__________________________________________________
Call for Papers Theme: Inequality, Peace and Conflict Type: 4th Annual IAPCS Conference Institution: International Association for Peace and Conflict Studies (IAPCS) ECPR Standing Group on Critical Peace and Conflict Studies Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI), University of Manchester Location: Manchester (United Kingdom) Date: 10.–11.9.2015 Deadline: 31.5.2015 __________________________________________________ Inequality and the consequences of capital are back on the agenda of international relations, as well as in the public eye. Various forms of inequality have long been related to peace, in structural terms as the root and causal factor in violence, or specifically in economic and modernisation terms, as necessary for development, competition, and material advancement. Much mainstream 20th Century thinking on peace posited inequality in various guises- ethnic, racial, gender, class, national, and material- as provoking conflict. From structural violence to terrorism, different forms of inequality have been scientifically connected. Inequality in varying forms was seen to be preserved through control of the means of violence directly, or more indirectly through the control of capital, institutions, or social norms. The role of the state and of international institutions was to actively even out the tensions that inequality caused at a basic level, and the role of markets was to cement cooperation and advancement in a meritocratic order. Together, they would forge a new social contract that would transcend old power structures. Similarly, the role of international actors was to identify the root causes of conflict in terms of the denial of rights to citizens and to address their basic needs whilst maintaining the sovereignty and equality of states. Globalisation was seen as a process whereby freedom would offer opportunities for the industrious to transcend the past and transform conflict. Neoliberalism assumes that inequality creates productive competition and no risk of conflict where a viable state and social contract exists. Liberalism assumes the equality of rights of all individuals, and more radical theories assume this to be necessary in a cosmopolitan pluralist, solidarist, or agonistic form. Material, political, and social inequality in the contexts of the state, the international, history, and space, appear to be at the root of conflict and thus may be assumed to require intervention from the community, the state or the international. Furthermore, from a critical position, inequality in a range of different forms (local to global scale) weakens the links between civil society, solidarity, social justice, human rights and democracy. It undermines the legitimacy of the state and underlines the hegemony, rather than solidarity of the international and its various practices of intervention aimed at peace, development, or humanitarianism. This is a contradiction built into the liberal peace model, which proposes democracy and legal equality of citizens and states but also tolerates economic and military inequality. These positions have different implications for peace and order. State institutions are designed to make processes of consensual regulation permanent for the good of society. Ironically, material inequality- often lacking the Rawlsian justification of producing wider benefits of a peace dividend for society- has been naturalised through peacebuilding and statebuilding. If the state and international community cannot mitigate inequities’ impact on security, rights, identity, and representation in order to distribute a range of peace dividends citizens rapidly begin to question the point of the state, regional, of international organisation, and challenge their legitimacy. The state and its membership in the international community are thought to be essential for peace and security, democracy, rights and law, the gulf between legal equality and materiality and social practices which point to inequality. However, state structures and the international system have in various contexts been used as vehicles to maintain and institutionally anchor inequalities. This conference invites academic to reflect on this serious contradiction in current thinking about and policies for peace and order. Can inequalities in power, material resources, and identity be justified as part of the ‘natural’ state formation process, even if they are bound to create conflict potential? Which role do peace agreements play in creating inequality in the state or regional architecture – and do their short-term effects on the conflict dynamics justify their long-term impact? Is continuing material inequality is inevitable in the pursuit of development? The organisers invite diverse contributions exploring the relation between different aspects of inequality and peace. Deadline for paper and panel proposals: 31 May 2015. Proposals should be 250 words maximum and sent to: [email protected] Registration costs are £30 for paid academics and £10 for students and the unwaged. To register online, visit the eStore: http://man.ac.uk/gAB5ZG The registration fee is waived for current members of the IAPCS. Members can register by emailing: [email protected] Contact: Dr Birte Vogel Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI) University of Manchester Ellen Wilkinson Building Oxford Road Manchester, M13 9PL United Kingdom Email: [email protected] Web: http://events.manchester.ac.uk/event/event:g12f-i56wx244-xzo872/international-conference-inequality-peace-and-conflict __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org __________________________________________________
