From 5 to 9 November 2024, the "Sciences for Peace" Interdisciplinary Centre (CISP) at the University of Pisa will host the Annual Conference of the European Peace Research Association (EuPRA): Towards Utopias of Peace. Theories and Practices of Peace, Hope and Resistance in Troubled Times. The related call for papers is accessible below.
Participants in the EuPRA 2024 Conference are invited to send their papers to "Science and Peace / Science and Peace", the CISP online open access journal, to be considered for publication. Papers received by the Editorial Board (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) before 31 January 2025, and accepted after a double-blind peer review, will be included in a monographic issue. Papers received after this date and accepted will be published in other mixed-topic issues.
Call for papers
"Peace cultures thrive on and are nourished by visions of how things might be,
in a world where sharing and caring are part of the accepted lifeways for everyone.
The very ability to imagine something different and better than what
currently exists is critical for the possibility of social change”
Elise Boulding, Cultures of Peace (2000)
We are currently facing an era of global crises marked by injustices, wars, pandemics, endemic violence and environmental disasters, not just in Europe but also worldwide. Elise Boulding's depiction of peace cultures, where it is not only permissible but desirable to question the limits of our imagination through utopian thinking, stands out as a beacon of hope and resilience, emphasizing the importance of unity and compassion. According to Boulding, our ideal visions for the future are not mere escapes from reality. Instead, they serve as catalysts for positive societal transformation, steering us away from violence and injustice towards a harmonious society (Boulding 2000, 29). With this in mind, we are calling on peace scholars, professionals, activists, and artists to collaborate and discuss potential directions and solutions for our challenging era.
Across Europe, nationalist sentiments, misogyny and racism have grown louder, gaining significant traction in numerous countries. Hate speech and group-based enmity are exacerbated with the use of modern communication channels like social media and other online platforms. At the same time, these forums and media also hold great potential for all those who want to counteract the current developments; a spirit of solidarity remains among peacebuilding practitioners, who try to break the patterns of violent communication online. This shows that people - including peace researchers - still have the ability to adapt, innovate and be creative in the face of adversity.
Therefore, we must ask ourselves:
- What are the Utopias of peace in Europe (and beyond) in this day and time?
- What lessons of resistance and resilience can we draw from peace research?
- How can peace research help us to comprehend and address sustained and emerging conflicts?
- What are the current power dynamics in Europe (and beyond) and what are their consequences for global peace?
- How can civil society resist violence and promote peace and stability?
- How can peace research contribute to societal diversity and inclusion?
- How do early career scholars and young activists address today's challenges?
We invite submissions of papers, roundtables, panels, and workshops related to peace in Europe and its neighbouring regions. We particularly encourage the newer generation of peace scholars and activists to respond. In line with the general principles of EuPRA, our emphasis is on promoting intersectionality, inclusivity, diversity, and equality, both as overarching themes and practical approaches in the conference. While we suggest several sub-themes for the conference in our Call for Papers, we are also open to considering topics spanning a wide range of interdisciplinary issues pertinent to peace research.
Themes
1. Arts and Peace
2. Nonviolence, Resistance, Activisms and Liberation as Peace
3. Geographies of Peace, Contested Spaces and Resistance
4. Youth, Peace and Security
5. New Conceptualisations of Peace and Decolonizing Peace
6. Political Economy, Ecological Economics, Degrowth and Peace
7. Democratic Participation, Social Movements and Peace
8. Global Health, Care, Peace and Justice
9. (New) Media and Peace
10. Feminist Peace Research
11. Math, Computer Science and Peace Studies
12. Peace Education and Philosophies
13. Disarmament and Peace
14. Mobility, Security, Borders and Diasporas
15. Peace Mediation, Peacebuilding and Dialogue(s)
16. Other: You can submit a topic suggestion if the above categories do not fit your paper, workshop, panel, or roundtable.
Submit your abstract
Please submit your proposals by completing the form (link below) by 29 February 2024.
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All abstracts should be written in English.