Call for papers for volume 8, issue 2, year 2023
With the aim of promoting academic production in the field of Ciências do Estado (State Sciences), the editorial team of the Journal of State Sciences (REVICE) and the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (CEJM-UFMG) hereby announce this call for papers, regarding the composition of the dossier for Volume 8, Issue 2, year 2023. The theme of this edition's dossier will be "INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION TO THE WORLD."
The separation between physis and nomos, that is, between nature and culture, marks the essence of Western civilization. Humanity found itself divided, separated from the natural world from the moment it became self-aware and realized that its destiny was not be submitted to the determinism of the environment: subject and object were separated. However, each people, each culture, each civilization would shape its own destiny, its telos, based on its traditions, values, and utopias. At least that's how it was until geographical and technological boundaries expanded, and civilizations were compelled to relate to one another. The clash of civilizations, as denounced by Samuel Huntington, transcends the dualism between the West and the East, but, in a way, this division lacks explanatory power for reality. Civilizational identity is a self-declared and self-reflective process, although that, at the same time, it needs to be recognized by the other, by the different. The division of the world into civilizations, therefore, often takes place in an arbitrary manner, reducing the complexity of this cultural phenomenon.
The West, for example, recognizes Europe as its birthplace but does not completely identify with it. Nonetheless, Europe was and continues to be one of the epicenters of these civilizational encounters, which are sometimes marked by rich economic, technological, and cultural exchanges and sometimes result in conflicts, wars, and occasionally barbarism, as witnessed in the 20th century. The transition of the European continent towards the Union is inscribed in the particular historical-political development of the West and, consequently, reflects the core values of this civilization. Nevertheless, its emergence and actions represent an event of undeniable global significance, with multiple ramifications across different corners of the planet with other peoples and cultures.
The short past century, as indicated by Eric Hobsbawm, was lived as an era of extremes, of unimaginable violence and atrocities. Europe, the birthplace of the Western civilization, the rule of law, and the democracy, found itself devastated by the horrors of an era of catastrophes, of which it was the main stage. At the end of the Second World War, or the second phase of the European Civil War, European citizens found themselves in the need to rebuild the foundations of peace and prosperity in the Old World. In this context, the continent's leaders engaged in a remarkable initiative of regional integration, in order to enable a new beginning for Europe based on solidarity and cooperation among its peoples, as well as on a common European heritage. Throughout the course of the 20th century, this initiative would take on different forms, from the European Coal and Steel Community created by the Treaty of Rome (1957), passing through the European Economic Community, and to the establishment of the European Union itself by the Maastricht Treaty (1992).
In the present time, the integrated Europe is much more than a thriving economic bloc; it is a supranational or confederated political community, comprising 27 member states, aimed at building a common space of citizenship, freedom, justice, progress, and sustainability. Its construction has required a remarkable effort of diplomatic, legal, economic, and social engineering. Although it has experienced crises, the European experience of regional integration has proven to be an initiative open to difference, which is why Europe can be conceived as a community in constant transition. As the pivot of the international scene, Europe now establishes economic, political, and cultural relations with various states and even civilizations, sometimes coercing, sometimes being coerced, sometimes altering global dynamics, and sometimes being altered by them.
The European project has unfolded as a long and complex journey. Its challenging construction has been the synthesis of a polysemic process, encompassing multiple meanings and interests. As a result, the itinerary of the European Union has been, and continues to be, permeated by incessant conflicts and disputes. In light of this, highlighting the continuities and transformations of these struggles seems necessary in order to interpret the very meanings that the European project has assumed over time, both in the Western and global imagination.
Given the contemporary challenges taking place on the international stage, such as climate change, the crisis of neoliberal globalization, and the exacerbation of geopolitical tensions, it becomes essential to take a new look at civilizations, at humanity and its world project, its metanarratives, and macro-philosophy. It is important, in this regard, to (re)think the theoretical, philosophical, and cultural contributions that have shaped the idea of integration and have shaped the Old World thus far, in order to elucidate and problematize them. It is also necessary to reflect on the challenges and possibilities that the present time imposes not only on the European Union, its institutional development, its foreign and defense policy, its sustainability agenda, and its internal cohesion, but also on the modern individual and their cultures.
The Jean Monnet Center of Excellence at the Federal University of Minas Gerais is part of the European Commission's program (Erasmus+) and aims to promote projects of dissemination, discussion, and dialogue, as well as to train researchers and encourage research and studies on different aspects of the European Union, with the thematic core being WISDOM (World's impact of sustainability: the domain of the model of European Union and the relation with Mercosur), that is, the study of the global impact of sustainability from the perspective of the Mercosur and the European Union relationship.
The ideas of CEJM-UFMG are in perfect harmony with those of REVICE, founded in 2016 and classified as A4 by CAPES (2017-2020 Triennium). The journal has become an important center for discussions, focusing on a critical approach to problems, doctrines, theories, and realities through research. The partnership between the Jean Monnet Center of Excellence at UFMG and the Journal of State Sciences brings with it the importance and knowledge of international studies, the EU, and the world in the geopolitical chessboard under an accelerated process of globalization (turboglobalization). Always evaluating past and varied dispositions that guide and direct actions, aiming, thus, for a greater plurality of views and investigations.
Specifically, it is of interest to investigate the interactions of the European Union with other global actors and the challenges posed to its international or intercivilizational action. How has European foreign policy oriented itself in an increasingly multipolar world? How has the European Union sought to develop its ties with the Global South, including countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia? What are the prospects for European cooperation with other regional blocs (Mercosur, ASEAN, African Union)? What is the relationship between the European Union and the BRICS+? How do the organization and its members interact with major powers such as China, Russia, and the United States? What contributions has Europe made to the promotion of sustainability and human rights? What are the current challenges to ensuring the right to economic, social, cultural, political, and sustainable development? How does the current European situation allow us to reflect on transformations in the international order? What are the main dilemmas regarding the defense and security of the Old World? What is the role of the European Union in the international concert of nations? How does the European Union project its interests in the so-called "global governance"? How do political relations between EU members and non-members unfold? Ultimately, what is or should be Brazil's position in regard to the European Union? What does Brazil have to teach the EU? What does the EU have to teach the world?
In parallel, it is also possible to reflect on the internal juridical-political dynamics of Europe itself. What are the main dilemmas faced by its institutions? How do the Union and its members respond to populist movements and other challenges to democracy? What are the extraterritorial implications of the norms and policies emanating from the organization? What are the challenges in achieving European citizenship and the effectiveness of its rights? How has European law evolved? What tensions and advances are observed in the relations between the Union and its member states? What legal-political solutions have allowed the organization to resolve its internal impasses? What contributions has the European integration experience made to different activities in the public sector?
Furthermore, it is important to reflect on the ecological dimensions of the European project. What are the paths to achieving an energy transition in Europe? How do Europeans perceive the task of decarbonizing their economies? To what extent does the European Union contribute to the promotion of sustainable development for its members and the rest of the world? How can the European Green Deal and other community norms related to sustainability be effectively implemented? From what approaches can the European green initiatives be problematized and improved? Is it possible to consider Europe as a reference pole for development?
Similarly, the cultural contours should be explored. What are the relationships between Western political-philosophical ideas and the European project? What values have motivated aspirations to promote the European Union as well as criticize it? How can the emergence of the Union be situated in the long history of the West? What is the future direction that the European Union envisions for itself and for the world? At the same time, how can the different worldviews that make up the particularities of European peoples be mediated? How does the integrated Europe express or reject ideals such as freedom, sovereignty, equality, and popular will? How does the globalization of values affect regional and global politics? Is it possible to establish a common global agenda based on the European Union? How do relations between the West and the East unfold from the perspective of the European Union? What is the new (dis)order of the world? Where is the West heading? Is there indeed a clash of civilizations taking shape in the 21st century? What is at stake in the international order? Is the European Union gaining or losing ground in contemporary times? Does the dream of European integration remain a utopia?
Therefore, this issue encompasses works on International Studies, the European Union, European geopolitics, globalization, sustainable development, economic development, cultural development, political development, technological development, global crises, new international dynamics of Europe and Brazil, issues of internal and external policy of the European Union and Brazil, educational policies in Europe, European defense management, European sociocultural context/development, Treaties of the European Union, European Union institutions, European Parliament, climate change, Council of the European Union, European Central Bank, BRICS Bank, single currency (Euro), Common Agricultural Policy, Schengen Agreement, EU migration and immigration policies and their impact on the world, European Studies, history of the European Union, international economic blocs, integration policies, international treaties, international relations, strategic studies, geopolitics, globalization, global capitalism, diplomacy, nation, culture, civilizational conflicts, clash of cultures, Comparative Theory of the State, global governance, systems of government, forms of state, world history, Erasmus, universities, as well as other reflections on the European Union itself for the world.
I - The publication of REVICE will be continuous.
II - REVICE will accept submissions for this dossier from the date of its publication until September 10th, 2023.
III - Papers whose evaluation and correction processes are not completed by December 31, 2023, will be published in subsequent issues of REVICE.
IV - All submission policies and editorial policies of REVICE can be found on its official website.
V - Only original articles, essays, reviews, unpublished translations, and historical memoirs will be accepted.
VI - Free-themed works continue to be accepted by REVICE.
Belo Horizonte, July 13th, 2023
Lucas Antônio Nogueira Rodrigues
REVICE’s Editor-in-Chief
João Pedro Braga de Carvalho
REVICE´s Deputy Editor-in-Chief
