NCOBPS 2023 Annual Meeting Information & Call For Papers

Democracy on the Brink: Are We Headed into an Era of Authoritarianism?
March 8th – 11th, 2023

PROGRAM CHAIR:
Stephanie L. Williams, Ph.D., University of South Florida – swilliams@usf.edu

LOCAL ARRANGEMENTS COMMITTEE CHAIR
Fatemeh Shafiei, Ph.D., Spelman College – fshafiei@spelman.edu

Dates: March 8-11, 2023
Location: Hilton Garden Inn (3342 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30326)
For Reservation Inquiries: 800-222-8733 | Website
Hotel Rate: $139 Double Bed and Standard King rooms
Reservations Rate Cut-Off Date: February 14, 2023

CALL FOR PAPERS: NCOBPS 2023
Democracy on the Brink: Are We Headed into an Era of Authoritarianism?
SUBMISSIONS DUE: DECEMBER 8, 2022
Thank you for your interest in submitting a proposal for the 54th Annual Conference. Our submission period is now closed.

In the aftermath of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol hearings, we are concerned with electoral rights including voting, challenges to the democratic elections, physical threats against poll workers, and the U.S. and state constitution-backed principle of the peaceful transition of power. However, recent election laws instituted in response to former President Trump’s lies that the 2020 election was stolen are so regressive, that communities of color across the nation are forced to deal with pre-1965 voter suppression tactics. Yet, electoral power has the purpose of guaranteeing a much wider expanse of rights and representation including safety against gun violence, healthcare and reproductive access, LGBTQ+ rights, adequate housing, and many other domestic and international matters that are central to our collective ability to have meaningful quality of life.

The legacy of the Trump presidency is an era that can be characterized by the dismissal to acknowledge the political, social, and economic rights of people of color, women, and the poor. Due to systemic efforts to eliminate these communities from the political discourse, we must grapple with both traditional civil rights issues, as well as consider the concepts of effective representation and the need to develop civic engagement and teach impactful legislative literacy so that our communities can wield their political power.

We invite papers to carefully examine the political, economic, social, and cultural ethos discussing campaigns like Moral Mondays, the movement for black lives, Black Girls Vote, banning evictions, the electorate in the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, appointment and implications of the federal and state judiciary by conservative Republicans, and the reversal of privileges previously extended post-1965 to the wider citizenry, and lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When we ask what kind of government we should have, Benjamin Franklin reminded us that we should pursue “a republic if we can keep it”. In 2023, NCOBPS invites you to defend the republic and democratic systems. We commit to cultivating strong partnerships with local, national, and international media for the conference.

Section Chairs

African & Diaspora Politics
Anita Plummer, Howard University, Anita.Plummer@Howard.edu
Safia Farole, Portland State University, sfarole@pdx.edu

Political, Inequity, and Social Justice
Albert Samuels, Southern University and A&M College, albert_samuels@subr.edu
Brandon Davis, University of Kansas, davis_brandon@ku.edu

Comparative Politics, International Relations, Transnational Relations
Adryan Wallace, Stony Brook University, Adryan.Wallace@stonybrook.edu
Bonfas Owinga, Clark Atlanta University, bowinga@cau.edu

Identity Politics: Gender, Class, Ethnicity, LGBTQ+, Sexuality, Religion, and Queer Politics
Mzilikazi Koné, University of California Los Angeles, mkone@ucla.edu
Camara Silver, Barnard College, csilver@barnard.edu

Teaching and Professional Development
Zahra Ahmed, Saint Mary’s College of California, zga1@stmarys-ca.edu

Law and Higher Education Policy
Nikol Alexander-Floyd, Rutgers University, ngaf@polisci.rutgers.edu

Undergraduate Research
Eric McDaniel, University of Texas at Austin, emcdaniel@austin.utexas.edu 
Artemesia Stanberry, North Carolina Central University, astanberry@nccu.edu

Political Theory & Political Institutions
Joseph L. Jones, Clark Atlanta University, jjones2@cau.edu

Public Policies & Political Institutions
K. Juree Capers, Georgia State University, kcapers@gsu.edu
Natasha Christie, University of North Florida, n.christie@unf.edu

Public Opinion & Political Participation
Brianna Mack, Ohio Wesleyan University, bnmack@owu.edu
Jamil Scott, Georgetown University, Jamil.Scott@georgetown.edu

Afro-Latino Politics
Fernando Tormos-Aponte, University of Maryland Baltimore County, ft@umbc.edu
Michelle Bueno Vasquez, Northwestern University, michellebuenovasquez2024@u.northwestern.edu