EWIS 2023: Call for Workshop Proposals is closed 

10^th European Workshops in International Studies
Amsterdam, 12-14 July 2023

Are we doomed? Rethinking War and Peace in World Politics

The European International Studies Association (EISA) invites workshop proposals for EWIS 2023, which will take place at the University of Amsterdam from 12-14 July 2023. 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.

2023 will mark the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accords which aimed to bring peace in the Middle East. 2023 will also mark the 20th anniversary of the United States-led invasion of Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein. Justified through Iraq’s alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction and Hussein’s—again alleged— harboring and support for al-Qaida, the 2003 invasion killed thousands of civilians, displaced millions and resulted in a civil war and (sectarian) insurgency, including the emergence of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Violence would soon spread to the neighboring countries with increasing sectarian tensions among different ethnic and religious groups. The 20th and 21st centuries witnessed major wars and conflicts, decolonization processes, dissolution of empires and federations, struggles for self-determination as well as protracted ethnic and civil wars, including those still on-going in countries including Syria (2011–), Yemen (2014–) and Ethiopia (2020–). Recently, Russia invaded Ukraine in a return to historical wars of inter-state aggression. At the same time, the actors, types and sites of violence have multiplied resulting in a wider and continuous sets of political and economic de-territorialising and re-territorializing processes as well as new local, regional and international alliances.

For Plato, war is considered as a normal state of affairs and peace is only an exception or a temporary truce during a long-lasting conflict. Throughout the years, the meaning of conflict has come to be significantly expanded from its original conception as “polemos” (the military conflict between cities). Conflict is ubiquitous and has proven to be pervasive as a human condition. Iterative waves of global conflict permeate contemporary life, from domestic political conflict, to conflict between humans and nature as climate change effects ravage much of the world, to economic conflicts worsening and entrenching race, gender, and class inequalities. At the same time, conflicts go hand in hand with cooperation. Rather than being opposites, conflict and cooperation, as well as war and peace, have an ambiguous relationship.

The 10th iteration of EWIS at the UvA invites EISA members to rethink the interplay between war and peace, conflict and cooperation. For example, can conflict mobilise cooperation, unearth interconnected histories, and create new possibilities within and among state and non-state actors? How do conflict and cooperation function in tandem? What defines cooperation as successful? What does cooperation look like in contemporary world politics, between states, international organisations, civil society, activists, communities, and beyond? What are the important sites of peace and conflict, contestation, or cooperation in International Relations studies; how can we better understand and explain such phenomena and their effects? What might the future of global conflict and cooperation look like?

Venue

EWIS 2023 will be organised in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and the Amsterdam Center for European Studies (ACES). The UvA is located in the heart of Amsterdam, a city renowned for intellectual prowess and its relaxed lifestyle. Amsterdam offers a wide range of attractions - beautiful and historical canals, modern art and history museums, parks, exhibitions, galleries, spas, restaurants, bars, and cafes.

Submission Deadline

We invite colleagues to submit 500-word workshop proposals with an extended list of potential participants and their paper topics by 30 November 2022. We intend to have workshops with up to 20 participants.

We are seeking proposals for workshops relevant to the EWIS 2023 theme, but are also happy to consider proposals that explore other topics in International Studies.

Submission Instructions

All proposals should be submitted at https://notionforms.io/forms/ewis-2023-workshop-proposals

The proposals should include the following:

1. Workshop title, description of the proposed workshop topic and its relevance (max. 500 words)
2. An indication of possible paper topics and potential participants (1–2 pages)
3. A short biography of each workshop convenor (max. 1 page each)

Workshop convenors must be EISA members at the time of submission.

EWIS 2023 will take place in person. We are committed to offering our participants a safe and inclusive meeting space throughout the event. We will closely follow the public health and safety guidance issued by the local authorities and the University. The full details of the EWIS health and safety measures will be published on our website in due course.

Conditions:

Maximum of two convenors per each workshop. Workshop convenors must be current EISA members. They will pay a reduced participation fee and will be invited to the workshop convenors’ dinner. They will, however, fund and arrange their own travel and accommodation.

Accepted workshop convenors will be notified by 9 December 2022.

The general call for papers will then open on 9 January 2023 and EISA members will be able to submit their abstracts until 5 February 2023.

1. 30/11/2022 – Call for Workshop Proposals Closes
2. 09/12/2022 – Decision on Successful Workshops
3. 09/01/2023 – General Call for Papers Opens
4. 05/02/2023 – General Call for Papers Closes
5. 06/03/2023 – Acceptance Emails Sent – Registration Opens
6. 09/04/2023 – Registration Closes
7. 08/05/2023 – Finalisation of Workshops
8. 05/06/2023 – Finalisation of Programme

Contact

Please contact ewis2023@eisa-net.org for general enquiries about EWIS 2023.