Call for Papers for Cambridge Graduate Conference in Political Thought and Intellectual History
Cambridge Graduate Conference in Political Thought and Intellectual History
“In Search of Refuge”
Application Deadline: 11:59 GMT, Monday 30 March 2026
Conference Date: Wendesday 24 June 2026
Webpage: https://www.hist.cam.ac.uk/ptih-graduate-conference
When in danger, humans search for places of refuge — whether in states, homes, or religions. Political communities have their origins in our desire for shelter. Throughout history, what have we thought of as places of refuge? We have many reasons to seek refuge. Sometimes, we leave our homes in search of greater economic or educational opportunities. Other times, the places we knew as home no longer exist. How have people justified the need to leave, and what legitimises appeals for refuge in the eyes of receiving states and communities? And what happens when a place of refuge turns out to be just as unsafe as the place we have left behind? States are supposed to protect their citizens, but they also use violence against them. Families are meant to safeguard their members, but they can also be sites of abuse. Religious institutions exist to provide a spiritual home for their followers, yet the homes they provide can be sources of harm.
This year’s conference invites participants to reflect on these questions through the lens of political theory and the history of political thought. We welcome papers addressing such topics as the relation between refuge and territorial sovereignty, statehood, religious and civil conflict, trade and the market, the family, sexual politics, racial politics, and the environment. We also seek papers that take account of these questions in order to address some of the basic themes in political theory,such as the purpose of civil association, the relation between protection and obedience, and the boundaries of legitimate force. In the history of political thought, the concept of refuge is simultaneously ubiquitous and marginal. It is ubiquitous as a metaphor for security and self-preservation, yet marginal as a concept tied to culturally and legally specific practices of seeking and granting refuge. By bringing these two ideas together — the metaphorical and the literal — we hope that each can be illuminated as they shed light on the other.
Application details
The Conference will take place in-person at the University of Cambridge on Wednesday 24 June 2026.
For scholars seeking to participate, we ask that you forward
• a paper abstract of 200 words,
• a speaker biography of 50 words, and
• a single-page academic CV
to chptconference@gmail.com by 11:59pm GMT Mon 30 March 2026.
Accepted speakers will be notified by mid-April. Individual presentations should extend to no longer than 20 minutes. Please note that we are unable to reimburse travel costs for presenters.
