[PHILOS-L] Reminder: CfP 14th St Andrews International Political Theory Conference

[David Anderson]

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14^th St Andrews Graduate Conference in International Political Theory

CfP: International Politics/(Un)Ethical Worlds: Morality, Power, Resistance and Aesthetics in Dark Times

20-21 July 2026, University of St Andrews

Keynote Speakers: Dr Seàn Molloy (University of Kent) and Dr James Souter (University of Leeds)

To borrow from Arendt, we live in dark times. International politics and our various worlds are today shaped by constant cruelty, horror, and injustice, alongside an impeding sense of despair, nihilism and the non-ideal. Violence appears resurgent, climate change continues unabated, fascism and the ‘radical’ right is rising, structural injustice persists, global equality is nowhere near, technology continues to advance and impact on international politics in a multiplicity of ways, and international cooperation appears to be crumbling. This inevitably leads one to ask: How do we understand this period, and, perhaps more importantly, how do we navigate our way out of these dark times?

This state of affairs leads us to ask several important questions regarding the ethics, aesthetics, and politics of our world(s) today, including, but not limited to: How do aesthetical and ethical constructions shape our politics? Is there a potential in our aesthetic and ethical commitments to counter the cruelty of international politics today? Is there a place for hope in international politics today, and if so where can we find it? What are the consequences and promises to be found in turning away from a narrow positivism towards centring aesthetics and ethics in politics? Is the world of international politics today one that is fundamentally lacking in alternative political imaginaries and how do we, as researchers and as people, engage and enact with our imaginative potentials? Is international political theory today sufficiently attuned to aesthetical and ethical politics and their potential/limits? Perhaps most fundamentally, (how) can a turn to ethics and/or aesthetics aid us in finding a path out of the dark times that currently envelope us?

We seek submissions related in any way to the theme as set out above or to the following non-exhaustive list of potential topics:

• Ethics and international politics
• Aesthetics and international politics
• The interplay of ethics, aesthetics, and politics (and the law)
• Technology in dark times
• Despair, hope, and emancipation
• IR theory and ethics/aesthetics
• We will also be holding a dedicated panel for Masters students who wish to present on their theory-based dissertations and want feedback.

Submission Guidelines: 

To apply for the conference, please submit a 300-400 word abstract (max) for anonymous review. Submissions can be made via this e-form 14th St Andrews International Political Theory Conference 2026 – Fill in form 

The conference will take place in-person at the University of St Andrews on 20-21 July 2026

The final submission deadline is the 20th April 2026 Applicants will be informed of the decision regarding their proposal by the 1st May 2026.

Please direct any questions or queries to the organising committee at:  ipt...@st-andrews.ac.uk

David Anderson
PhD Candidate 

School of International Relations

da...@st-andrews.ac.uk 
https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/persons/david-anderson

The Arts Faculty Building, The Scores,
St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9AX

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