APSA-ing as a Senior Scholar

Philly convention center

 If I had any doubts about my status as a "senior scholar," they were dispelled this week.  I was at the American Political Science Association meeting, and a grad student came up to me and said he was "professor x's last student."  The professor x in this case is not a telepathic leader of a school for mutants, but just a sharp woman whose stuff I read long ago, who I viewed as one of the group of hotshots that were one generation ahead of me.   Yep, she's retiring.  So, it is not just the folks who were senior scholars long ago, but everybody between me and them (well, except those folks who never retire).  

So, yeah, more conversations this time about when my friends plan to retire, when I plan, and all that.  Our jobs are pretty sweet compared to those elsewhere, so many folks do like to hang on for a while.  I will not be one of those, as I have already determined to step down after 20 years at Carleton, which means eight more years.  I might attend conferences to see friends and to keep learning, to keep engaging my curiosity, which is why I got in this business in the first place.  But I won't be teaching (mainly, I won't be grading), I won't be reviewing manuscripts for journals and presses, and I won't be submitting myself to the whims of reviewers.

Anyhow, over the past fifteen years (yes, the Semi-Spew is that old), I have gotten in the habit of posting my reactions to various conferences (including the APSA in Philly eight years ago).  This APSA as the first normal once since Covid.  Last year's post-covid (as if covid is gone, nope) APSA conference was a shell of itself as a hotel strike deterred many folks from attending.  

However, it was not so normal for me as it was my first real trip to Philly since my mother passed away last May.  I am so familiar with this part of the city as my mother lived near by, and we almost always stayed at this hotel next to the convention center and the Reading Terminal Market.  So, I knew where to go for great bagels, excellent french toast, cheesesteaks, and all the rest.  And I did spend some time at my mom's place, as I went through stuff with my eldest sibling--what jewelry made sense for my wife and such.  Oh, I hosted the regular APSA poker game at my mom's apartment since it had an excellent table and we were unlikely to attract hotel security.

The conference itself was the usual mix of panels and meetings.  Bluesky has replaced twitter as my way of meeting new people--an excellent ice breaker.  So, I had many coffees and a few beers with both old friends and new acquaintances and learned what they were up to.  I had a few meetings that were part of the CDSN 2.0 grant application preparation.  JC Boucher and I presented a paper (co-written with Charlotte Duval-Lantoine and Lynne Gouliquer) on whether discrimination against historically excluded groups affects public attitudes towards the Canadian military.  Yes, it does and people care more about discrimination against some groups than others.  We got some good feedback and learned much from the other panelists and their cool projects.  I went to a couple of other panels to learn what folks are doing in civ-mil these days and to learn more about the Ukraine war as I have an appointment in two weeks to testify before the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence.

Carrie and Max at the civ-mil table

I organized a civ-mil hangout at a bar near the convention center, and it went very well.  The civ-mil community is full of sharp, fun, sweet people, so it is always great to get together. As the old guy at the table and as the old guy on the panels, I appreciate so much how great it is to hang out with younger, livelier, more creative folks.  As I indicated above, I might crash post-retirement APSA's and ISA's as I get energized every time I go.  

Dani and Alexandra at the civ-mil hangout

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A big highlight was a reception at a local Irish bar celebrating three UCSD profs getting lifetime achievement awards.  I got to see some friends from long ago as well as meet some of the folks who went through the place after me.  I am so grateful for lucking into that place--it was and is a terrific community of sharp, sweet, generous, silly people.

Fun sign at the last place I had dinner

City hall is pretty at night

Interesting mural on the way to a steak place

A very good steak sandwich, just wished
they had pizza sauce.

Great way to finish up APSA is dining with JC and Sara

Fried oreos were amazing!

APSA 2018: Boston Rocks and So Does Poli Sci

The Convention center had security theater... not great.

For my entire career (and until 2020, when the timing changes), the American Political Science Association meeting has meant the end of summer and the start of a new year of teaching (minus the sabbatical year or two).  This year, it was in Boston, and I can't remember Boston ever been so terrific.  Sure, I felt lost since I hadn't re-read Robert B. Parker's Spenser novels to get my bearings, but once I walked around a bit, I remembered enough from previous APSAs (including the march of the bruised heel in 2002) here and recent visits, I could make the most of it.

I didn't go to many panels, but the one I chaired on Alliances that got me thinking.  Indeed, one of the panelists, Sara Berg Moeller, who I met last year, kept directing the audiences' questions to me as I did go to South Korea this summer.  Jeez, May feels like a long time ago.  I was able to use a bit of what I had learned to shake things up--that South Korea used to view US troops in their country as a way to ensure that the US keeps its commitment if North KOrea attacked but now those troops are seen as restraining Trump who might otherwise risk war.  This exemplified the Trump effect on the allies--usually, an ally fears either being abandoned or being entrapped (fighting a war they don't want to fight).  The joy of Trump--US allies now feel both fears at the same time. The discussion also pushed me to develop a new research idea that bridges the last two projects--thinking about alliances but in an Asian context.

Post hackathon awards

my table at the hackathon

I did do something I have never done before: participate in a hackathon.  Nope, we didn't hack computer networks, but instead tried to hack Poli Sci--can we figure out ways to improve our discipline for women and people of color.  I was assigned to "Men as Allies" group and to co-lead the discussion on inclusive networking.  We came up with a bunch of ideas as did the other groups.  How will I change my behavior?  I have gotten in the habit recently of using the "Women Also Know Stuff" database to find women who do civil-military relations, and invite them for coffee/beer at the conference hotel bar to chat about their work.  I have met a number of sharp young women, and have had very productive conversations about their work and mine.  They are far smarter on the recent literature and can help me connect my ideas to recent debates, and I have give heaps of unsolicited advice.  However, the folks at my hackathon table pointed out that one on one's and bars are both intimidating and can produce potentially problematic dynamics. So, I will try to invite a few women to meet at the same time, so that they can network with each other and have less fear about, well, me.  I won't avoid the conference bar because it is a less threatening common space than most others--and it usually has chairs. 

 The best part of APSA, of course, was hanging with old friends.  Last year, it was the grad school cohort. This year?  My fellow escapees--those who were my best pals in Lubbock and have now voyaged elsewhere.  And appropriately, we voyaged... across Boston Harbor to Charleton to see a WWII Destroyer, Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution. Because Mrs. Spew and I had visited this area last year, I knew of a great beer garden nearby.  The food was once again amazing.

Indeed, that was a key theme--thanks to some old twitterfightclub friends, I had referrals to great restaurants that did not disappoint.  Only disappointment was discovering this place Saturday evening--closed:













But Boston was mostly beautiful and tasty.  I hope we return here more often (SF is overplayed).
 

APSA: Woot!

Tis that time of year to assemble, avenging Political Scientists at the American Political Science Association.  #notallpoliticalscientists, of course, as Labor Day weekend is viewed by many as family un-friendly.  Because it coincides with the last summer holiday, attendees lose the chance to spend one last long weekend with the family before school starts.  And it also means that faculty might miss the first day of school for their child.  These are reasonable concerns, and so a political movement was organized to change the date.  It worked, with APSA eventually moving to later in September down the road.  It cannot happen instantly as APSA has contracts with hotels for the next five years or so.

I get those complaints.  Other folks complain about APSA meetings because they are too big, too much the "wrong" kind of IR or whatever, or what not.  I disagree as I am a fan.  While the International Studies Association meeting every winter gives me the chance to meet with most of my co-authors and IR friends, APSA allows me to meet those folks and more--the people I used to go to school with who don't do IR, the people I worked with in previous jobs, people in other fields that I met via a variety of encounters (past conferences, their job talks or mine, etc).  And, yes, I am extrovert, so meeting more people, renewing connections with friends and colleagues, losing/winning a modest amount of money at the annual poker game, these are all good things.  I chaired a panel yesterday that brought me back to my earlier work on the IR of ethnic conflict, and found all of the papers to be both sharp and stimulating.  Today, I will discuss a few papers for a panel, and I found those to be very interesting as well. 

Pennsylvania State House, where Declaration/Constitution were both drafted/passed

And Philadelphia has been mostly mighty fine this time around.  As it is my hometown, I got to see my parents, have/will dine with friends from high school, and finally quenched my desperate hunger for a steak sandwich.  I did some history as well--Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.  I hadn't visited either since I was 10 or so.  Post-National Treasure, it is fun to see this stuff again.  With the current election, the timing was also good to be reminded about the very basics of what it is to be American.  Oh, and this particular park ranger had a voice somewhere between a bullfrog and a drill sergeant.  The food, thanks to Michael Horowitz's guide, has been terrific.

So, yeah, woot for APSA and for APSA in Philly despite the nearby tropical storm.

APSA Needs .... A Stunt Baby!

Newly revised thanks to Putin's efforts to make Irredentism hip!

After enjoying much good food and friendship and professional networking stuff in San Francisco, I had to explain baby-gate/baby-ghazi/whatever to Mrs. Spew.  The story is summarized and then criticized at the Duck of Minerva by Charli Carpenter.  The essence of it is that a woman who was carrying her baby into the exhibition room was stopped by security apparently because APSA's event insurance did not cover kids in the book room.  Yeah, the room that has a bunch of publishers trying to promote their books.... like this one:

What kind of danger would a baby face in this area?  This, after all, is not where the job placement room is--where the newly minted PhDs are waiting for short job interviews.  The musk of fear and desperation in that room might be poisonous to a baby, but that was on another floor. 

Maybe the concern is the poster area?  That is the spot where mostly junior faculty and grad students (and some older faculty) post illustrations of their research and then chat about it to whoever strolls by.   Is this a dangerous area for babies?  Maybe as some research can blow one's mind, and younger folks do face a higher risk of concussion. 

Maybe it is the lounge in the exhibit hall where aspiring authors are meeting with editors, hoping to get their book published.  Early exposure to pandering may be harmful to infants?

What we need is a stunt baby!  A baby that can be exposed to all of these potential dangers and see if any harm is caused.  I owe Buck Henry and early SNL for inspiring this idea.*

* It is episode 6 of season 3--maybe it is on Hulu, which I cannot access now that I am again above Scott Walker's wall.

For those taking me at all seriously, I am mocking the APSA and its incredibly dim policy.  The APSA has been good about providing day care at a cheap price and a room for folks to nurse their babies, but this policy is just dumb.  There is no risk, nothing to insure people from.  We could have used some insurance to deal with being gouged by the conference hotel's extraordinarily expensive breakfast buffet (the one in Hawaii is better and cheaper!).  The APSA could have used some insurance to deal with the threat of renovation that might make it far harder to coordinate meetings--the lobby of the Hilton had a giant box (literally) that contained the renovation to the bar, which meant not only no bar but one could not see people on the other side of the lobby due to the giant box.  Epic fail!

The conference itself went well because the individual political scientists kept up their end of the bargain--they presented interesting research, my co-authors helped me make progress, my friends were good at moving to a different bar to share tales of academia and so on.  But the organization failed us--by embarassing us and by treating families poorly just at the time that the organization was already facing increased grief for scheduling the conference on Labor Day weekend.  That has long been the pattern, but last year's protest seemed to met with a poor response.  So, maybe doubling down on a bad policy about infants in the book room was a bad idea.

My review of the APSA's performance this wee:

Oh, and now Duck of Minerva is attracting trolls due to this story.  Thanks, APSA. 

APSA Ultimate 2014

Time again for APSA ultimate.  Friday, August 29th at 10:30 at Walter Pierce Park.  The park is just a short walk from the Marriott or Hilton:

Bring dark and light shirts and see you there!

Most Ultimate APSA Scheduling Detail

ISA 2012 Ultimate

APSA-goers: the ultimate game will be Saturday, August 31st, at 10am in Grant Park (after the soccer game).  The park is in between the Chicago Hilton and Lake Michigan.  I don't know exactly on what softball field we will set up--depends on what else is going on.  Email me at steve_saideman@carleton.ca for details on that day or just look for the shaggy, slower ultimate game (if there are any others out there at the same time).

No cleats, just bring two shirts--one dark and one light--and I will bring the cones and disks.  Oh, and you can bring the ice, Vitamin I(bruprofen) and the various braces to keep your body parts intact and so on.