As the gods of the International Studies Association have seen fit to place my panel at 8:15 on a Saturday morning, I decided to advertise my talk in the blogosphere in hopes of drumming up some attendees. Below please see the teaser trailer for my working paper this year, which explores the impact of science fiction on global policy making in the area of autonomous weapons.

The paper itself is not yet ready for distribution (research is still in progress), but I should be able to circulate later this year and feedback at the panel will help me refine my conceptual framework – so if you are interested in these matters please come join us in the Richmond Room at the Toronto Hilton this Saturday! The panel, organized by UBC’s Chris Tenove, is entitled “Representation Across Borders”: Richard Price is chairing and other speakers include Wendy Wong, Sirin Duygulu and Hans-Peter Schmitz. Panel abstract is below the fold.

SA60: Representation Across Borders
When:Saturday, March 29, 8:15 AM – 10:00 AM
Where:Richmond, Hilton Toronto

Representation is essential for knitting together groups and political processes across space and time. While representation has been extensively studied in domestic political contexts, research on global politics is not as well developed. The papers on this panel will examine different aspects of the representation of transnational groups and issues, drawing on diverse cases, disciplines, and methods. Questions we will address include: Who gets to speak for and about transnational groups, and what kind of relationship should exist between the representatives and the represented? How do the funding or the structure of civil society organizations affect their strategies for representing groups and issues? Where do the rhetorical frames for representation come from? How can we assess representation in terms of its political impact or normative appropriateness?