Call for Papers

6th Global Conference

Sunday 6th May – Tuesday 8th May 2012
Prague, Czech Republic

Ethics, evil and the state is an interdisciplinary project that seeks to interrogate issues surrounding the relationship between the state, the concept of evil and alternative ways of thinking about the state, including challenging the very idea of its existence. The idea of the state is continuously open to question and challenge: what alternatives might be put into practice? What is the relationship of the idea of the state and that of government? Perhaps the idea of linking the concept of evil with the state is problematic, yet the capacity for power to corrupt and the promotion of sovereign self- interest over that of a community is frequently encountered in many forms of government. Does it make sense to speak of the state as a force for evil? Are there better ways of conceiving of social organisation beyond statist conceptions of politics, considering the possibility of its abolition, or a move to regionalisation and localisation? Perspectives are sought from those engaged in any field relevant to the study of political science communication, journalism, critical media, policy, history, legal studies, philosophy, theology, cultural theory, media studies, sociology, peace studies, government, law/legal studies, justice, psychology and other areas. Contributions are also encouraged that look to alternative and experimental ideas concerning the state, in the form of short abstracts for presentations or proposals for action-workshop sessions.

Papers, reports, work-in-progress and workshops are invited on issues relating, but not restricted to the following themes:

• Is the state a necessary construction?
• Is the state necessarily evil? Is the state a power for good?
• The legitimisation of authority.
• The state and elitism.
• The state and policing.
• Is federalism the answer to the dissolution of the nation-state?
• Anarchism as a viable solution.
• Legitimate and illegitimate protest.
• Rioting, looting and banking
• The state and oppression
• Alternative forms of government.
• The ‘Arab Spring’
• Real communities.
• The state and violence.