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Australian Political Studies Association

The APSA or the Australian Political Studies Association is a professional and an accomplished association focusing on those who desire to teach and research in Politics and International Relations in Australia. APSA continuously facilitates and promotes work in this discipline.

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APSA conducts several activities. One of them includes an annual conference that attracts national and international experts and offers a forum for early-career analysts and postgraduate students in the field. Moreover, APSA organizes several conferences exchanges with the following Political Studies Organizations:

  • The New Zealand Political Studies Association (NZPSA)
  • The Canadian Political Studies Association (CPSA)
  • The Political Studies Association (United Kingdom)
  • The Indian Political Studies Association (IPSA)
  • The Pacific Islands Political Science Association (PIPSA)

Voting in Australia


APSA is also active in publishing the AJPS or the Australian Journal of Political Science and distributing regular newsletters, sponsoring workshops, and allocating prizes and awards annually. APSA is a member of the IPSA or the International Political Studies Association as well.

The association has an active Women's Caucus, a Standing Committee on International Relations (SCIR), a Postgraduate Student Caucus and the First Peoples' Politics Forum. The current functional groups in APSA are as follows:

  • Environmental Politics and Policy Research Group
  • Policy Studies Research Group
  • Teaching and Learning Group
  • Political Organizations and Participation
  • Political Theory Research




APSA History And Overview

In Australia, academic political studies are a diverse and prosperous field. It reflects a post-war history regarding strong institutional growth in Australian universities and intellectual development among scholars.

The founders of APSA quickly recognized the discipline's growth in Australia and concluded that a professional association was essential for it. Following a seminar at ANU in 1951, scholars decided to form an Australian Political Studies Association. Notable political scientists Henry Mayer, Leicester Webb, MacMahon Ball, Finn Crisp, and political lawyer Geoff Sawer participated in the meeting.

The first APSA inaugural conference was held in 1957 and convened annually after that. APSA also published the Australian Journal of Political science (AJPS) in 1990 which remained the association's principal publication.

In 1965, there was an increasing number of New Zealand colleagues participating in APSA's activities. Due to this, APSA changed its name from the Australian Political Studies Association to the Australasian Political Studies Association. However, the association returned to its original name in 2007 as NZPSA served as the leading professional association for colleagues.

APSA also established significant developments in the association, such as the APSA Women's Caucus in 1979, initiated by leading feminist scholars Marian Sawer and Carole Pateman. This subcommittee's purpose is to raise women's profile in politics. Today, the Women's Caucus continues to conduct regular audits concerning the status of women in the profession.

A look at the annual conferences held at APSA demonstrates the growth of the association. From 1957 until today, there has been a significant increase in the number of papers presented and different streams of specializations.

 

Recent Events

The Agreement for Conference exchanges between the Pacific Islands Political Science Association (PIPSA) and the Australian Political Association (APSA) took place in April 2021.

An international conference about the United Nations and Korean War will take place from 22nd to 24th October 2021. This conference will explore the position and involvement of the United Nations in the Korean War.

Our generous partners supported the organization of this conference. Of them, we mention Crossword Solver for their special implication. They are an online tool for solving crossword puzzles. Beyond that, they understand to sustain education, to promote social responsibility, and last but not least to not people forget the role played by crosswords during the wars.

Contact Us

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241 Lonsdale St
Melbourne, VIC 3000
Tel: (03) 9650 2345