1982
In the early years, the IPSA World Congress of Political Science rotated between European cities such as Zurich (1950), Stockholm (1955), Paris (1961), Geneva (1964), Brussels (1967), and Munich (1970). The first World Congress outside Europe was held in Montreal, Canada in 1973. After returning to Europe (Edinburgh) in 1976, the first Congress in Eastern Europe took place in Moscow in 1979. Three years later, the first World Congress in Latin America was held in Rio de Janeiro from 9-14 August 1982.
The policy of rotating the World Congress between continents was not designed simply to expose participants to a range of different cultures and national traditions, though that was an important by-product. It became clear at an early stage that a world congress tends to have a very positive effect on political science in the region in which it is held, providing a stimulus not just to academic endeavour but also to efforts to create a local infrastructure to support the discipline.
The 1982 Congress was held under the theme Society Beyond the State in the 80’s, and it attracted 1,477 participants worldwide.
The Congress was a significant event not only in the history of IPSA. As IPSA President Candido Mendes (1979-1982) notes, “This is the first social sciences world congress ever to be held in the *Third World. […] The programme of the Congress, as well as our efforts at ensuring the broadest participation in it, try to attain a fruitful convergence between two lines of intellectual interest: on one hand, to continue the efforts toward further development of themes that have a long-standing status in our discipline and, on the other hand, to actively promote first-rate research and discussions that express problems and concerns that are more specific to the Third World.”
*The term "Third World" was used during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either NATO or the Warsaw Pact.
Photo: The 12th IPSA Executive Committee meeting, in Rio de Janeiro 1982
From left to right: 1 - Klaus von Beyme (Incoming IPSA President, 1982-1985, Germany), 2- Stephano Passigli (Italy), 3- Serge Hurtig (Vice-President, France), 4- Mohamed Bouzidi (Morocco), 5- Babatunde Williams (Nigeria), 6- Ion Ceterchi (Romania), 7- Adolf Bibic (Yugoslavia), 8- Kazimierz Opalek (Poland), 9- Nirmal Bose (India), 10- John Trent (Executive Secretary, Canada), 11- Vladimir Mshvenieradze, 12- Georgi Shakhanazarov (First Vice-President, USSR), 13- Mogens Pedersen (Denmark), 14- Martin Seliger (Israel), 15- Anthony Birch (UK), 16- Marcel Merle (France), 17- Daniel Frei (Switzerland), 18- Kinhide Mushakoji (Japan) and 19- Jean Laponce (Canada).
Not in photo: Candido Mendes, Outgoing President.
