The International Studies Association makes me laugh

The following paragraph is contained in an e-mail I received from the International Studies Association regarding their upcoming annual conference — which this year happens to be held in Honolulu: [O]ur colleagues who live in Hawaii wanted… to remind everyone that appropriate dress code in Hawaii is dramatically different from dress code elsewhere. If you’ve ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

The following paragraph is contained in an e-mail I received from the International Studies Association regarding their upcoming annual conference -- which this year happens to be held in Honolulu:

The following paragraph is contained in an e-mail I received from the International Studies Association regarding their upcoming annual conference — which this year happens to be held in Honolulu:

[O]ur colleagues who live in Hawaii wanted… to remind everyone that appropriate dress code in Hawaii is dramatically different from dress code elsewhere. If you’ve been there before, you know that people dress quite informally. The weather is always warm without being stifling (thanks to the breezes). Virtually no one wears suits or jackets. So, while we don’t expect that you will come to panels wearing bathing attire, please feel free to dress informally. This is true even in the evening during receptions and in restaurants.

After reading this, I became convinced I was trapped in one of those ads for TBS asking myself, “is it just me or is so obvious that it’s really funny?” [Other people who don’t get to go to a conference in Hawaii might not find this so funny.–ed. Yeah, well, last year’s ISA meeting was held at thesame time of the year — in Montreal. So screw ’em.]

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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