CALL FOR PAPERS: War, Peace and International Order? The Legacies of The Hague Conferences of 1899 and 1907, Auckland (NZ), 18 April 2016 (DEADLINE 2 OCTOBER 2015)

(image source: aucklandnz.com)

The University of Auckland (Faculty of Arts) and the New Zealand Centre for Human Rights Law, Policy and Practice organise a conference on the 1899 and 1907 Hague Conferences.

More information below:

Keynote Speakers: Professor Randall Lesaffer (Tilburg Law School, Catholic University of Leuven), Dr William Mulligan (University College Dublin), Professor Neville Wylie (University of Nottingham)

Description: Between the various strands of scholarship there is a wide range of understandings of the two Hague Peace Conferences (1899 and 1907). Experts in international law posit that The Hague’s foremost legacy lies in the manner in which it progressed the law of war and international justice. Historians of peace and pacifism view the conferences as seminal moments that legitimated and gave a greater degree of relevance to international political activism. Cultural scholars tend to focus on the symbolic significance of The Hague and the Peace Palace as places for explaining the meaning of peace while diplomatic and military historians tend to dismiss the events of 1899 and 1907 as insignificant ‘footnotes en route to the First World War’ (N.J. Brailey).

Given the sheer diversity of opinion on the two conferences, the Faculty of Arts and the New Zealand Centre for Human Rights Law, Policy and Practice are pleased to jointly host a one-day interdisciplinary conference and invites abstract proposals from interested academics. The conference will be held at the University of Auckland on Tuesday 19 April 2016. The conference seeks to bring together academics from various disciplinary backgrounds to discuss and integrate their perspectives on the two peace conferences at The Hague. The ultimate aim of the conference is to develop a more coherent understanding of the significance of the conferences through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Call for Papers: topics could include, but are not limited to:
The history, legacy and on-going  meaning of the two conferences
The significance of the conventions signed at the conferences
The Hague tradition, both as an idea and a symbolic site of international law
Aspects of international law, diplomacy and politics at the conferences
Ideas of peace, pacifism, internationalism and justice in relation to The Hague

Abstracts are due ON 2 OCTOBER 2015
Abstracts should be no more than 150 words with a brief biography that includes professional affiliation and contact details.
Successful candidates will be notified by mid November 2015.
Conference organizers hope to publish conference proceedings in an edited collection. By submitting an abstract all conference attendees agree in principle to offer an 8000 word chapter to that collection. The full text of these chapters would be due by June 2016.

Submission and Contact Details: To submit abstracts or for any queries regarding the conference, please contact conference organizers through this email address: haguelegacies@gmail.com

Organising Committee: Associate Professor Maartje Abbenhuis, Christopher Barber, Thomas Munro

 More information here.