CASC Call for Papers

En français.

Reflecting on Co-operation: Celebrating 25 Years of CASC and 100 Years of the CCA

2009 is an important year for co-operation in Canada. The Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation (CASC) is commemorating 25 years of providing a venue for scholars and practitioners to meet and exchange ideas. At the same time, the Canadian Co-operative Association (CCA) is celebrating 100 years of providing advocacy, training, and networking opportunities for the co-operative sector. Of course, Canadian co-operation has never been limited to national borders: we invite researchers, students, practitioners, and policymakers at home and abroad to join us and celebrate! We also extend a special invitation to all former and early members of CASC. Abstracts are due on January 30th, 2009.

This year’s CASC conference will be held at Carleton University in Ottawa from May 27th to 29th, 2009. The location — which is home to both the CCA and the federal government’s Co-operatives Secretariat — adds to the uniqueness of this year’s conference.

Conference Topics
In many ways, the context in which co-operatives operate has changed dramatically since the founding of the Co-operative Union of Canada in 1909. Their role has also shifted, from emphasizing single bottom lines to multiple ones, and single stakeholder groups to the needs of workers, consumers, and the wider community. At the same time, the nature of co-operative research has also evolved since the emergence of CASC.

Yet at their core, co-operatives have changed very little — their purpose has remained essentially to improve the lives of stakeholders in a manner that is equitable and democratic. In response, at the root of scholarly inquiry lie two consistently asked questions: “How does the co-operative form improve the conditions and capacities of those it affects, and what helps or hinders co-operation?”

We invite conference participants to submit abstracts that in some way reflect on the history of co-operation, changes in the co-operative sector, and new methods of co-operative research. Possible topics include but are not limited to:

•    emerging sectors of co-operation
•    new roles for co-operatives in international development (such as Fair Trade)
•    evolving relationships between co-operatives and government
•    single versus multistakeholder organizations
•    changes in co-operative accounting
•    diversity in co-operatives
•    innovations in community-based or participatory research
•    developments in co-operative theory
•    the changing regulatory framework of co-operatives
•    funding/capitalizing co-operation
•    organizing co-operatives at local, provincial, national, and international levels

Submission Guidelines
Abstracts and proposals for panels are due on January 30th, 2009. They may be submitted in English or French in either Word or Rich Text Format.

Please include your name, affiliation, title, and email address in your submission, as well as the title and a 200-word description of your presentation (including your research question, methods, and findings, where applicable). Abstracts can be sent by email (preferred) to casc_pres@coopresearch.coop or by fax to 306-966-8517.

To print this announcement, please download the attached word document in English or French.