Karlstad Sweden – August 21-22, 2025
Critical studies of Power, Politics, and Governing
< S y m p o s i u m >
The purpose of this symposium is to gather academics who share a sense of urgency and responsibility to study the practices and effects of contemporary manifestations of power, politics, and governing. The symposium is directed towards scholars broadly working with anti-foundationalist perspectives, such as – but not limited to – Discourse Theory, Governmentality Studies, Science and Technology Studies, and Assemblage Thinking.
This free-to-attend symposium is hosted by the PPG research group at Karlstad University. Together we seek to explore themes and questions related to knowledge production from anti-foundationalist perspectives. The program includes a central keynote on this theme and three panels with invited speakers that will approach the topic from three broad empirical entry points: Space, Technology, and Marketization. Participants will also work in collaborative workshops to deepen the discussions further through collective work. In conjunction with the symposium, a PhD Course will be organized for a maximum of 10 participants.
When: 21-22 of august 2025, (23 of august if you also participate in the PhD course)
Where: Karlstad University, Karlstad, Sweden.
Cost: Both the symposium and the course are completely free of charge, including lunch and coffee.
Registration: https://symposiumaugust21-22.axacoair.se/
PhD Course: Read more about the course and how to apply here.
keynote SPeaker: William Walters
William Walters is a Professor of Political Sociology, jointly appointed in the Departments of Political Science and Sociology & Anthropology at Carleton University, where he also served as the FPA Research Excellence Chair (2019–22). His academic background includes an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Imperial College London, followed by graduate studies in political science at City University of New York and York University, Toronto.
His research spans political sociology, political geography, citizenship studies, security and insecurity, and Foucault studies. Over the years, he has examined topics such as unemployment, supranational governance in Europe, migration, and, more recently, secrecy. A central theme in his work is the effort to denaturalize social experiences and categories, analyzing their intersections with various political dynamics.
collaborative workshops
The purpose of the workshops is to contribute to ongoing theoretical and methodological discussions by developing and contesting concepts and analytical frameworks for power-critical and political analysis. Specifically, the workshops aims to focus on discussions around how knowledge interventions can be made. How can anti-foundationalist perspectives be developed and enhanced through discussions of relevance, normative positions, problematizations, analytical clarity and credibility, impact, and dissemination?
We will explore these questions together in three collaborative workshops that follow the entry points of the panel discussions: Space, Technology and Marketization. Participants are not expected to present papers, but rather prepare to engage in discussions structured around questions and themes that will be distributed ahead of the symposium. Please note: you are expected to indicate which workshop you would like to attend as you register.
edited volume
There is also a plan for an edited volume on the topic of the symposium. The volume will focus on knowledge interventions from an anti-foundationalist perspective to guide and inspire scholars with an interest in conducting critical studies of Power, Politics, and Governing. If you are interested in making a contribution, please contact tomas.mitander@kau.se to receive additional information.