The Allegheny Workshop on the "Politics
of Sacrifice"
September 18 - 20, 2007
Some History
This workshop, described in more detail below, traces it beginnings to Michael Maniates' May 2005 "Call for Papers" for the 2006 meetings of the International Studies Association. The response to this call was so strong that Maniates withdrew his paper (in order to make room for other participants) and instead offered a "think piece" to which the panel members would respond.
The result, in the spring of 2006, was a provocative set of papers and an especially rich discussion about how and why notions of "sacrifice" infuse current formulations of environmental change and imagined paths to sustainability. The richness of the topic and the enthusiasm of the panelists and audience alike led to discussions of a book-length treatment of environment and sacrifice for a broad audience of activists, educators, and scholars. John Meyer of Humboldt State University and Michael Maniates of Allegheny College agreed to serve as shepherds and editors of the project. The initial expectation was to complete the project in mid-2007, but Maniates' teaching and travel obligations intervened. Now, with support from the Academic Dean of Allegheny College and an anonymous donor, we (Meyer and Maniates) look to launch the project in earnest, with the expectation of having a complete manuscript in hand by mid-2008.
The following materials were prepared for the March 2006 ISA Roundtable on "The Politics of Sacrifice." Some of these materials, appropriately revised, may form the core of the book:
o
Maniates' Initial Think
Piece 
o Hans
Bruyninckx and Stefan Renckens: An exploration of sacrifice as a concept in the
analysis of global environmental problems: Climate
change
o Karen
Litfin: Articulating the Sacred in the Politics of Sacrifice
o John
Meyer: Sacrifice, Hope, and the Future of Environmentalist Social Criticism
o Paul Wapner: From Vanity
to Holiness? Sacrificial Environmentalism in a World of Bodily Pain
Shortly thereafter, Tom Princen wrote a paper informed, in large part, by the roundtable: Consumer Sovereignty and Sacrifice: Two Insidious Concepts in the Expansionist and Unequal Consumer Economy
The Workshop
24
August Letter, with Tentative Agenda
The Allegheny workshop is meant to offer a small number of scholars the opportunity to engage in intensive deliberation about the strategy and framing of a definitive volume on the politics of sacrifice for key activist and scholarly audiences. The workshop also provides the opportunity to present some of the volume's evolving themes to the Allegheny College community.
Workshop participants will gather at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania by the late afternoon of September 18th. September 19th and 20th will be devoted to structured discussions about issue framing, core literatures, common themes, critical gaps, empirical cases, and writing strategies. A panel discussion on the "Politics of Sacrifice," to which some of the workshop participants will contribute (but which all should attend) is scheduled for the evening of September 19th. Participants will be free to depart in the early evening of September 20th, but it is expected that most will stay over and depart after breakfast on September 21st. Some participants may be asked to meet with interested Allegheny students and faculty as time permits.The following individuals are currently committed to attend: Karen Litfin (University of Washington), Michael Maniates (Allegheny College), John Meyer (Humboldt State University), Tom Princen (University of Michigan), and Paul Wapner (American University).
We seek a handful of additional participants, in addition to the five listed above, to help strategize about theory, conceptual frames, and empirical case studies that should inform or be included in the volume; and to identify scholars or activists best suited to filling critical gaps. Participation in the workshop does not imply a contribution to the volume -- though individuals who wish to contribute and who can assist with our strategic needs may be the best candidates for participation.
Unlike other workshops of this nature, participants will not be asked to write or present a paper. This is a brainstorming, strategizing, framing and planning meeting. All participants will need to respond to a short set of questions by way of preparation, and some will be asked to participate in the evening panel discussion. Neither task will be onerous.
Lodging for workshop participants in local B&Bs will be provided, as will all meals and incidental expenses while in Meadville. Workshop participants are responsible for covering their transportation costs to the workshop, although some limited funds are available to defray these costs in special circumstances. A working agenda for the workshop will be distributed to all participants by late August 2007.
For additional information, contact John Meyer or Michael Maniates
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Last updated 07 September 2007 by Michael Maniates