Call for Papers: Exploring Peace in Times of War
Varieties of Peace Network Virtual Research Workshop
Exploring Peace in Times of War
October 19th, 2022, 12.30 - 16.30 CET
In 2022, Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine shocked the world, and for many people in Europe in particular, war was experienced as a proximate reality and as a potential threat for the first time. Policy and media responses have largely relied on militarized security frames, and it could be argued that the Russian invasion has narrowed down spaces for imagining and pursuing peace beyond these frames. Yet, beyond Europe, this does not necessarily constitute a watershed event for how we understand the world, or how we theorize peace. Indeed, as recently as in 2021, some forms of peace broke down under equally dramatic circumstances in Myanmar, through a military coup, and in Afghanistan, as the withdrawal of foreign forces was followed by the Taliban takeover. Meanwhile, long-running violent conflicts raged on in other contexts, such as in Yemen and Syria.
However, rather than shifting our analytical focus from peace to war in response to this global context, we argue that the pressing reality of war makes efforts to understand peace even more critical. Exploring the variety of ways in which peace is manifested, experienced, and understood can help us make visible how peace is fostered in the midst of war, explore alternative pathways towards change, and better understand the forms of peace that are produced in conflict-affected contexts.
The aim of the Varieties of Peace Research Network is to advance analytical approaches that capture varieties of peace between and beyond dichotomous conceptions of positive versus negative peace, or successful versus failed peace processes, and generate more nuanced understandings of peace in its empirical complexity and diversity. Aiming to further advance this collective effort, this virtual research workshop provides an opportunity for members of the network, as well as other scholars interested in its research agenda, to share ideas and discuss ongoing work. Contributions to the workshop are expected to showcase a diversity of approaches to analyzing peace, and address questions of how the nature or character of peace across empirical contexts and levels of analysis can be described and explained.
If you would like to present your research during the workshop, please submit a 200 word abstract, a short bio/presentation, and information about your time zone location to Elisabeth Olivius, elisabeth.olivius@umu.se, no later than September 22nd. Participants will be notified of acceptance by September 29th. A detailed program, practical information, and zoom link will be distributed to registered participants thereafter.
See the full call for papers here:
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