Prospective contributors should upload their 1,000-word abstract (typed and double-spaced), together with a title, as a MS-Word document (.doc) to the Dialogue and Representation conference page on the EasyAbs system at http://linguistlist.org/confcustom/dialogue2011. Authors’ names and other identifying information must be removed from the document. Your contact information, entered in the system, will remain hidden from reviewers. Please write to the organizing committee (dialogue2011@com.umontreal.ca) if you are unable to submit your abstract via the EasyAbs website.

Papers can be presented in English, French, German, Spanish, or Italian. Organizers will send notifications of acceptance by November 15, 2010. Authors must send full papers by March 1, 2011, if they want their paper to be included in the conference proceedings.

The organizers are currently discussing the possibility of publishing the best contributions as book chapters in an edited book (in English) with a book publisher.

The core emphasis of the conference is on understanding Asian perspectives on leadership and learning. Leadership and learning, like various other concepts, are often viewed/ treated as global. Similar tendency is observed in case of ‘organizational learning’ and ‘learning organization’, which have also been approached in terms of general theories. However, the majority of these theories which claim to have global application originates in different parts of the Western world (see, e.g. Dimmock, 1999; Easterby-Smith & Araujo, 1999). This raises an important concern: Is it wise to assume that all these theories are universal in nature and could be equally applied to all contexts? The question is multi-faceted and multi-dimensional, and has been raised under different labels, as discussed below:

False universalism: One set of concerns is related to the underlying assumption that the social theories are universally applicable, which undermines the role and significance of context (Nguyen, Elliott, Terlouw & Pilot, 2009).

Remoteness from the Culture: Another set of concerns is related to the remoteness that such borrowing/adoption creates from the everyday cultural practices (Serpell, 2007).

Educational Neo-colonialism: Some have taken a more critical perspective, emphasizing the power dynamics attached to it. These critical theorists view such adoption as a new form of colonialism in education, explaining that, through globalization, western paradigms tend to shape and influence educational systems and thinking elsewhere in the world (Nguyen et al., 2009).

Unidirectional Learning: It is quite well-established that the flow of ideas has thus far remained pre-dominantly unidirectional, i.e., from the West to the rest (e.g. Wang, 2006). This has undermined the rich cultural heritage, perspectives, insights and learning that the Eastern part of the world embodies. This makes a strong case for challenging and examining some of these assumptions, and making efforts to explore alternate views and make space for them.

Thus, the questions that the conference intends to address are:

Are the west-inspired theories on leadership and learning relevant for Asia in general and different contexts in Asia in particular?

Is there a need to develop theories specific for Asia in general and different contexts in Asia in particular?

Are there existing theories on leadership and learning with an Asian origin, which have not received much attention or have not been acknowledged so far?

Thus, there is a need to examine/challenge generalizations related to learning and leadership across cultures and geographical boundaries, between East and West, but of course also between Eastern contexts. That is where the conference makes a significant contribution.

For more information on the conference: Please visit http://ellta.org/

The Politics Research Unit of the Athens Institute for Education and Research (AT.IN.E.R.) organizes its 8^th annual international conference on Politics and International Affairs, 21-24 June 2010. The registration fee will be 250 euro, covering access to all sessions, two lunches, coffee breaks and conference material. Special arrangements will be made with local hotels for a limited number of rooms at a special conference rate. In addition, a number of special events will be organized: A Greek night of entertainment, a special one-day cruise in the Greek islands and a half-day tour to archaeological site in Athens.

The aim of the conference is to bring together scholars and students of Politics and International Affairs and other related disciplines. You may participate as panel organizer, presenter of one paper, chair a session or observer. For programs of previous conferences and other information visit the conference website www.atiner.gr/docs/Politics.htm

Papers (in English) from all areas of politics and international affairs are welcome.  Selected papers will be published in a Special Volume of the Conference Proceedings or Edited Books. For Books and Proceedings of previous conferences you may visit http://www.atiner.gr/docs/POLITICS_PUBLICATIONS.htm for table of contents and order forms.

Please submit a 300-word abstract by 21^st of December 2009, by email, atiner@atiner.gr to Dr. Ioannis Stivachtis, Head, Politics & International Affairs Research Unit, ATINER and Director, International Studies Program Virginia Tech - Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, USA. Please include: Title of Paper, Full Name (s), Affiliation, Current Position, an email address and at least 3 keywords that best describe the subject of your submission. If you want to participate without presenting a paper, i.e. chair a session, evaluate papers to be included in the conference proceedings or books, contribute to the editing, or any other offer to help please send an email to Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos, gtp@atiner.gr , Director, ATINER.

The Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER) was established in 1995 as an independent academic organization with the mission to become a forum where academics and researchers from all over the world could meet in Athens and exchange ideas on their research and discuss the future developments of their discipline. Since 1995, more than 100 international conferences were organized and more than 80 books have been published. The Institute is organized into four research divisions and nineteen research units. Each research unit organizes at least an annual conference and undertakes various small and large research projects.

The events that occurred in Pakistan in 1971 go by many names: the Indo-Pakistan War, the Liberation War of Bangladesh, and the Pakistani Civil War, to list a few. Along with this proliferation of signifiers, Bangladeshi perspectives on the conflict that resulted in that country’s independence are a commonplace in scholarly arenas. Pakistani views on that year, however, have received curiously little critical and scholarly attention.

The purpose of this special issue of Pakistaniaat is to bring together the emerging work on the topic by scholars across fields in the humanities and social sciences. As our title suggests, we are interested in interdisciplinary or single disciplinary takes on the causes leading up to the subcontinent’s second partition. Within the Pakistani context, what costs did this war exact? How/is the country still paying the price for the attitudes and actions that lead to the disintegration of a united Pakistan? What has been the fall-out of the war for the relations between Pakistan and India? Between Pakistan and Bangladesh? Pakistan and the US? Further, how have these consequences manifested themselves within Pakistan?

Using the online submission system of Pakistaniaat, please submit your scholarly articles (4000-9000 words) to the special section created for this issue.

For inquiries please contact: The Special Issue Editor: Cara Cilano  University of North Carolina, Wilmington at cilanoc@uncw.edu or the editor at pakistaniaat@gmail.com.