Please submit your proposals for closed, open and semi-open panels using the form below by 6 November 2025.
Congress Organization: Marlon Barbehön, Stefan Christoph, Burkhard Conrad, Timo Feilen, Sara Gebh, Silvia Haider, Oliver Hidalgo, Christian Leonhardt, Mascha Liening, Martin Nonhoff, Emily Katzenstein, Ragna Verhoeven, Lea Watzinger, Manon Westphal
The Second International Conference on Political Theory invites proposals for panels under the title Backsliding, Resilience, Renewal? Democracy in Eras of Transformation. This call specifically addresses panel proposals. A separate call for papers, inviting individual contributions to the accepted panels, will be issued in November.
Background and Objectives
In a present marked by multiple crises, democracy, its shortcomings and authoritarian tendencies, as well as its potential for resilience and renewal, have increasingly come into focus. Critical analyses from political theory and the history of political thought are needed to examine established interpretative frameworks, assumptions, and concepts, to introduce historical perspectives for comparison, and to address current challenges and possible reform projects with analytical precision.
The conference aims to explore contemporary diagnoses of transformations in democracies, historical perspectives on past crises and processes of transformation, as well as conceptual analyses of democracy, transformation, resilience, and renewal. Scholars from all subfields of political theory—including, but not limited to, the history of political thought, international political theory, democratic theory, theories of action and decision-making, comparative political theory, and political economy—are warmly invited to organise closed, open, or semi-open panels.
At the same time, the present transformations cannot be understood from the perspective of political theory and the history of political ideas alone. Dialogue with other, empirically oriented subfields of political science is essential, as is the inclusion of related disciplines (e.g., political philosophy, sociology, history, law, cultural studies, area studies, systems theory) and a conscious broadening of perspectives beyond Eurocentric frameworks. The conference seeks to provide a forum for joint critical analyses, constructive debate, and innovative approaches.
Submission and Deadlines
We therefore invite panel proposals (300–400 words) from the disciplines and subfields mentioned above. Formats that bring political theory and the history of political thought into dialogue—cooperative or contentious—with other subfields of political science or neighbouring disciplines, and that include international colleagues, are especially welcome. Conference languages are German and English; at least one full track will be held in English to ensure that non-German-speaking participants can follow the conference throughout. To foster vibrant discussions and personal exchange, the conference will take place fully in person at the University of Passau.
Please submit your proposals for closed, open, or semi-open panels by 6 November 2025 via the form provided below. Panels should generally not exceed 4–5 presenters.
For closed or semi-open panels, please include—alongside the panel description—the names, presentation titles, and short descriptions of the intended presenters. Closed panels should be developed to at least the level of semi-open panels by the submission deadline. Final confirmation of participants can be provided until the close of the call for papers.
Decisions on panel acceptance will be communicated by 18 November 2025. At the same time, a call for papers will be issued for contributions to the accepted (semi-)open panels. The call for papers and the period for finalising closed panels will end on 15 December 2025.
For organisational inquiries, please contact: Silvia Haider, University of Passau (second.congress@uni-passau.de).
The organising committee looks forward to your proposals.
