The development of political studies into a distinct academic field in Australia was part of the wider post-war enthusiasm that linked nation building and prospects of a better world with the cultivation of the social sciences (Crozier 2001). APSA was born of this optimism.
The decision to form APSA was taken at a meeting of political scientists following the 1951 seminar at the ANU to mark the jubilee of federation. Eminent political scientists such as Leicester Webb, Finn Crisp and MacMahon Ball and constitutional lawyer, Geoff Sawer, were present.
APSA News
However, the central figure in the establishment of the Association was Henry Mayer whose indefatigable energy is recorded in the APSA archives. In particular, Mayer’s APSA News, which was first issued in 1956, gave intellectual and collegial focus to the activities of a small cohort of political studies scholars across large distances. 'In fact, in the first issue of APSA News, Mayer generated a list of all the political scientists working in Australian universities, which came to a total of 32 people. In spite of its small readership, the APSA News was more than a newsletter in that it carried substantial articles on political analysis and research until its final issue in 1965' (Crozier 2002, 1).
APSA Annual Conferences
Other milestones are notable. The first APSA annual conference was held in August 1957, formalising the face-to-face connections of the cohort. The 'early conferences were said to be "intimate" gatherings' (Crozier 2002, 12). However, some significant and lasting decisions were made at these gatherings. For example, at the 1965 APSA annual conference in Sydney, the Association agreed to establish a full-scale journal entitled Politics (Crozier 2002). It was renamed the Australian Journal of Political Science in 1990 and it remains the principal publication of the Association today.
Conference Papers and Other Publications
The annual conference history also provides evidence of the growth of the Association. The increase in the number of papers presented, especially after the mid-1970s, shows the shift to a large and more diverse membership with the occasional participation of non-members. From figures in the low 20s in the late 1960s, the number of papers presented climbed steadily through the 1970s and 1980s reaching over 100 in 1991 and 123 in 2007.
Archives of the Association also reveal a healthy record of publications. The monograph series (1959-1981) reflects the wide range of APSA publications, including themes such as political history, social psychology, media, and socialism, among others. Articles on women and politics, Aboriginal politics, ethnic politics and environment first appeared in the 1971-1975 period, and persisted through the 1996-2000 period to the present day. In addition, the APSA/Parliamentary Fellow series (1972-1982) and the State of Play series (1970-1983) concentrated on Federal and State politics with a strong emphasis on electoral and parliamentary issues. Over the years, other publications included the APSA Directory of Women Political Scientists compiled by Marian Sawer (Politics supplement 1981), the 1994/5 APSA directory of Australian Political Scientists, and a bibliography of political science and sub-field theses completed in Australia and New Zealand in 1990 (Crozier 2002).
The current membership of APSA is just over 300 and rising.
References
Crozier, M. 2001. 'A Problematic Discipline: The Identity of Australian Political Studies.' Australian Journal of Political Science 36 (1): 7-26.
Crozier, M. 2002. 'The Strength of Weak Ties? The Australasian Political Studies Association archive', paper presented at the APSA Jubilee Conference in Canberra.
Jaensch, D. 2009. 'The Australian Political Studies Association' in R.A.W. Rhodes (Ed.), The Australian Study of Politics. Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan, forthcoming.
The National Office would like to thank Dr Michael Crozier, Professor Rod Rhodes, Professor Marian Sawer and Professor Dean Jaensch for information, advice and comment.