Political scientists met in Los Angeles, California, and virtually, from August 31 through September 3, for the 119th Annual Meeting & Exhibition around the theme, “Rights and Responsibilities in an Age of Mis- and Disinformation.”

We are very appreciative for the outstanding leadership of the conference program co-chairs, Zoltán Búzás, Associate Professor of Global Affairs, University of Notre Dame and Felicity Vabulas, Associate Professor of International Studies, Pepperdine University. We are also extremely grateful to the 2023 division chairs, related group chairs, and other volunteers who help make this program possible.

Attendees of the 2023 APSA Annual Meeting gather in the Los Angeles Convention Center

The 2023 Annual Meeting featured 1,250 sessions, 75 business meetings, 36 receptions, and nearly 1,400 total events, providing a forum for nearly 5,000 attendees to present their cutting-edge research and innovations in the political science discipline, as well as providing the opportunity to network and collaborate with one another. Over 4,000 people attended in person and almost 1,000 participated virtually. Graduate students comprised 28% of in-person attendance and 27% were international members. Conference attendees had an opportunity to network with colleagues and take advantage of the many professional development panels and roundtables. In-person attendees ranked the Meeting experience as being a satisfying experience in their post-conference evaluations.

The Program Co-chairs put together more than 52 theme panels for the 2023 Annual Meeting. The chairs selected two plenaries, “Mis- and Disinformation in an Age of Human Rights” and “The Debate over “National Conservatism.” In addition, there were three breaking news panels: “Generative AI and the Future of Political Science,” “The Supreme Court and Affirmative Action,” and “Examining CRT & DEI Mis(Dis)Information: The Intellectual, Policy, and Political Implications in the Academy and Beyond.” They also accepted a mini-conference on “Pushing Barriers: The Place of Disability in Politics and Political Science,” which featured five panels over the course of Thursday, August 31. Program Co-Chair Felicity Vabulas shared, “I am really proud of the conference’s theme, “Rights and Responsibilities in an Age of Mis- and Disinformation.” It seemed poignant when we coalesced on this topic in the summer of 2022, but was even more relevant by the actual conference. As mis- and disinformation are becoming increasingly prevalent and problematic across the world, I am glad that so many panels examined how these phenomena can skew the political landscape and impact the attitudes and actions of political actors. We had multiplicity and diversity in methodological approaches and interdisciplinary engagement from wide-ranging research perspectives.”

With the event in Los Angeles, they developed a Mini-Film Festival at the meeting that included the following films that were related to this year’s theme: Navalny; Suppressed and Sabotaged: The Fight to Vote; the First Step; Unapologetic; and the Rise and Fall of Hong Kong. Program Co-chair Zoltán Búzás, said, “Working with Co-chair Felicity Vabulas was a pleasure. The mini-film festival she put together was a great way to make APSA more entertaining while giving it a local flavor.”

In addition, the APSA Oral History Project films were shown, which includes a collection of interviews that seeks to amplify the contributions of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to the profession. The films included interviews with Dr. Elsie Scott, Howard University; Dr. Kathie Stromile, Mississippi Valley State University; Dr. Dianne M. Pinderhughes, University of Notre Dame; and Dr. Todd Shaw, the University of South Carolina.

Zoltán Búzás, Co-Chair of the 2023 APSA Annual Meeting

On Wednesday, 27 short courses kicked off in advance of the meeting. In keeping with APSA’s RESPECT Campaign, the APSA Annual Meeting Ombuds was on-site and available to attendees for in person or virtual meetings.

The Awards Ceremony Reception concluded the first evening on Wednesday with a celebration of the amazing research contributions to the discipline 471 individuals were honored with APSA and APSA Organized Section Awards. Congratulations to our 2023 APSA award winners!

Felicity Vabulas, Co-Chair of the 2023 APSA Annual Meeting

Program panel sessions officially kicked off on Thursday. The Exhibit Hall and Interview Services also opened on Thursday. More than 18 departments registered to conduct interviews. Once Interview Services concluded for the day on Thursday, the Career Open House kicked off, as an opportunity for attendees to have informational and informal discussions about careers with 10 departments and organizations. Several professional development panels were also held throughout the meeting.

In the evening, Dr. Lisa Martin, University of Wisconsin – Madison, gave the 119th APSA Presidential Address: “Global Governance Confronts the Onslaught of Disinformation.” The Address was followed by the Opening Reception, the International Attendee Reception, the Combined Diversity & Inclusion Reception, the APSA DFP/RBSI Alumni and Mentor Reception, and various section and affiliated receptions.

Friday featured hundreds more panels, including the Bystander Intervention/Equity Training Lunch and Learn and the Department Chair Luncheon on “Increasing Enrollment in Political Science Majors: Opportunities and Challenges.” APSA also hosted the Member Appreciation Reception in the Exhibit Hall and a Children’s Ice Cream Social for families on-site. In the afternoon, the first Emerging Scholars Symposium Lightning Round session kicked off. The Symposium features three categories of presentations reserved for emerging scholars in the field and utilized an innovative panel format similar to PechaKucha and Lightning Rounds. The categories include Graduate Student Research, Research Design, and Undergraduate Student Research.

Saturday continued with five more Emerging Scholars Symposium Lightning Round sessions, which also coincided with other emerging scholar events, including the virtual Graduate School Information Fair, which featured 91 student and 25 departmental registrants engaging in recruitment and informational discussions, the APSA Ralph Bunche Summer Institute iPoster Session, and the Graduate Student Happy Hour in the evening.

The sixth annual TLC at APSA was also held on Saturday with nearly 150 participants. The TLC at APSA theme was “Political Science Education in an Age of Mis- and Disinformation.” Dr. Leah Murray presented the keynote, “First They Have to Trust You: Political Science Education in an Age of Mis- and Disinformation.”

In addition to the many panels, APSA also hosted an in-person exhibit hall. Multiple events were held in the hall, including the in-person iPoster presentations. The gallery is still available for viewing and feedback post-conference (https://apsa2023-apsa.ipostersessions.com/Default.aspx?s=Apsa-2023-Gallery).

Program Co-chair Felicity Vabulas reflected on the meeting, “Lisa Martin was a visionary and centered leader, from the time we began to strategize 15 months ahead of the conference to the more difficult logistical weeks before the event. I am grateful for her unwavering stewardship of our organization and our important annual conference. It was also an honor to serve as this year’s co-chair alongside Zoltán Búzás. Our partnership allowed us to be both intellectually ambitious in the academic aspects of our role and conscientious in the more administrative duties.”

She added, “Zoltán and I are indebted to the APSA staff, without whom we could not have had such a terrific conference. In particular, I want to thank Ashley Vande Bunte. Ashley was positive, well-organized, and somehow unflappable, even amidst challenges.”

Program Co-chair Zoltán Búzás added, ”It was a pleasure to be part of the superb team that organized APSA this year under Lisa Martin’s leadership. I enjoyed the opportunity to shape the theme for this year, select theme panels, and work on plenary sessions. I hope we have advanced, however little, the profession’s understanding of the relationship between rights and responsibilities on the one hand and mis- and disinformation on the other. “

Attendees of the 2023 APSA Annual Meeting gather in the Los Angeles Convention Center

The 2024 event will be the 120th APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition and will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from September 5-8, 2024. The call for proposals is currently open until January 17, 2024. The program co-chairs, Danielle Allen, Harvard University, and Michael Neblo, the Ohio State University, in conjunction with APSA President Mark Warren, University of British Columbia, developed the theme, “Democracy: Retrenchment, Renovation, & Reimagination.” Submitters can choose to submit to the program co-chairs’ theme panel category, one of APSA’s 62 divisions, numerous related groups, Lightning Rounds, and TLC at APSA. We look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia!■