The European Conference on the Social Sciences 2017 (ECSS2017)

Join us in Brighton this summer for The European Conference on the Social Sciences 2017 (ECSS2017), July 7-9, 2017. ***ECSS2017 at a glance The European Conference on the Social Sciences 2017 (ECSS2017) will be held alongside The European Conference on Sustainability, Energy and the Environment (ECSEE2017) in the cosmopolitan and culturally rich city of Brighton, UK. Submit your abstract now to participate in this international, interdisciplinary and intercultural event. **Location: The Jurys Inn Brighton Waterfront, Brighton, UK **Dates: Friday, July 7 to Sunday, July 9, 2017 **Initial Abstract Submission Deadline: February 28, 2017 **Early Bird Registration Deadline: March 30, 2017 **Enquiries: ecss@iafor.org SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT: iafor.org/ecss2017-call-for-papers Already had your abstract accepted? Register now: iafor.org/ecss2017-registration To find out about registration packages, presentation options, conference events and more, please visit the conference website: ecss.iafor.org ------------- ***ECSS2017 Conference Theme: "East Meets West: Innovation and Discovery" From natural phenomena and the results of climate change to pollution and societal traumas, migrations and war, the enormous challenges that face humankind and our environment are frequently daunting and difficult to comprehend. However, with every new challenge or disruption comes the opportunity for innovation and discovery. Whether inventing new technologies, implementing innovative systems, enacting better policies, legislation, or governance, or ensuring greater cooperation and information sharing, responses are many and varied. From incremental shift to radical change, from the local to the regional and from the national to the global, this international conference will focus on the challenges that demand a collective response. It will highlight the need to harness our abilities as scientists, policymakers, practitioners, engineers and educators to find multidisciplinary solutions in pursuit of the common goal of a sustainable world. In conjunction with our global partners, we look forward to extending a warm welcome to you in 2017. – The ECSS2017 Organising Committee (iafor.org/ecss2017-committee) ------------- ***Programming **Featured Panel: Brexit: The (dis)United Kingdom and the European (dis)Union Panel Chair: Dr Joseph Haldane, Chairman and CEO, IAFOR On June 23, 2016, the United Kingdom voted to exit the European Union in a referendum that saw 52 percent of the population come out in favour of leaving and 48 percent in favour of remaining. While both England and Wales voted to leave, Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay. This division and the closeness of the referendum result led to a political class and government that was overwhelmingly for continued membership of the European Union, bound to follow a path it did not support, along with an anxious and divided population. In continental Europe, the "ever closer union" enshrined in the EU's treaties appeared under threat from of the imminent withdrawal of one of the "big three". This panel will examine the situation in Britain and Europe one year on. Was the UK's vote the first sign of the Union unravelling, with some commentators suggesting that Brexit would lead to the break up of both the EU and the UK, or have forces emerged to counter those of the resurgent nationalisms and populisms? The panellists will discuss the UK's economic and political outlook and, in reference to the conference theme, will question whether these altering forces are not disruptive innovation that could see both the UK and the EU undergo necessary change, emerging stronger for it. **Featured Panel: East Meets West – Healthy, Active and Beautiful Aging in Europe Panel Chairs: Dr Evangelia G. Chrysikou (UCL, UK) and Professor Chariklia Tziraki (Hebrew University, Israel) How any society deals with aging can be a contentious issue, one on which questions of culture, convenience and even expedience are brought to bear. Economic prosperity and peace in developed countries has lead to unprecedented levels of healthcare provision for a population that, as a result, is living far longer. Coupled with falling birthrates, Western Europe and Japan are witnessing demographic changes that bring unparalleled challenges but also unexpected opportunities for aging populations, as innovations and discoveries help people lead active and healthy lives. This panel will provide an overview of the demographic situation in different countries and cultures in Europe and beyond to compare and contrast outlooks for the aged. It will also examine the concepts of healthy, active and beautiful aging. **Spotlight Presentation: Volunteer Tourism and the Creation of "Volunteerscapes" in Thailand Professor Nick Kontogeorgopoulos, University of Puget Sound, USA Volunteer tourism is a form of travel that combines traditional leisure pursuits with opportunities to volunteer in an organised fashion. The popularity of volunteer tourism stems from many factors, but the one motivation that appears in virtually every study is a desire for object authenticity, defined as the authenticity of toured objects, people, and settings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role played by object authenticity in the motivations and experiences of volunteer tourists in the province of Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Based on interviews with 62 volunteers and 15 directors, managers and staff members from volunteer tourism organisations based in Chiang Mai, this paper argues that volunteer tourists conceive of object authenticity both as a package of cultural stereotypes focused on authentic people, and as authentic backstage settings where "real" Thai reside. Aside from demonstrating that the desire for object authenticity is the central motivation for international volunteers in northern Thailand, this study indicates that the pursuit of object authenticity is complicated by language barriers, the potential staging of authenticity on the part of locals, and the need to balance familiarity with alterity in the carefully selected "voluntourscapes" in which volunteer tourism takes place. ------------- ***IAFOR's Grants and Scholarships For information about IAFOR's new grants and scholarships for PhD students and early career academics, please visit: iafor.org/ecss2017-financial-support ------------- ***IAFOR Publishing Opportunities **Peer-reviewed journal: IAFOR Journal of the Social Sciences The IAFOR Journal of the Social Sciences (joss.iafor.org) is an editorially independent journal associated with ECSS2017. The editor of the journal will select the strongest papers from the associated conference proceedings for consideration. This Open Access journal, which conforms to the highest academic standards, reflects the interdisciplinary and international nature of our conferences. **Conference Proceedings After having your abstract accepted and presenting your research at the conference, you are encouraged to submit a full paper for inclusion in the official Conference Proceedings. Our Conference Proceedings are Open Access research repositories, which act as permanent records of the research generated by IAFOR conferences. Further details are available here: iafor.org/ecss2017-final-paper-submission **THINK THINK (think.iafor.org), The Academic Platform, is IAFOR's online magazine, publishing the latest in interdisciplinary research and ideas from some of the world's foremost academics, many of whom have presented at IAFOR conferences. Content is varied in both subject and form, with everything from in-depth articles to shorter opinion pieces, interviews, film and photography. ------------- ***Join IAFOR at ECSS2017 to: – Present to a global audience – Have your work published in the Conference Proceedings and considered for peer-reviewed, Open Access journals – Benefit from IAFOR's interdisciplinary focus by hearing about the latest research in the Social Sciences, Sustainability, Energy and the Environment and more – Participate in a truly international, interdisciplinary and intercultural event – Take part in interactive audience sessions – Network with international colleagues **Register now to take advantage of Early Bird Registration prices. Early Bird Registration is open until the end of March 30, 2017. Lunch is included in all conference registrations. Please see the registration page for details: iafor.org/ecss2017-registration *If you have attended an IAFOR conference within the past year, or belong to an affiliated university or institution, we offer additional discounts in appreciation of your support. Please contact us at ecss@iafor.org for details. ------------- ***About IAFOR To learn more about IAFOR, please visit iafor.org. For enquiries please contact ecss@iafor.org.