Upcoming SAAPS conference in Stellenbosch

Democracy in the First Decade of the 21st Century

The University of Stellenbosch will be hosting the bi-annual conference of the South African Association of Political Studies (SAAPS) in Stellenbosch from 1-4 September 2010.


It has been 10 years since the turn of the previous century and at this conference we want to take stock of the well-being of democracy in the 21st century. In this period democracies all over the world have been influenced by neo-liberal economic policy changes and an escalation of the war on terror after the incidents of 9/11 in the United States of America. Some democracies have lost ground, others have consolidated and others have reconfigured into regional supra- national bodies. There has been a clarion call for the 21st century to be 'Africa's century'. Ten years later it is now appropriate to reflect on achievements and failures, as well as on the continent's quest to secure greater political and economic stability and security. In his first major visit to sub-Saharan Africa, while addressing the Ghanaian Parliament, President Barack Obama was quoted as saying that 'The 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Accra, as well.' At the end of the first decade of the 21st century it is therefore timeous to assess which major debates, issues and challenges will dominate the disciplines of Political Science, International Relations, Public Policy, Gender Politics and African Politics during the next pivotal decade of the 21st century.

Find out more by clicking here.

What are political science alumni up to?

One of the aims of this blog is to give current students insight into the research areas that political science alumni are involved in...its hoped that this will facilitate networking, perhaps serve as a source of inspiration or creative ideas, and also give alumni a chance to tell students some of the things that they have learned in the job market (I'm sure there are many alumni out there who wish that they could have had some practical tips such as these while they were studying).

The idea was to set up a fairly standard set of questions that could be sent to alumni currently working in diverse areas of specialization such as conflict management, China/Africa relations, the political economy of water resources, etc.

I'd like to ask that you review the questions below and, if you feel there are any additions or amendments required, please leave a comment on this post.

The idea is that all of these posts will go under a specific label, such as "biographies & tips", if there are any ideas for a more suitable label title please feel free to make suggestions.

Tell us a bit about yourself, specifically your academic background:
(full name, outline of post-grad studies, incl. dissertation topic, and year of graduation)

Tell us a bit about your professional experience, both in terms of specific organizations and areas of focus:

Why do you find your particular area of work interesting?

What are some of the key issues and/or current developments in your area of specialization?

Any career highlights you would like to mention?
(particularly interesting projects or experiences)

How do you think your training in political science helped you in your career, both in terms of finding a job and in your current work?

Any tips for political science students who will soon be looking for employment?

Any tips for people who want to work in your particular area of specialization?
(feel free to add links to relevant organizations)

Anything you wish someone had told you while you were a political science undergraduate?