Thursday, February 14, 2013

Call for papers / participants: Max Weber and China: Culture, Law and Capitalism, 5-6 Sep 2013, at SOAS, UK

International Conference:  Max Weber and China: Culture, Law and Capitalism
Date: 5-6 September 2013 (Thur and Fri); Time: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM;  Venue: Khalili Lecture Theatre, College Buildings, Russell Square, SOAS, UK
Max Weber is not only celebrated as a founder of modern social science but also for his view that modern capitalism was the achievement of a uniquely Western rationalism. His celebrated study of China argued that its legal institutions and ethical and religious culture had prevented a similar development there. But he also drew on his knowledge of China in developing his ideas of bureaucracy, authority and legitimacy.   The economic success of China over the last thirty years represents for some the biggest challenge yet to Weber's account of its culture, to his theory of capitalism and to the methods he employed in arriving at his account. But it also brings into question the self-image of the West and the idea of modernity. The conference we are announcing will bring scholars from the social sciences and humanities together in a West/East dialogue central both to mutual understanding between China and the West and also to an exploration of the possible varieties of capitalism.
Please note:
  • The conference will have panels and parallel streams on culture, law and capitalism but contributions for a general stream will also be welcome.
  • Your paper can be empirical or theoretical and have a methodological, historical, contemporary or comparative focus.
  • The language of the conference will be English. Abstracts may submitted in any other language but always accompanied by an English translation.
Organisers:
Speakers (to be updated):
  • Professor Martin Albrow, Honorary Vice-President, British Sociological Association (BSA), UK; Fellow of Centre for Advanced Study, University of Bonn, Germany
  • Professor Gary Hamilton, Associate Director, The Jackson School of International Studies, Professor of International Studies and Sociology
    University of Washington, USA
  • Professor Athar Hussain, Director of Asia Research Centre, The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK
  • Dr Julia Strauss, Senior Lecturer in Chinese Politics, Department of Politics and International Studies, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, UK
  • Professor Guoxun Su, Department of Sociology, Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT); Emeritus Professor of Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (SASS), China
  • Professor Sam Whimster, Head of Culture and Modernisation Programme, the Global Policy Institute, London Metropolitan University; Editor of the Max Weber Studies
Paper submission:  We recommend you to use our online submission form. The benefits are: much easier to use; receive instant response; save our efforts for data entry. Please:
  • get ready with your details and abstract (250 words) before clicking the link to complete it
  • make sure to ANSWER all the questions, leave ‘N/A’ or ‘None’ for questions that are irrelevant to your case, this will save your time enabling the form go through smoothly
  • double check your email address is correct when completed the form so that an identical copy of your complete form will be sent to your email box
  • look at the screen - once you have submitted your form successfully you will receive an automatic acknowledgement on screen
Or if you prefer to download the PDF form and complete it off-line you can then send it to: weberchinaconf@gmail.com, you will receive an acknowledgement within 48 hours, and you will also receive a copy of your completed form automatically when it has been transferred to our database sometimes.
Privacy Policy: your personal information will remain confidential to us and will be used only for the purposes of this conference.
Deadline for submission: 31st March 2013 
We anticipate sending our comments and notifications as soon as we can after receiving your submissions when they have been evaluated by members of our Programme Committee
Deadline for notification of acceptance: 30 April 2013
Conference fees:  including lunches and tea/coffee breaks for 2 days, excluding accommodation and dinner
Registration: Early registration (before 31 May 2013): £40 standard; £20 students; Late registration (after 31 May 2013): £50 standard; £30 students
More details:  websites: (1) conference official:   http://www.weber-china-conference.com/ ; or  http://www.weber-china-conference.org/
Contacts: (1) weberchinaconf@gmail.com (general); (2) centres@soas.ac.uk (registration and logistics); (3) ccpn@lse.ac.uk (all China and Chinese related matters)
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