Call for Papers
The Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK), Lebanon, and Casa Árabe, Spain, are organizing an international colloquium on “Inequality and Democracy in Latin America and the Middle East”. Organizers intend to bring together researchers from both regions as well as international experts to animate the colloquium.

This event, hosted by the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities (FPSH) and the Latin American Studies and Cultures Center (CECAL), will take place on October 1 and 2, 2015, in the Conference Hall.

Rationale
Latin American and Middle Eastern societies have experienced sociopolitical and economic transformations for some considerable time. In recent decades, Latin America has gone from dictatorships to democracies. Development projects are on the agenda of every country. This phenomenon would not take place without reaching the Middle East which also goes, at the present time, through sudden and violent changes, but also through that shy breath of democracy that will arise when all the guns of war and irrationalism fall silent.

Due to the importance of changes, the colloquium offers an insight and a reflection on common problems in each region, mainly on inequalities that create gaps on several levels, such as work, education, health, economy, and community life.

In 2005, the UNO declared that inequality is the main problem the world faces today. Due to the growth of inequality in some countries and to strong economic and social disparities between cities, without neglecting the role of globalization that develops these disparities between the countries of the two regions, the colloquium aims to highlight certain marginalized human groups, such as elders who do not receive social assistance, maids, manual workers, persons with special needs, and uneducated or unskilled people.

Objective
The era of social inequality that persists, invites us to study the current situation, especially in developing and emerging countries, often in a context of social revolution. Would the sociopolitical and economic sector be solely responsible for the delay of the development of the system and of social lifestyles?

To address this question, the colloquium has the following objectives:
a) Reflecting on the public policies facing the phenomenon of inequality and the role of competent authorities.
b) Knowing how to treat deep economic and social inequalities in a globalized and anarchic international system.
c) Ensuring that democracy itself guarantees the expected solutions and, in case of affirmation, defining the proposed democracy.
The conference intends to propose solutions or solution components that would support the social order in the different contexts of the Middle East and Latin America.

Reflection Channels
Theme - Intercontinental Power Plays: from Emergent to Protesters Diplomacies

The contributions will treat the issue of global inequality and development, on a global scale. Political, legal and economic reasons for inequality will be explored, covering the gap between developed countries and emerging ones and focusing on the underlying reasons which are essentially within the socio-religious and political-economic order.

The inequalities prevalent in the regions of the Middle East and those of Latin America compared to the West or nations that are world powers are also to be taken into consideration. The inequity between countries, inequality within countries, and the dehumanization of international relations provides an awareness of a problem to be analyzed and approached reasonably.

As for democracy seen as a solution and as an exit from inequality, it would be appropriate that the contributions carry a reflection on the challenges faced in order to help the Latin American and Middle Eastern nations to succeed in establishing a democratic tradition that can correct the hypertrophic growth of the state, prevent the anthropological reductionism that affects all classes of society and gives them a viable public sphere profile where the key words are: justice, law, citizenship, fairness, mutual respect, ethics and love.

Instructions for Submission of Papers
Candidates who would like to participate in the colloquium should propose a title that shows its competencies and that is related to the multidisciplinary and overall theme of the colloquium. The author should submit to the CECAL an abstract of his/her intended paper (250 words) and a short CV, by no later than May 30, 2015.

Candidates should submit full texts to the CECAL and papers should abide by the following standards:
- Font: Times New Roman
- 20,000 characters (including spaces, footnotes and bibliography)
- Left and right justification of texts and subtitles in bold
- Quotations in italics
- References within the text: name of the author, title of the book, year and page number
- Bibliography should be displayed at the end of the paper
- Papers should be sent by email to the CECAL by July 20, 2015
- Time allotted for each presentation: 20 minutes

Organizers will cover the airfare, accommodation and internal transportation of researchers for the duration of the colloquium.

Contact Person
Mr. Roberto Khatlab - Director of CECAL
Holy Spirt University of Kaslik – USEK
Latin American Studies and Cultures Center – CECAL
P.O. Box 446 Jounieh - Lebanon
Tel. +961 9 600 388
Mobile +961 3 243 114
Email robertokhatlab@usek.edu.lb