CALL FOR ABSTRACTS for the 2024 Political Studies Graduate Students Association (PSGSA) Graduate Conference

2024 Political Studies Graduate Students Association (PSGSA) Graduate Conference | June 26, 2024

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS | Deadline: Sunday, May 5, 2024 

Navigating New Realities in a Changing Global Landscape

The turn of the century brought on a wave of new and complex problems that the international community must face. From advancements in technology that have moulded and reshaped domestic political spheres; to leaps in communication that have enabled the rise of powerful non-state actors; to the digitalization of the finance world and the introduction of crypto currencies, we have seen change across virtually every channel of interaction.

Being able to understand these changes and conduct meaningful research to uncover their impacts are essential to a peaceful and cooperative future.

“New Realities” can be considered through many lenses. Understanding the effect evolving social change can have on national or international organizations is bound to change the way the organization operates. The international implications of the ongoing War in Ukraine, or the Israel-Hamas War, have the power to reshape and restructure the security situations in Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. The rise in domestic right-wing support in many regions of the world, or the risks following the possible re-election of Donald Trump, could have the power to challenge many government’s operational and fiscal “status-quos”. And an increase in uprisings and coups, more specifically in the West African region, have regressed democracy to a point that concerns regional security and opens the door to global humanitarian crises.

These are all situations and dimensions of the global landscape that are undergoing change, and therefore creating a new reality the international community must confront.

We are inviting submissions from graduate students on topics that address the complexities of the “new reality” the world is beginning to navigate. The conference will be in a hybrid format. Participants can either join in-person at Queen’s University or online via Zoom. The keynote speaker has not yet been determined.

Some Proposed Themes / Subtopics:

• International Security and the Impact of Conflicts Around the Globe
• Threats and Challenges Concerning Human Rights & the Environment
• International Concerns Through a Gendered Lens
• Regional Regressions of Democracy and Their Impacts on the World
• Emerging Technologies and the Risks They Pose for Global Governance
• The Growing Threat and Influence of Social Media and Digital Currencies
• Major Changes to Electoral Systems, or Election Results, and Their Impacts on the World

Please submit an abstract of no more than 250 words to: psgsa.grad.con@gmail.com