The Conflict Research Society (CRS) continues to commit to creating a safe, inclusive, and diverse conference experience despite the uncertainty associated with the global pandemic. For this reason we will host the 2022 CRS Annual Conference as a hybrid event, with day one of the conference (7 September) entirely virtual and days two and three (8-9 September) to be held in-person at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland (UK). Holding a hybrid event will allow us to schedule virtual panels on day one that accommodate participants in various time zones, and we invite and particularly encourage potential participants from around the globe to apply to join us again for this year’s conference! We are also excited to plan a return to the in-person format for days two and three. 

We welcome submissions that explore topics related to conflict initiation and cessation, political violence and its alternatives, peacebuilding, reconciliation and reparation. The global pandemic has added to the long list of challenges such as the climate crisis, poverty, and populism that strain societies, fuel grievances, and foster distrustful citizenry. Yet the pandemic has also provided an opportunity to reflect and reassess how conflict research and practice can adapt and identify new opportunities to secure peace in a changing (post-)pandemic world. Crucial to the search for new solutions to evolving international dynamics are the joint efforts of the research and practice communities; identifying novel pathways to sustainable peace, promoting dialogue, diversity, inclusiveness, and evidence-driven initiatives, as well as seizing new opportunities to moderate violence and increase collaboration and reconciliation. We invite you to submit panel and individual paper proposals that bridge theory, empirics, and practice in peace and conflict research.

The conference aims to stimulate discussion and foster new connections between scholars and practitioners interested in the broader dynamics of conflict, dialogue, diplomacy, and peacebuilding. As in previous years, practitioners and students will be offered a reduced registration fee. This year, virtual participants will also be offered a reduced registration fee. The CRS conference will feature a range of participants, papers, and invited keynote speeches from both practitioners and academics. The conference will continue its tradition of multi-disciplinary focus and is open to the full range of methodological approaches to the subject.

The conference will feature keynote talks and the winner of the CRS book prize. Previous book prize winners have included Janet I. Lewis for How Insurgency Begins: Rebel Group Formation in Uganda and Beyond, and Pamina Firchow for Reclaiming Everyday Peace: Local Voices in Measurement and Evaluation After War. For a full list of winners, see here.

Please submit your proposals online by 31 March 2022. Panel proposals should include a title, abstract (less than 200 words), and a list of four papers. Individual paper proposals should also include a title and abstract.  

We look forward to welcoming you to the first ever CRS hybrid conference!