Submissions should be made via meineDVPW on the DVPW website by 15 February 2026 at the latest.

Find full list of paper, panel and roundtable requirements here. 

Conference details: 21 to 23 September 2026 at Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Germany

For further questions about the conference organisation, please contact ib-sektionstagung@uni-wuerzburg.de.

Der Beitrag Call for Papers: DVPW Open Conference 2026 erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

The Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS) invites submissions for its 13th Annual Conference, titled “From Contested Pasts to (In)Secure Futures: Politics in East and Southeast Europe.” The conference marks the launch of IOS’s new Department of Politics and brings together scholars examining political orders, transformations, and contestations across the region.

Contributions are welcome from political science, the social sciences, and the humanities. Papers may address (though are not limited to) the following themes:

• Democratic erosion and authoritarian resilience
• Political mobilization, representation, and resistance
• Digital transformations and security
• Security, sovereignty, and regional orders
• Politics of belonging and meaning
• Law, expertise, and knowledge in uncertain times (including area studies perspectives on international law)

Submission deadline: 15 December 2025.

Further details on abstract requirements, biographical information, and submission guidelines can be found here.

Der Beitrag Call for Papers – IOS Annual Conference 2026 erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

The BMBF-funded research network Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions invites young scholars to a PhD workshop. In this collegial setting, doctoral students can present their projects, receive feedback, expand their academic network, and exchange experiences with each other and with postdocs.

Interested candidates should send an abstract (max. 250 words) and a short bio to ws.frieden@phil.uni-augsburg.de.

No participation fees! Accommodation and meals are covered, limited funds are available for reimbursement of travel expenses.

Deadline for applications: 11 May 2025

Der Beitrag Call: 3rd workshop for PhD students in peace and conflict research in Bavaria erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

15 May 2025 | Workshop at the University of Bayreuth with Kingshuk Chatterjee (Professor of History, Calcutta University)

Join us for a workshop that explores the ideological and ideational dimensions of politics, focusing on how language shapes political objectives and influences conflict. We will examine whether these ideological elements are consistent over time or driven by context, providing insights into the dynamics of social and military conflicts. Discover the critical role of language in understanding the roots of conflict and pathways to peace.

The study of politics often tends to be limited to social structures, institutions and ideologies – which implies that political behaviour is predictable, being determined by social structures (class, community, gender) and institutional frameworks. Ideological or ideational considerations are often understood to be providing the dynamic element in the study of politics, which is otherwise often considered to be hermetically sealed in formulation and autonomous in practice.

The assumption that ideas constitute perhaps the most important variable factor in politics has frequently played a crucial role in the understanding of conflicts, both in terms of causes and in terms of their nature. This often results in the impression that conflicts break out when protagonists subscribing to a particular view fight to defend or impose that view on others; the corollary to this impression is of course that peace obtains when different views are welded into an ideational consensus, or when a set of views obtain a kind of hegemonic status.

This workshop proposes to study the ideological and the ideational dimension of politics, particularly from the standpoint of conflict – both in the sense of social and/or inter-ethnic conflict and military conflict. The language in which political objectives and agenda are defined, expectations and apprehensions are framed, and success and failures are assessed, is crucial to the understanding of political behaviour that occasions conflicts – within territorial boundaries, and otherwise. The workshop will explore whether the ideological and the ideational elements in politics tend to be perennial in character (generating routine or similar demands across different times), or merely episodic and contextual (with formulations changing with contingent situations), driven more (or, as much) by material considerations.

How to participate?

This workshop invites PhD students and post-docs to present and discuss their research projects. It brings together Kingshuk Chatterjee (Professor of History, Calcutta University) with junior researchers working on diverse aspects of how language and ideology are related to conflict, foreign policy, war, security, and peace.

In a small group setting, the workshop intends to foster an informal discussion about research strategies, empirical puzzles, and theoretical challenges. It serves as a forum to discuss your research and academic issues that you consider relevant within these fields.

The workshop will take place on 15 May 2025 at the University of Bayreuth, from 9:00 until 13:00 with subsequent lunch at the Mensa. Depending on the number of participants, we may add an afternoon session until around 16:00.

The workshop is organized by the Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions network with support from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Apply now!

During the workshop you can present some of your own work and receive feedback from the group and our special guest Prof. Chatterjee. If you have an outline, working paper, or draft chapter (15-20 pages) to share with the group, that’s very welcome (but not mandatory). You can also join as non-presenting participant, if you are simply interested in joining the discussion and contributing your insights.

If you are interested in participating, please get in touch with Jan Sändig (jan.saendig@uni-bayreuth.de) by 30 April. We will accept participants on a rolling basis (first-come-first-serve). If you wish to present your research, please add a brief abstract (1-2 pages) of your project. Unfortunately, we cannot cover any travel or accommodation costs.

We are looking forward to inspring conversations!

Der Beitrag Call – Workshop „Language, Ideology, and the Dynamics of Conflict“ erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

The call is aimed at researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, activists, social movements, collectives, artists and professionals with experience in the topics of the encyclopedia based in Latin America, Africa and/or Asia. Contributions of individual or collective authorship related to the themes of the Virtual Encyclopedia are welcome. Proposals written in Spanish, English, Portuguese and French will be accepted.

Call for contributions

Der Beitrag Call for Contributions – Virtual Encyclopedia on Peace and Conflict Studies erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

25 April 2024 | Workshop at the University of Bayreuth with Swati Parashar (School of Global Studies, Gothenburg University)

This workshop invites PhD students and post-docs to present and discuss their research projects. It brings together Swati Parashar (Professor of Peace and Development Studies) with junior researchers working with and on feminist, postcolonial, and related perspectives and different aspects of conflict, war, peace, and security.

In a small group setting, the workshop intends to foster an informal discussion about research strategies, empirical puzzles, and theoretical challenges. It serves as a forum to discuss your research and academic issues that you consider relevant within these fields.

The workshop will take place from 9:00 until 13:00 with subsequent lunch at the Mensa. Depending on the number of participants, we may add an afternoon session until around 16:00.

The workshop is co-organized by the networks Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions and Postcolonial Hierarchies, both funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Interested in participating?

During the workshop you can present some of your own work, discuss its perspective, and receive feedback from the group and our special guest Prof. Parashar. Ideally, you have an outline, working paper, or draft chapter (15-20 pages) to share with the group some days ahead of the workshop. Alternatively, there are also some slots available for non-presenting participants who are simply interested in joining the discussion, engaging with their own views and ideas, and contributing to a critical evaluation of different approaches.

If you are interested in participating, please get in touch with Jan Sändig (jan.saendig@uni-bayreuth.de) until 5 April. For applying to present, please send a short project description (1-2 pages).

We are looking forward to inspring conversations!

Der Beitrag Call – Workshop “Postcolonial Re-evaluations” erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

Keynote speaker: Prof. Andrea Petö (Central European University)

Narratives of violence pervade our discursive environment and manifest materially, often in normalising the narratives of violence and making them less contested, establishing hegemonic narratives and silencing others or visibly demonstrating these struggles over acknowledgment of various narratives. While narratives of violence permeate political discourse, education and commemorative events and spaces, narratives of violence also accompany our daily lives: from Stolpersteine, street names, and other practices of memorialisation to social media feeds, newspaper accounts, Hollywood movies, and inappropriate jokes.

If you are interested in presenting a paper, please submit a 300-word abstract and a short bio; if you are interested in leading a workshop, please submit a 500-word abstract outlining the workshop concept, room or equipment requirements, and a short bio. All abstracts should be sent to Kirsty Campbell (kirsty.campbell@unibw.de) by 4 April 2024 and we will send notifications of acceptance out shortly after.

Further info: https://www.unibw.de/risk/downloads-1/cfp_narratives_of_violence_final.pdf

Image credit: Quinn Dombrowski, Peace, https://flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/38950284231/

Der Beitrag Call for Papers – Workshop „Narratives of Violence“ erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

The annual Workshop on Conflict Dynamics brings together early career researchers working on political violence, including armed conflict and contentious politics, to discuss and receive feedback on their research from their peers and senior researchers. The workshop is an independent event organized in 2024 by researchers from Technical University of Munich/Hochschule für Politik, Swedish Defence University, and University of Konstanz.

Applications can be submitted until 1 March 2024 – see the call for papers.

Picture ©Quinn Dombrowski, Peace

Der Beitrag Call for papers – 8th Workshop on Conflict Dynamics erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

26-28 October 2023 | Franken-Akademie/Schloss Schney in Lichtenfels

• You are writing your dissertation in the field of peace and conflict studies?
• You would like to discuss your and other research projects with peers in a collegial and appreciative setting?
• You are interested in networking with other peace and conflict researchers in Bavaria
• and you would like to engage in exchanging experiences of stress as well as ways of self-care during the doctoral phase?

The research network conflicts.meanings.transitions – Bavarian Center for Peace and Conflict Research (Bayerisches Zentrum für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, BZeFK) invites you to the Franken-Akademie in Lichtenfels from 26 to 28 October 2023. The workshop is the kick-off for intensified networking among peace and conflict researchers in Bavaria who are in various phases of their PhDs. With the participation of post-Docs of the research network, we will intensively discuss individual doctoral projects. In addition, the workshop will address questions of self-care and how to deal with the various stresses and strains that come with a doctorate: both in spaces for sharing experiences and with guidance and input from a qualified trainer.

Based on individual short papers of the doctoral projects (five to max. ten text pages, uploaded to a common paper room by 4 October 2023) and building on an in-person presentation (max. 15 minutes), we will thoroughly discuss the PhD projects. Each paper will be read intensively by one post-Doc and other participants, who will bring their comments and questions to the discussion.

The workshop will be held in German, but abstracts, papers, presentations and contributions to discussions in English are of course possible. If your participation depends on meeting special needs such as childcare or accessibility, please contact us (ws.frieden@phil.uni-augsburg.de).

No participation fees will be charged. Costs for accommodation and meals during the conference will be covered by the research network, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Limited funds are available to cover travel expenses. Reimbursement can be claimed for 2nd class rail travel in Bavaria with BahnCard or Sparpreis (Deutschlandtickets cannot be reimbursed).

If you are interested in actively participating, please send the following documents (in one PDF) by 10 August 2023 to ws.frieden@phil.uni-augsburg.de:

• a concise abstract of the paper proposed for presentation and discussion (max. 250 words), indicating the connection to peace and conflict studies;
• a few sentences of personal information (contact details; institutional affiliation; short-bio, including details of degree and doctoral subject).

The workshop is organised by the Chair of Political Science, Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Augsburg as part of the research network conflicts.meanings.transitions. It is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Picture ©Quinn Dombrowski, Peace

Der Beitrag Call: First workshop for PhD candidates in peace and conflict studies in Bavaria erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.

Eine interdisziplinäre Friedens- und Konfliktforschung, die nicht nur die Ansätze aus Politik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft, Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie zu integrieren vermag, sondern auch mit dem Wissen aus Recht und Geschichte, insbesondere Völkerrecht, Kriminologie und Zeitgeschichte zu verbinden in der Lage ist, scheint vonnöten. Dabei ist der Blick auf bereits eskalierte Konflikte genauso wichtig wie auf Konfliktkonstellationen, in denen bislang keine Gewalt sichtbar wurde, aber in Zukunft nicht ausgeschlossen werden kann, sei dies auf regionaler, nationaler oder kommunaler Ebene. Die Erfolgsbedingungen gelingender Konfliktbearbeitung durch entsprechende Institutionen und rechtliche Verfahren zu kennen ist ebenso wichtig wie Eskalationsdynamiken zu identifizieren und präventive Eingriffsmöglichkeiten zu erforschen.

Bedarf an wissenschaftlicher Konfliktexpertise besteht in unterschiedlichsten Bereichen, doch die Friedens- und Konfliktforschung in Bayern ist bisher kaum vernetzt und zu nachhaltigen Forschungskooperationen in der Lage. Eine 2021 durchgeführte Abfrage an bayerischen Universitäten nach Einzelprojekten auf dem Feld der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung hat zwar das vielfältige, primär sozialwissenschaftliche Potenzial in der bayerischen Forschungslandschaft ans Licht gebracht, aber für die wissenschaftliche Zusammenarbeit fehlt es an Vernetzungsstrukturen und Initiativen, die eine Bündelung der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung in Bayern ermöglichen würden, um von den vorhandenen Stärken zu profitieren.

Der seit April 2022 vom BMBF finanzierte bayerische Forschungsverbund, der sich interdisziplinär mit „Deutungskämpfen im Übergang“ beschäftigt und zudem zur Institutionalisierung der Kooperation in der bayerischen Friedens- und Konfliktforschung beitragen will, möchte die im Oktober 2021 bei einer Veranstaltung im Bayerischen Landtag begonnene Vernetzung weiterführen und intensivieren. Dafür findet in Augsburg am 2. und 3. Februar 2023 ein erster thematischer Workshop mit Fokus auf die interdisziplinäre Konfliktforschung in Bayern statt, bei dem laufende und geplante Projekte präsentiert werden sollen, die sich den oben beschriebenen (auch konflikt-theoretischen) Herausforderungen widmen und im besten Fall bereits interdisziplinär und kooperativ ausgerichtet sind.

Mit diesem Call bitten wir um Beitragsvorschläge zur Mitwirkung an diesem Workshop in Form von kurzen Abstracts, welche die Projekte skizzieren, die beim Workshop in einem 10-minütigen Impuls präsentiert werden sollen. Neben der Diskussion der verschiedenen Impulse bietet der Workshop insbesondere Raum zur themenspezifischen Vernetzung und Koordination für die Zusammenarbeit verschiedener Standorte, Disziplinen und Perspektiven im Hinblick auf die weitere Vernetzung der Friedens- und Konfliktforschung in Bayern.

Der Workshop wird organisiert vom Lehrstuhl für Politikwissenschaft, Friedens- und Konfliktforschung der Universität Augsburg (Prof. Dr. Christoph Weller). Ihre Abstracts schicken Sie bitte bis spätestens 1. Dezember 2022 an Dr. Michaela Zöhrer: michaela.zoehrer@uni-a.de

Der Beitrag Call for Abstracts: Workshop on Networking Peace and Conflict Research in Bavaria (February 2-3, 2023, Augsburg) erschien zuerst auf Conflicts.Meanings.Transitions.