California as the Epicenter of Social Sciences
Date : October 10-11, 2025, Paris
Organizing committee: Thibaut Clément (HDEA, Sorbonne Université & IUF fellow), Elodie Edwards-Grossi (IRISSO, U. Paris Dauphine-PSL & IUF fellow), and Olivier Richomme (Triangle, U. Lyon 2)
California occupies a central position in American studies and has inspired countless papers and books from its admission to statehood up to the present. While other U.S. cities and regions have in the past attracted the attention of social scientists on the occasion of international symposiums, few other states have commanded similar attention in recent years. This international symposium aims to gather and unify the various strands of social science research—including American studies, sociology, social anthropology, history, political science, and geography—whose methodologies (archival work, oral history, ethnography, participant observation, semi-structured interviews, etc.) allow for an intersectional examination of territorial, social, and racial inequalities and policies in California. It will offer a forum for field insights into the challenges and difficulties faced by France-based scholars in applying these methodologies to distant research fields.
Aiming to foster international dialogue, we welcome submissions from scholars beyond France and encourage participation from researchers at all career stages and in all positions. In doing so, this symposium seeks to contribute to the vitality of research on California both in France and internationally.
Proposals should be submitted as 300-word summaries by January 15, 2025, to the following address: californiasocialsciences. Contributors are also asked to include a brief 150-word bio. English will be the preferred language of the symposium.
Source: Elodie Edwards-Grossi <elodie.edwards-grossi>