Is it possible that certain forces within the APSA have it out for theory? The three theory sections, History of Political Thought, Normative Political Theory, and Foundations of Political Theory, are the largest of the APSA's organized sections. We typically have the most panels and the most attendees at our panels. Allocations of panels in the future depends on current attendance. Another bit of important information: no more than 5 or 6 panels in the same area/sections can be scheduled up against each other. And, scheduling is done by APSA, not by section heads.
Typically, plenaries are held at night. Yet, APSA didn't want to schedule the Foundations plenary at night because it would likely draw attendees away from other APSA events. So, it scheduled our plenary for 4:30 Friday afternoon (the plenary speaker was Elaine Scarry). It also scheduled 5 or 6 other theory panels for the exact same time, thus insuring that plenary attendance would take a hit.
Coincidence? Unforunate scheduling snafu? Or something else?
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