Dear all,
First, many apologies for the extreme delay in writing to you. I won't bore you with the excuses, except to say that they have been work-related, and nothing whatsoever to do with Euro 2000.
This message is to follow up a discussion at the Political Studies Association conference in London in April about reactivating the association's specialist group on Scandinavian Politics. If you are reading this, you either (a) took part in that discussion, (b) otherwise signalled your interest in the group, (c) appear somewhere in my own list of contacts or (d) have had this message forwarded to you by one of the original recipients.
In general, I see the group as a network through which scholars who are interested in the politics of the Nordic region can keep in touch, share information and locate potential research collaborators. As an area-studies group, it will inevitably lack the focus on cutting-edge political science that other, thematically orientated specialist groups may attain. On the other hand, the fairly small number of Scandinavianists in Britain and, indeed, elsewhere in the English-speaking world would make regular contact between us potentially helpful and rewarding.
Specialist groups have access to a modest subsidy from the PSA. One condition is that each group submits a list of its membership. Participation in an e-mailing list run by PSA Scandinavian Politics Specialist Group seems to me to be the obvious way for it to construct such a list. I'm trying to set up an automated list using Keele's system, which would require individuals actively to subscribe. For the moment, though, it's simply a group mail to a collection of addresses. If you DON'T want to be part of that collection, please let me know.
The other thing that the PSA requires is details of our activities. Certainly, there are plenty of things that I think the group could usefully engage itself in. The following include some suggestions that emerged from our London meeting.
- GROUP-SPONSORED PSA CONFERENCE PANELS. This is an obvious investment, and three issues arise immediately.
The first is structure. The two panels that we held in London were pretty successful, I thought. They certainly featured some interesting papers, and it was especially nice to bring two Icelandic colleagues into them. I felt, though, that paper-givers would have benefited from rather more time to discuss their presentations with other participants. On balance, I'd prefer
just two paper-givers in each panel next year, perhaps with a discussant, perhaps without.
The second issue is the number of panels that the group should sponsor. Two, I think, is about right, when there is so much else going on at the conference. With fewer papers in each, a bit of healthy competition might be created in having a paper included. As for panel themes, anyone should feel free to propose to convene a panel under the group's aegis; we need only co-ordinate proposals, so as to avoid duplication. My own preference is for a panel focusing on political parties, but I'd warmly welcome suggestions from other people.
- The E-MAILING LIST itself. This will, I hope, have many uses.
* If someone spies interesting LITERATURE (a relevant new book, journal article, report or conference paper), they could post the reference on the list, together with a few words of comment.
* If someone feels that a forthcoming CONFERENCE, WORKSHOP or LECTURE would be interesting to fellow Scandinvianists, the list could be used to publicise it. Post-hoc conference reports could also be usefully distributed on occasion.
* I plan to incorporate a series of informal GUEST TALKS by visiting Nordic teachers and researchers in my Scandinavian Politics course next spring. The list could be used to identify both candidates for similar roles (research students might be especially suited to them) and the courses on which they might be deployed.
One thing I would ask is that files attached to e-mail and intended for wider distribution be limited in form to simple text, rather than Word or similar. We want to avoid the risk of unwittingly spreading viruses.
- INSTITUTIONAL CONTACTS. There are several places, outside the PSA, in which the existence of the group could be advertised. In Britain, UACES, with its newsletter and e-mailing list, is an obvious place. In America, APSA and ECSA are candidates. Other suggestions would be gratefully
received.
- WEBSITE. I see this as containing brief details of the group, some recent news from the e-mail list, and a few links to relevant sites. In fact, a colleague at the University College of Southern Stockholm, Chris Jones (chris.jones@sh.se), already has something up and running (http://home.bip.net/tootiki/finds/index.htm). Suggestions for its form and contact would be welcome.
- SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS. These might be well worth organising once the group has established itself. These could range from the informal, almost like reading-group discussions, to more ambitious events, attached to particular themes (a Nordic EU presidency, say, or an election).
Finally, I should say that, at this stage, I think the group does NOT need (a) a more formal administration (such as a steering committee or other officers) and (b) subscriptions (if communication is exclusively electronic, the group's administration will require only time, not money). If anyone has another view, do let me have it.
Best,
Nick Aylott
Keele University
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http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/spire/
