Call for Papers: IPSA 2016

Aug 18, 2015 | International Political Science Association
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Organisers of two panels on environmental peacebuilding at the IPSA World Congress 2016 are looking for submissions. Abstracts have to be submitted through the IPSA online submission system. See here for instructions.
 

Environmental Peacebuilding – Approaching the Nexus Climate Change, Adaptation/Mitigation and Peacebuilding

Environmental issues in post-conflict societies have received greater attention recently. Development and climate researchers increasingly focus not only on addressing the underlying causes of conflict, but also on laying the foundation for a sustainable peace. Increasingly, policymakers and practitioners recognize that natural resources and the environment are central to the development of the poor and vulnerable segments of society. With that the security community has shifted from a narrow focus on state security to a broader view that also includes human security. These changes have led to a higher profile for environmental issues in many post-conflict development processes and initiatives. While this is an important step to thinking about environmental issues and peacebuilding efforts together, research on the nexus of climate change, adaptation and mitigation, and their consequences for peacebuilding remains almost non-existent.

This panel invites papers from senior and junior scholars that address this gap and debate empirically the role and effects that climate change adaptation and mitigation have on post-conflict development. The aim is to rethink conventional agendas and recognize opportunities to strengthen and enhance post-conflict development through climate strategies, which neither impose irrelevant agendas nor undermine rural livelihoods. Papers should elaborate the tensions between external international agendas and rural livelihoods and highlight local strategies and dynamics along the nexus of climate change, adaptation and mitigation, and peacebuilding.

Language:
English

Chair:
Mr. Florian Krampe

Discussants:
Prof. Ashok Swain

Sponsored by the Research Committee RC47 Local-Global Relations

Defining Environmental Peacebuilding

For many years, researchers, practitioners, and decision makers have been working at the intersection of peacebuilding, natural resources and the environment. Over this time, our understanding of “environmental peacebuilding” has evolved. This panel discusses environmental peacebuilding from different disciplines – notably environmental studies and peace studies – and strives to provide clarity by suggesting one or multiple delineations of this important interdisciplinary concept.

This panel invites papers that consider five key questions in defining and framing environmental peacebuilding theoretically and through empirical examples: (1) Should there be one overarching definition of “environmental peacebuilding”, or is there merit in multiple definitions; and (2) what would be the practical implications of discipline-specific definitions in the interdisciplinary field of environmental peacebuilding? (3) What are the key characteristics of environmental peacebuilding? (4) What role does environmental peacebuilding play in peacebuilding processes, and (5) how does environmental peacebuilding relate to positive peace?

Language:
English

Chair:
Prof. Ashok Swain

Discussants:
Mr. Florian Krampe

Sponsored by the Congress Session CS04 International Relations