Karlstad Seminar on Studying Political Action

Why study political action?
Scholarship on political action is challenged by a shift from disciplined organized political action within the nation-state and with government as its focus in the direction of more individualized, communicative, and reflexive forms of political action that occur transnationally and within non-government arenas. This challenge is the focus of Karlstad Seminar on Studying Political Action, which is an international workshop for cross-disciplinary scholars who work on political participation and political action in historic and current times.

Topics for the Karlstad Seminar on Studying Political Action

Scholars who have attended the Karlstad Seminar on Studying Political Action have represented the disciplines of political science, sociology, contemporary history, history of ideas, media and communication, environmental science, history, and political philosophy.

KSSPA: Purpose and Previous Activities
In 2004 two political scientists at Karlstad University, Professor Michele Micheletti and Associate Professor Thomas Denk, decided to develop further the research cluster on political action at the department of political science by designing KSSPA as a node in a conscious network-building effort aimed at the Swedish, European and international levels. The recurring KSSPA meetings as well as their spin-off activities have been central in founding an increasingly solid platform or research cluster-in-the-making of scholars nationally and abroad who are concerned with political action. Since its first meeting in 2005, KSSPA has become a venue for doctoral students as well as junior and senior scholars from Sweden, the Nordic countries, Europe, and North America who study political action. KSSPA is closely associated with the European Consortium of Political Research's Standing Group on Forms of Political Participation.

To develop further and solidify its international base and network-building purpose, the KSSPA is actively developing European and transatlantic research and a research network in the area as well. This is done in two ways: (1) Providing a venue for a dialogue between the various research communities in the field of political action and (2) creating a thematic forum to attract international scholars.

1st KSSPA penetrated the challenge to political action scholarship caused by the shift from disciplined organized political action within the nation-state and with government as its focus in the direction of more individualized, communicative, and reflexive forms of political action that occur transnationally and in non-government arenas. It was held in June 2005 and included twenty-five scholars from six disciplines and six countries. The Faculty at Karlstad University and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond financed this successful endeavor.

2nd KSSPA followed up the theme of "non-state centered" participation from the 1st KSSPA by focusing specifically on digital political activism, political consumerism, and new theorization on collective action. It also aimed at solidifying the Swedish base by embedding the 2nd KSSPA (2006) in the Annual Meeting of the Swedish Political Science Association. The Faculty at Karlstad University provided modest financial assistance to invite three international scholars to this meeting. It included twelve scholars (with two from Italy and Finland respectively and one from the USA) from the disciplines of political science, political philosophy, environmental science/history, and political communication.

3rd KSSPA (October 18-20, 2007) has forms of creative political action as its theme. Its focus is political science research on political action in the Western world and includes scholars from North American and Europe. This conference is financed by the Swedish research councils Vetenskapsrådet), Riksbankens Jubileumsfond, and Formas as well as by the Faculty of Social and Life Sciences at Karlstad University.

For information: Michele Micheletti