberg Award went to Elif Naz Kayran, Post-doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs at Leiden University, for her outstanding paper “Understanding Anti-Immigration Demands: Reconceptualising the Labour Market Competition Hypothesis and the Role of Institutions”.
The Wilma Rule Award on Gender and Politics went to Nayia Kamenou, Lecturer at the Department of Social & Political Sciences at the University of Cyprus, for her paper “Feminism Hijacked: Women, Gender and Political Agency in the Golden Dawn and the National Popular Front”.
The APSA-IPSA Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award went to Simukai Chigudu, Associate Professor of African Politics at the Oxford Department of International Development. His first book is titled The Political Life of an Epidemic: Cholera, Crisis and Citizenship in Zimbabwe (Cambridge University Press, 2020).
In her Closing Ceremony remarks, Dr. Fontaine-Skronski expressed her profound gratitude to the Executive Committee (EC) members and Past President Marianne Kneuer. Their commitment allowed IPSA to progress and transform tremendously over the past three years.
Dr. Fontaine-Skronski also thanked the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Co-Chairs, Madalena Meyer Resende and Carlos Jalali, and the other members of the Committee for their work in preparing the Congress in Lisbon, and for their collaboration and flexibility when transitioning to a virtual format.
Finally, she recognized the excellent work and leadership of the World Congress Director, Yee Fun Wong, and the other members of the IPSA Secretariat (Roksolana Bobyk, Thomas Chapdelaine, Ekaterina Kuzmenko, Eric Grève, Mathieu St-Laurent, Halûk Dag, and Fernand Thériault) for organizing the 2021 IPSA World Congress.
Next, the Program Co-Chairs of the 2023 IPSA World Congress of Political Science, Euiyoung Kim, IPSA EC member, and Theresa Reidy, IPSR Co-Editor, presented the theme of the upcoming World Congress: Politics in the Age of Transboundary Crises: Vulnerability and Resilience in an Uncertain World.
The next IPSA World Congress of Political Science will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2023, with Martín D’Alessandro, Chair of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC), and Oscar Ozlak serving as LOC Honorary Chair.
The closing ceremony ended with the passing of the IPSA Congress flag symbolizing the transfer of duty and responsibilities from the current LOC, represented by the LOC Co-Chairs, Carlos Jalali and Madalena Meyer Resende, to the next one, represented by the Argentina LOC Chair, Prof. D’Alessandro.
