International Relations

Call for Papers - The Kingdom’s God: The Use and Abuse of Religion in Foreign Policy

1 Day Hybrid Workshop - Date : 3 December 2025

Venue: University of Wolverhampton (in person & online)

Organisers: Dr Eyup Ersoy (King’s College London) & Dr Caglar Ezikoglu (University of Wolverhampton)

Religion continues to play a complex role in shaping foreign policy, serving at times as a source of legitimacy, a tool of soft power, a vector of conflict, or a means of advancing national identity and international influence. On the other hand, the use and abuse of religion in foreign policy is often contested, with its potential for both constructive engagement and destructive instrumentalisation.

This one-day hybrid workshop seeks to bring scholars and practitioners together to critically examine the use and abuse of religion in foreign policy. We welcome papers that explore theoretical, historical, and contemporary dimensions of the theme from diverse disciplinary perspectives, including political science, international relations, history, sociology, theology, and area studies.

Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

• Theoretical frameworks for understanding religion in international relations and foreign policy

• Historical and contemporary case studies of religion shaping foreign policy decisions

• Religion as a tool of diplomacy, soft power, or nation branding

• The instrumentalisation or politicisation of religion by state and non-state actors

• Religion, nationalism, and identity in shaping foreign policy

• The role of religious actors and institutions in international relations

• Religion, conflict, and peacebuilding in foreign policy contexts

• National and international contestations over the use and abuse of religion in foreign Policy

Format:

The workshop will be held in a hybrid format to allow both in-person participation at the

University of Wolverhampton and online participation.

Submission Guidelines:

Please send an abstract of up to 250 words, along with a short bio (max.100 words), to

c.ezikoglu@wlv.ac.uk by 15 October 2025.

Notification of acceptance will be sent by 30 October 2025.

Selected participants are expected to submit a 4000-word draft paper. The draft paper must be submitted to c.ezikoglu@wlv.ac.uk by 23 November 2025.

Publication Opportunities:

Selected papers will be considered for an edited book to be published by Bloomsbury

following the workshop. We have a limited number of travel bursaries available for

participants from the UK and funding is contingent on the submission of draft papers.

Sponsors:

• Department of History, Politics and War Studies, University of Wolverhampton

• International Relations Specialist Group, Political Studies Association (PSA)

Open Call for Papers – PSA26 Annual Conference

The International Relations Specialist Group is an open and interdisciplinary community of scholars working at the intersections of International Relations and Political Studies. In a rapidly changing and crisis-ridden context of global politics today, it is crucial to (re-)evaluate the ongoing societal, political and economic transformations we are witnessing and experiencing from a global lens. As we are advancing the study of the international within the PSA, we frame our call for papers in the broadest possible sense for PSA26 and welcome contributions from diverse perspectives and methodological approaches.

Proposed themes and IR sub-fields include (not an exhaustive list):

• International Security (including conflict and peace studies, intelligence studies)
• International Relations Theory and History
• Global Political Economy
• International Political Sociology
• International Law
• Popular Culture and Global Politics
• Global Development (e.g. global health, climate change, Global South perspectives and cases)
• Global Justice and Human Rights
• Non-State Actors
• International CommunicationForeign Policy Analysis

Please follow this link to find submissions guidance.

Joint Panels Call for Papers

We have three joint panels co-organised with other PSA Specialist Groups with open invites for submissions. If you wish to submit directly to one of these PSA26 panels, please see these details below:

• Social Movements and Civil Society in a Changing Global Order (organised w/ Political and Social Movements group), https://psa26.exordo.com/panels/8/contribute/e4ad7e6085a56fda5b19de607aec9caa7559b329
• Faith and Foreign Policy: Examining Religion’s Role in Global Affairs (organised w/ Politics and Religion group), https://psa26.exordo.com/panels/7/contribute/5f825dbbffa233ebef5a2400beae9334877537cd
• Populism and the International (organised w/ Italian Politics group), https://psa26.exordo.com/panels/10/contribute/5973482bda0692e9833fc036602260847d6fe347

Please follow this link to find submissions guidance.

If you have any queries regarding this, please don’t hesitate to contact the PSA team via conference@psa.ac.uk.

Stay in touch with us to follow the IR SG updates

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Convenors’ contact details are available at the right on this page

We are an open and interdisciplinary community of scholars working at diverse intersections of International Relations and Political Studies.

Formed in 2025, we invite you to join us in taking forward the political study of International Relations, embracing the plurality of perspectives and approaches that characterise this field.

The scope of International Relations (from approaches focused on inter-state and diplomatic interactions to those encompassing varied global and transnational social, economic, political, cultural and ecological relationalities), its troubled histories, and its relationship to Political Studies are topics of heated scholarly debates to this day. However, we contend that it is this very fluidity and contestation that is fruitful as it opens up crucial debates in the face of contemporary global upheavals, and it widens possibilities for potential collaboration.

One of the key objectives of the PSA International Relations Specialist Group is to promote interdisciplinary dialogue, and to this end the group will organize workshops, conferences, and seminars that bring together scholars from different backgrounds, seeking especially to build on synergies with other PSA Specialist Groups. Through open and interdisciplinary discussion we aim to develop more rigorous and critical understandings of global problems and how they may be addressed.

Inclusivity is a core value of the PSA International Relations Specialist Group, given that International Relations has traditionally been dominated by Western perspectives, often marginalizing voices from the Global South and other underrepresented groups. We actively seek to include scholars and practitioners from diverse backgrounds, providing them with opportunities to contribute to the group’s activities and shaping its agenda.

Besides promoting interdisciplinary dialogue, engaging with contemporary challenges, and fostering diversity and inclusivity, the PSA International Relations Specialist Group will focus on supporting early career researchers including through initiatives aimed at the development of their work towards publication, and their advancement within the Political Studies and International Relations fields.