EISA

EWIS 2025
2025-07-02 - 2025-07-04 | Jagiellonian University, Gołębia 24, Kraków, 31-007, Poland
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12th European Workshops in International Studies,Krakow, Jagiellonian University, 2-4 July 2025
The European Workshops in International Studies (EWIS), launched by the EISA in 2013, have fast established themselves as a spirited place for the European IR community to engage in sustained, in-depth discussion with a diverse range of peers from various institutions, countries, disciplines and career stages. EWIS has proven to be a popular and productive format, perfect for preparing special issues, edited volumes or exploring new ideas, themes and directions in a vibrant and friendly atmosphere.

PEC 2025
2025-08-25 - 2025-08-29 | University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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18th Pan-European Conference on International Relations, University of Bologna, 25-29 August 2025
We are delighted to invite you to the 18th EISA Pan-European Conference on International Relations (PEC), to be held at the University of Bologna, 25-29 August 2025.
Our flagship event will take place in the oldest university in Europe, in a country with a lively tradition of International Relations. As per our tradition, PEC 2025 will be organized in thematic sections, both standing and new ones, and will welcome colleagues from a diversity of disciplines from Europe and beyond. Plenary sessions will highlight key issues in current debates in international relations, with leadings experts from our association. We will also offer opportunities through our Early Career Workshops, social events, and professional development activities to nurture our community. In order to make PEC 2025 more inclusive, we will provide help for those in financial need to attend through our increased Mobility Fund. Over and above, we are committed to making the 18th edition of our conference as diverse and rewarding as possible, where ideas can be formulated, debated, criticized, shaped and sharpened through mutual respect and understanding. It is this spirit which has made EISA’s Pan-European Conferences the leading annual event in International Relations in Europe and we are looking forward to keeping this up in Bologna!

12th Exploratory Symposia in Rapallo
2025-10-26 - 2025-10-29 | Rapallo, Rapallo, Italy
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Are you preparing a grant proposal, a special issue, an edited book, or setting up a new research network? The EISA Exploratory Symposia offers an excellent opportunity to meet in groups to pursue collaborative work.
The Exploratory Symposia aim to facilitate two kinds of research groups:
(1) Newly established groups that would like to meet at an early stage of a research project to progress it;(2) Already established research groups that would like to meet to work out how to further their research agenda.
We encourage in particular participants and section chairs of the Pan-European Conference (PEC) on International Relations and European Workshops in International Studies (EWIS) to apply to continue their work through the Exploratory Symposia.
In 2025, EISA will host its 12th Exploratory Symposia for members in the town of Rapallo on the Portofino Coast in Italy, 26th October to 29th October 2025.

Solidarity Across Uneven Terrains: Practising Care and Resistance within Neoliberal Academia
2025-11-19 16:15 - 17:45 (Europe/Prague) | Zoom Event
ZOOM EVENT: WEDNESDAY, 19 NOVEMBER 2025, 16:15 – 17:45 CET

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Early career scholars around the world are facing a shifting academic landscape marked by relentless budget cuts and series of short-term contracts that barely allow for a predictable, let alone dignified, life; the encroachment of governments on academic freedom, the tightening grip of surveillance metrics and publication quotas (Wilsdon 2015); and the unprecedented changes brought about by the emergence of generative AI, which has unsettlinging the very foundations of academic integrity, research ethics, and trust in scholarly labour itself. Yet the terrains from which we navigate these challenges are far from even: women academics continue to disproportionately carry the invisible burdens of teaching and care, with measurable drops in research output compared to their male peers during the Covid-19 pandemic (Sinnner et al. 2021) and racialized scholars remain systemically underrepresented in ‘Western’ academia (Zvogbo et al. 2023, Beutel and Nelson 2006). Globally, academia continues to be shaped by the postcolonial ‘Global South – North’ divide (Mbembe 2016), resulting in a dominance of Eurocentric epistemologies in the Social Science (Spivak 1988) and uneven access to publication and funding. While the introduction of ‘diversity’ metrics by European and North American academic institutions may indicate positive change, extractivist practices of scholars located in institutions of the ‘center’ persist and the reluctance to confront the deeper architecture of structural racism endures (Ahmed 2012). Meanwhile, the estrangement between the neoliberal academy’s ivory towers and the life worlds of those we study has only deepened over the past decade—despite efforts to widen access for students from working-class backgrounds and to reinvent ourselves as ‘citizen scholars’ (Boyte 2008) and ‘scholar activists’ (Herring 2006). In this online event we invite the wider EISA community to join us for a reflection on the current status quo of the neoliberal academia and explore existing forms of solidarity, care and resistance, and the potential for change. We explore how and whether our practices can contribute to making academia more just – structurally and in the everyday, paying specific attention to three of the most entrenched lines of academic stratification—those of coloniality, gender, and class.
Guiding Questions:

How do colonial legacies, gendered divisions of labour, and class inequalities intersect to shape the conditions of scholarly life under neoliberal academia?
What forms of solidarity, care, and resistance are scholars already enacting and what can we learn from them, especially as early-career scholars in International Relations?
Given the depth of these systemic inequities and the current state of the world, can the neoliberal university be reformed from within, or must it be abolished?

Speakers

Aslı Vatansever, Bard College Berlin
Jan Orbie, University of Ghent
Agnieszka Marta Fal-Dutra Santos, Geneva Graduate Institute
Anahita Arian, Leiden University

Chairs

Franca Kappes, Geneva Graduate Institute
Leonie Felicitas Jegen, University of Amsterdam

Bibliography
Ahmed, S. (2012). On being included: Racism and diversity in institutional life. Duke University Press.
Beutel, A.M. and Nelson, D.J., 2006. The gender and race-ethnicity of faculty in top social science research departments. The Social Science Journal, 43(1), pp.111-125.
Boyte, H. (2008). The citizen solution: How you can make a difference. Minnesota Historical Society Press.
Herring, E. (2006). Remaking the mainstream: the case for activist IR scholarship. Millennium, 35(1), 105-118.
Skinner, M., Betancourt, N., & Wolff-Eisenberg, C. (2021). The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women and caregivers in academia. ITHAKA S+ R.
Spivak, G.C., 2023. Can the subaltern speak?. In Imperialism (pp. 171-219). Routledge.
Mbembe, A. (2016). Decolonizing the university: New directions. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 15(1), 29-45. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474022215618513 (Original work published 2016)
Wilsdon, J. (2015). The metric tide: Independent review of the role of metrics in research assessment and management. https://www.ukri.org/publications/review-of-metrics-in-research-assessment-and-management/ [retrieved 22/09/2025].
Zvobgo, K., Sotomayor, A.C., Rublee, M.R., Loken, M., Karavas, G. and Duncombe, C., 2023. Race and racial exclusion in security studies: A survey of scholars. Security Studies, 32(4-5), pp.593-621.

How Do We Think About Tech Disruption and World Politics?
2025-12-17 15:30 - 17:45 | Zoom Event
ZOOM EVENT: WEDNESDAY, 17 DECEMBER 2025, 15:30 CET

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Are we entering a period in which international relations are being reshaped in fundamental ways by developments in technology? From advances in artificial intelligence to the geopolitics of cyber operations, from digital infrastructures to the growing involvement of private technology companies in global security, technological innovation increasingly appears to intersect with the core concerns of International Relations. Yet it remains an open question how far-reaching these transformations truly are—and how they might affect concepts long central to the discipline: sovereignty, influence, private actors, balance of power, offence-defence capabilities, among others. This online discussion aims to provide space for IR scholars to reflect on whether, and in what ways, technological developments are transforming global politics. Are these changes profound enough to challenge established assumptions, or do they simply call for familiar theoretical tools to be applied in new contexts?
Speakers

Julia Calver, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Leiden
Tobias Liebetrau, Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen
Andrew Liaropoulos, Associate Professor, University of Piraeus
Rebecca Slayton, Associate Professor, Cornell University

After Venezuela: Regional and Global Consequences of U.S. Intervention
2026-01-19 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom Event
ZOOM EVENT: MONDAY, 19 JANUARY 2026, 18:00 – 19:30 CET

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The U.S. military intervention in Venezuela and the capture of Nicolás Maduro have reopened questions many assumed were settled since the end of the Cold War. For decades, South American governments believed that direct U.S. intervention in the region was politically unthinkable. European allies, meanwhile, relied on the United States as the principal guarantor of a rules-based international order. Today, those assumptions no longer hold. We are now compelled to rethink core concepts such as sovereignty, alliance politics, order, and hegemony.
This online event examines the fundamental change underway in U.S. foreign policy and its regional and global consequences, as revealed by the intervention in Venezuela. Experts from diverse areas will discuss what kind of change this represents, and what consequences it brings — for the United States and for the international order. How might Latin American governments respond to the realization that intervention is once again possible, and what strategic options exist for states seeking autonomy and security? What does this moment mean for Europe, whose political order and strategic identity have long depended on multilateralism and close partnership with Washington? And finally, what should we expect for cases such as Greenland, where small and strategically exposed territories sit at the intersection of U.S. strategic ambition and shifting global power politics?
Speakers

Elizabeth N. Saunders, Professor of Political Science; Director, Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University
Leslie Wehner,  Full Professor and Chair of International Relations, University of Bath
Tom Long, Professor in International Relations, University of Warwick
Rasmus Brun Pedersen, Associate Professor, Aarhus University
Sonia Lucarelli, Full Professor,  University of Bologna

Moderator

Revecca Pedi, Associate Professor, University of Macedonia, EISA Governing Board Member

Dealing with precarity as an ECR: Practical advice to navigate academic transitions
2026-01-22 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom Event
ZOOM EVENT: THURSDAY, 22 JANUARY 2026, 18:00 – 19:30 CET

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Early Career Researchers (ECRs) often face significant uncertainty as they navigate multiple transitions from doctoral studies to academic careers. This online event creates space for an open and honest conversation about both the structural challenges and lived experiences of researchers in the early stages of their careers.
The panel brings together speakers at different career stages, including post-doctoral researchers, tenure-track scholars, and policy professionals pursuing research careers in think tanks, thus offering diverse perspectives on post-degree career pathways. Introductory statements by the panelists will be followed by an interactive exchange driven by participants’ questions. Discussion themes may include job insecurity, work-life balance, and strategies for professional growth.
The event is organized by the European International Studies Association (EISA) Early Career Development Group (ECD). The ECD group was established as part of EISA’s broader professional development activities for early career researchers and regularly organises events aimed at fostering networking and information sharing among ECRs. You can follow ECD activities on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ecd-group-eisa/) and Bluesky (@ecdeisa.bsky.social).
Speakers

Sara Berlotto, PhD, Italy China Council Foundation
Ashlyn Hand, PhD, Southern Methodist University
Huanyu Zhao, PhD, University of Ghent
Silke Zoller, PhD, Kennesaw State University

Online Writing Retreat for Early Career Scholars
2026-02-25 13:00 - 16:00 | Zoom Event
ZOOM EVENT: WEDNESDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 2026, 13:00-16:00 CET

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Description

The EISA ECD Group is organizing an Online Writing Retreat for Early Career Scholars aimed at sharing writing strategies and creating a friendly, encouraging environment for writing. The event does not require any prior preparation – just booking and dedicating time for focused writing on anything you are currently working on: your thesis, paper, or application. At the beginning, Dr. Tom F. A. Watts will share suggestions and his experience on writing. The event will continue with a writing retreat and conclude with a brief reflection at the end.
Structure

13:05-13:10 – introduction of the event
13:10-13:30 – writing strategies with Dr. Tom F. A. Watts
13:30-15:45 – online writing retreat
15:45-16:00 – participant reflection

Speaker

Dr. Tom F.A. Watts, Postdoctoral Researcher, the Center of War Studies, University of Southern Denmark

EWIS 2026
2026-07-01 - 2026-07-03 | İzmir University of Economics, Fevzi Çakmak, Sakarya Cd. No:156, 35330 Balçova/İzmir, İzmir, Turkey
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13th European Workshops in International Studies
İzmir University of Economics, 1-3 July 2026
The European Workshops in International Studies (EWIS), launched by the EISA in 2013, have fast established themselves as a spirited place for the European IR community to engage in sustained, in-depth discussion with a diverse range of peers from various institutions, countries, disciplines and career stages. EWIS has proven to be a popular and productive format, perfect for preparing special issues, edited volumes or exploring new ideas, themes and directions in a vibrant and friendly atmosphere.

PEC 2026
2026-09-01 - 2026-09-04 | ISCTE- University Institute of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
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19th Pan-European Conference on International Relations,ISCTE- University Institute of Lisbon, 1-4 September 2026
We are delighted to invite you to the 19th EISA Pan-European Conference on International Relations (PEC), to be held at ISCTE- University Institute of Lisbon on 1-4 September 2026.
In 2026, our flagship event will take place in Portugal, at the crossroads of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, offering a unique vantage point for exploring contemporary international relations. Following the remarkable success of PEC 2025 in Bologna, we will gather in Lisbon’s inspiring scholarly environment at the ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon.
As per our tradition, PEC 2026 will be organized in thematic sections, both standing and new ones, and will welcome colleagues from a diversity of disciplines relating to international studies, from Europe and beyond. Plenary sessions will highlight key issues in current debates in international relations, with leading experts from our association. We will also offer opportunities through our Early Career Development Group events, social events, and professional development activities to nurture our community.
The EISA’s Mobility Fund has been increased over the years, and we will continue providing support for those in financial need to attend, ensuring our conference remains more inclusive and accessible. We are committed to making the 19th edition of our conference as welcoming and rewarding as possible, where ideas can be formulated, debated, criticized, shaped and sharpened through mutual respect and understanding.
It is this spirit which has made EISA’s Pan-European Conferences the leading annual event in International Relations in Europe, and we are looking forward to continuing this tradition Portugal’s vibrant capital!
