The Annual Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation (CASC) conference will be held in person as part of the Congress of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, from June 12 to 14, 2024, at McGill University. The theme of the conference is “Sustaining shared futures – the cooperative way“.
Presentation of the Conference Theme
In the light of the climate emergency, geo-political conflicts and socio-technological disruptions, such as those associated with the digital transformation and generative AI, it is difficult yet important to imagine desirable futures, to deliberate on them and on pathways in their directions, to identify traces of these futures in present and past, and to critically reflect on the futures we find ourselves in, and help produce and reproduce. Indeed, co-operative practice and research can draw on a long tradition of creative responses to societal crises. It is well placed to contribute to the multi-faceted challenge of concerted action across disciplines and communities based on inter-co-operation and ever-evolving co-operative models of organizing.
In response to the 2024 Congress call of sustaining shared futures, we therefore call on coop researchers, students, and community members to contribute their research, questions, and experience to this years’s Congress. What can be the contribution of inter-co-operation, of democratic governance and non-hierarchical relations for better futures for all? How does co-op research and practice engage with research on the climate emergency, on the digital transition and socio-economic inequalities? What can be the contribution of co-operative business models and networks? What policy support do they need, and how can they inform policy? What is the role of co-op education?
The CASC invites proposals on any of the following broad themes of the conference.
- Futures of co-operative movement, past futures, foresight approaches
- Insights from social movements such as Black Lives Matter, Idle No More, Fridays For the Future, MeToo…
- Co-operatives, communities of practice and climate change
- Co-operatives and democratic governance in sustainable economy in domains such as food sovereignty, mobility, housing and the circular economy
- Co-operatives and the digital transformation
- Co-operatives and social inclusion/justice
- Co-operatives and decent work
- Co-operative responses to renewed inequality (gig economy, COVID, etc.)
- Co-operatives and marginalized communities
- Co-operatives and Indigenous communities
- Co-operative governance and member engagement
- Co-operation and higher education
- Co-operation, co-operatives, and the media
- Co-operatives as sites of democratic education
- Co-operative action and collective learning
- Co-operative entrepreneurship as democratic practice
- Co-operative development for community and economic development
Please note that proposals on other topics involving co-operatives and co-operation are also welcome.
Submission Guidelines
The CASC invites researchers, students and practitioners to submit any of three types of proposals:
(1) The Individual Paper provides the presenter with the opportunity to present on a topic for approximately 15-20 minutes. They will join 1-3 other presenters of a similar theme. Proposals for both empirical (including case studies) and theoretical papers are invited.
(2) The Panel Proposal creates a space for a group (3) of presenters who have a common theme in their presentations to self-select to present together. Panels can be proposed to showcase and discuss recent ground-breaking research. Presenters will have approximately 20 minutes each to present.
(3) The Roundtable is an opportunity for moderated discussion. A panel of discussants will be posed ideas or questions on a topic by a moderator and the audience. Discussants are not expected to and should not deliver formal papers.
All abstracts and proposals are due on February 9, 2024. Proposals may be submitted either in English or French. No more than two presentations per person will be permitted. All proposals are subject to peer review. Applicants will be informed of acceptance by February 23, 2024. Please submit your abstract using the following link: https://forms.gle/DZnj6f6qTCEiLas79
Registration
- Participants in the CASC Conference should register through the Congress website
- Registration, which includes the early bird prices, begins in January, 2024
- Participants must register for Congress as well as paying for the CASC conference.
- Note that CASC conference fees include a one-year membership in CASC.
Questions ?
E-mail us at casc.acec@usask.ca
2024 CASC Comité de Programme
- Judith Harris
- Isobel Findlay
- Rafael Ziegler
- John Simoulidis
- Eylin Jorge Coto
- Juliet ‘Kego Ume-Ondiyo
- Derya Darhan
- Anne-Marie Merrien
- Marcelo Vieta
- Emi Do
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The Canadian Association for Studies in Co-operation (CASC) is a multidisciplinary network of researchers and practitioners whose work involves co-operatives and co-operation, broadly understood to include, but not limited to, Fair Trade, Social Economy organizations, Solidarity Economies, and formal and informal alternative economic organizations governed to some significant degree by mutuality. Our mission is to promote research on co-operatives and co-operation in Canada, while facilitating linkages between academics, practitioners, and research organizations internationally.