21st Annual Aleksanteri Conference THE NEW ERA OF INSECURITY: How Russia’s War in Ukraine Changes the World
Dates and venue: The conference is being planned to be held in-person from 26 to 28 October 2022 and will be hosted at the University of Helsinki, Finland. We will provide a limited number of panels with the possibility to arrange their panels virtually, and participants with the possibility to follow the conference online.
Organiser: Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland
#Aleksanteri2022
Russia’s unprovoked and illegal military attack against Ukraine in February 2022 has caused immense destruction and human suffering that will leave deep scars in Ukraine. This war will also have long-term repercussions for European and global security. The world community has condemned Russia’s actions and agreed upon sanctions that target Russia’s ability to continue the war in Ukraine. Consequently, Russia’s economy has taken a blow that, together with the political consequences of Russia’s war, may change Russia’s status in the world. At the same time, the Kremlin has introduced new regulations to suppress civic activism in Russia, resulting in a mass exodus of people from the country. Consequently, we have decided to reformulate the original conference theme about Russia and global insecurity into a specific question on how Russia’s war in Ukraine will change the world.
The 21st Aleksanteri Conference to be held in October 2022 provides a forum to seek answers to this and other relevant questions with researchers specialising in Russia’s foreign and military thinking, as well as information, cyber and energy security. The conference also welcomes research contributions on politics, security and civil society in Ukraine, as well as in Russia, and Eurasia.
Russia’s war in Ukraine will also change the way in which current and future scholars will study the region. The suspension of cooperation between Western and Russian research institutes and the forced evacuation of scholars from Ukraine means limited access and resources for conducting research in Russia and in Ukraine. At the same time, we need to critically assess the theoretical and methodological underpinnings guiding the research that will help to understand this new era of insecurity and its meaning for Europe and the world.
Taking into account the principles of engagement agreed upon by Universities Finland UNIFI and guidelines of the University of Helsinki on collaboration with Russia and Belarus, the conference organisers wish to note the following:
- No proposal or presentation advocating for Russia’s war on Ukraine will be accepted.
- Colleagues based in Russia or Belarus will participate in a personal capacity only, meaning that we will remove institutional affiliations from the conference programme.
The conference organisers encourage Ukrainian scholars to participate in the event. For this purpose they are exempted from paying the conference fee.
Invited keynote speakers and programme:
Roy Allison, Professor of Russian and Eurasian International Relations, University of Oxford, UK
Margarita Balmaceda, Professor of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University, USA
Mark Galeotti, Honorary Professor, University College of London, UK
Tatiana Kastueva-Jean, Director of Russia Center, French Institute of International Relations, France
Tamara Martsenyuk, Associate Professor, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine
Sergey Utkin
Carolina Vendil Pallin, Deputy Research Director, Swedish Defence Research Agency, Sweden
Ayşe Zarakol, Professor of International Relations, University of Cambridge, UK
In addition to plenary sessions, the conference features scientific panels, roundtables and a poster session. Complementing academic activity, the conference programme will include various activities for networking: cultural events, evening receptions, a guided walking tour in Helsinki and visits to museums and the Slavonic Library. We will also organise a book exhibition at the main conference venue.
Conference schedule and deadlines:
• Deadline for submitting paper, panel and roundtable proposals: 29 May 2022
• Notification of acceptance: 30 June 2022
• Online registration and registration fees due by: 24 August 2022
• Conference programme published: by early September 2022
• Conference: 26-28 October 2022
Submissions:
The deadline for submitting paper, panel and roundtable proposals is 29 May 2022.
All abstracts must contain the following information to allow a sound referee review:
• Abstract title
• Abstract structure: aim, background, methods, findings and conclusion/recommendations
• Abstract text in English within the given word limits
• All authors’ and co-authors’ names and affiliations
• Contact information (name, email address) of corresponding author(s)
Individual paper proposals: Please submit your individual abstracts of 300-500 words via the paper submission form. The organisers will form a limited number of thematic panels from the highest-rated individual proposals. We except that these panels will take place in-person at the conference venue.
Panel proposals: Panels should consist of three paper presenters, a chair and a discussant (or four paper presenters and a chair). Panels must aim for an international composition. Panel sessions will take place from Wednesday to Friday at the conference venue. As a rule, one of the speakers of the panel can participate remotely, while others will give their presentations in-person at the conference venue. Chairs should be present at the conference venue. We will also provide a limited number of panels with the possibility to organise their panels completely virtually. Parallel virtual sessions will take place on the Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Preferred option is to organise in-person panels at the conference venue. Please submit your panel proposal, including an abstract of 300-500 words and information on the form of participation, via the panel proposal submission form.
Roundtables: Each roundtable will feature a structured discussion on a timely theme or problem that requires a more open format of debate than a conventional paper session. Roundtables must have a moderator and three to five speakers. As a rule, one of the speakers of the roundtable can participate remotely, while the others will give their presentations in-person at the conference venue. Moderators should be present at the conference venue. We will also provide a limited number of roundtables with the possibility to organise their sessions completely virtually. Parallel virtual sessions take place on the Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. Preferred option is to organise in-person roundtables at the conference venue. Please submit your roundtable proposal, including an abstract of 300-500 words and information on the form of participation, via the roundtable proposal submission form.
All abstracts will be reviewed and rated by scientific experts for abstract quality and presentation content. Notification of acceptance for paper, panel and roundtable proposals will be sent via email by 30 June 2022. Abstracts of accepted papers/panels/roundtables will be published on the conference website.
Registration rates:
Paper presenters, chairs and discussants: in-person participation 120 €
Paper presenters, chairs and discussants: online participation 60 €
Participants from Ukraine are exempted from paying the conference fee.
Guidelines for sessions:
Panel sessions will last 90 minutes each and shall be structured as follows:
Oral presentation: 15 min (in panels with 4 papers) or 20 min (in panels with 3 papers)
Discussant’s comments: 10 min
Q&A: 20 min
The chair will introduce the panel and its participants, proceeding to make sure that time is allocated equally between individual presenters. The chair is responsible for providing equal participation for online and in-person presenters. The discussant will have 10 minutes to give their comments after all panellists have presented their papers.
Roundtables will also last 90 minutes. Please be mindful of time constraints so that we can achieve a fair allocation of time between participants.
General information:
As of April 2022, the conference is being planned to be held in-person with a limited possibility for online participation. We will follow the safety protocols that are effective at the University of Helsinki during the conference. More information will be available when registration opens in June.
The working language of the conference is English. Unfortunately, no translations can be provided. There is a PC and projector in every lecture hall.
Participants are requested to make their own arrangements for travel and accommodation. Costs related to participation are also the responsibility of the participant. Information on hotels will be provided later on the conference webpage. For Helsinki hotel and tourism information, please see https://www.myhelsinki.fi/en/info.
Participants and observers who do not wish to give a paper or organise a panel or roundtable are also welcome to take part in the conference. All conference participants are required to register.
Please consult our website for information and discussion: https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/new-era-insecurity
For further information, or if you wish to ask any questions, please contact the conference organisers
at: fcree-aleksconf@helsinki.fi
