The Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies (CHS) is now welcoming research papers for the Conference on Conflict and Humanitarian Studies. The conference is co-organised with the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, the Carter School at George Mason University, and the Network on Humanitarian Action (NOHA). The conference will be hosted in Doha, Qatar, on 22 and 23 January 2025.
We invite submissions of abstracts on any topics that fall under the disciplinary areas of conflict and humanitarian studies. The conference seeks to foster dialogue that critically examines the theoretical frameworks, methods, and ethical considerations that underpin conflict and humanitarian studies. Submissions are encouraged on any relevant country context, in particular but not limited to the West Asia North Africa (WANA) region.
The conference will host academics, researchers, students, policymakers, and practitioners actively involved in conflict and humanitarian studies and initiatives within and beyond the Arab world. We especially welcome early-career researchers and scholars from conflict-affected regions to participate. The conference will feature several keynote lectures by prominent international academic figures in the field of conflict and humanitarian studies.
We strongly encourage interested researchers to submit papers that align with the four below themes:
Theme A: Mediation and Peace-making:
This theme will address issues related to conflict mediation and peace-making. This includes but is not limited to the challenges of Track II peace-making, the role of Gulf States in conflict mediation, and the evaluation of peace agreements. This theme particularly seeks to bring together established and novel ideas around Gulf mediation and peace-making to further enrich the discipline.
Theme B: Conflict and Recovery in and beyond the Arab States:
This theme will cover any issues related to conflict, post-conflict recovery, and peacebuilding in and beyond the Arab states. Particular emphasis will be placed on the issue of post-genocide recovery in the Gaza Strip and the wider region following the devastating events of 2023 and 2024.
Theme C: Current Challenges and Future of Humanitarian Action:
This theme will address current challenges to, and future of, humanitarian action. It does so in the light of persistent impediments to humanitarian access and extreme levels of food insecurity, displacement, and violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in total or complete impunity in Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan and South Sudan, among other contexts. This theme may cover panels on the role of humanitarian diplomacy, different understandings and non-Western variants of humanitarian action, the politicisation and depoliticisation of humanitarian action, the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, and the rethinking of the global humanitarian system in a context of shrinking funding and humanitarian space.
Theme D: Localising Conflict and Humanitarian Research:
This theme emphasises the need for integrating local experiences, perspectives, and knowledge in conflict and humanitarian studies. By exploring methodological and ethical considerations, capacity building, and the role of local and international partnerships, this theme aims to shift the balance of power and decision-making towards more contextually sensitive and locally driven approaches.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, and the organising committee is open to receiving studies on other related topics.
CHS also invites research centers and think tanks the opportunity to submit panel proposals to showcase their researchers' work on a particular theme.
Participation Procedures
· The conference committee welcomes Abstracts (with a maximum of 500 words) along with an updated Academic CV from researchers, in either Arabic or English. The deadline for abstract submission is 17 August 2024. Please fill out the submission application via the Online Form.
· Decision on acceptance of Abstracts will be communicated by 15 September 2024.
· Abstracts selected by the conference committee should be followed up with a full paper (6000-9000 words) for peer review. The deadline for paper submission is 1 December 2024.
· The approval of the Abstract by the conference committee does not automatically ensure the final paper's inclusion in the conference.
· The papers presented must be original and created specifically for the conference, with no prior publication, electronically or in print, in whole or in part. Furthermore, they should not have been presented at any previous academic gatherings or shared with any other audience before the conference.
· A dedicated and specialised committee will assess research papers and inform the researcher of their acceptance, conditional acceptance pending revisions, or rejection. The committee retains the right to withdraw research papers deemed inappropriate once they have been received in full and reviewed.
· If the paper does not meet the acceptance criteria, the organising committee will notify the researcher of the decision only, without including the review report, consistent with procedures followed in other academic conferences.
Publication Opportunities
Papers presented at the conference will be published in various formats. A selection of conference papers will be published as edited volumes or special issues of academic journals. Special Issues of the Journal of Peacebuilding and Development and the International Journal of Humanitarian Action will showcase selected articles. All papers can be submitted and presented in English or Arabic. Special issues or edited volumes in Arabic will be published through the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS).
Authors are encouraged to submit and present their papers in either English or Arabic.
Conference Format
Conference organisers will facilitate in-person participation at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies in Doha, Qatar. Additionally, the conference will be held over two days and embrace a hybrid format, welcoming both in-person attendance and online participation, with provisions for event recording. The conference will be hosted at the Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies.
Attending the Conference without Submitting a Research Paper
(Please note that the attendence application is now closed)
Important Notes:
- No registration fee is applied
- Travel and accommodation from outside Qatar will be at the expense of participants.
- Limited funding opportunities for conference travel and participation are available. Please indicate in your email if you would wish to be considered for this conference funding
- In case of acceptance, CHS will issue your visas to Qatar only.
For any inquiries, please contact chs.conference@chs-doha.org