COLLOQUIA Conference 2026

IEP announces the call for the conference Restless World, Restless Democracies

8 May 2026

Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Lisbon Campus

The call for papers is open until March 16, 2026.

This interdisciplinary conference examines the condition of political restlessness shaping contemporary democracies in an increasingly unstable and conflict-prone international environment.

We invite scholars and researchers from a variety of sub-disciplines of Political Science and International Relations – Comparative Politics, Theory of IR, Political Theory and Political Philosophy, Public Policy, Foreign Policy Analysis, Regional Studies, Peace & War Studies, etc – to submit proposals for papers that engage, from diverse perspectives, with these topics (but are not limited to): Democratic Challenges | Geopolitics and the International Order & Intersecting Dynamics.

Check all available sub-themes on our Website.

We invite abstracts for individual (approximately 250 words) and a short biography (100 words). These should be sent by email to ci.iep@ucp.pt no later than March 16, 2026

Notification of acceptance will be sent on March 31, 2026, at the latest. After acceptance of abstracts, participants will be asked to register for the conference and to provide some personal details to this end.

About the Conference: 

• The working language of the conference is English.

• The conference will feature thematic panels composed of individual paper presentations followed by discussions. In addition to paper presentations, it will also have one keynote speaker and opportunities for networking.

• Individual paper presentations will be allocated 15 minutes for presentation. Each panel will have 40 minutes for discussion.

Registration and Fees:

The registration fee includes participation, coffee breaks, lunch and conference materials.

• Early bird (from March 31 to April 7, 2026): Researchers €80 and Students €40

• Regular registration (from April 7 to 17, 2026): Researchers €100 and Students €50

• IEP-Católica researchers and faculty are exempted from registration fees but must register.

Calendar: Final call: March 16, 2026

Notification of acceptance: March 31, 2026

Registration from March 31 to April 17, 2026

Contact Information: For any inquiries, please contact the conference organizing committee at to ci.iep@ucp.pt

We look forward to receiving your submissions and to fostering meaningful discussions on the critical issues of sovereignty, borders, and conflict.