BISA PGN Conference 2025 Programme

The BISA PGN Conference 2025 is happening next 8-9 May at the University of Edinburgh, and the final programme is now available! Check below the amazing panels and workshops we have prepared for two days of research and knowledge sharing among PhD students and ECRs (downloadable version also available below)

Thursday 8 May 2025

Location: Edinburgh Law School (Old College) and 50 George Square

Registration/check in is open 9:00-12:00 at G.159 MacLaren Stuart Room (Edinburgh Law School).

 

9:00-9:20: Breakfast (G.159 MacLaren Stuart Room, Edinburgh Law School).

 

9:20-9:45: Welcome remarks (Usha Kasera Lecture Theatre, Edinburgh Law School): BISA Postgraduate Network Team (Assala Khettache, Andrea Gimeno Solaz, Daksh Sharma, Konstantinos Manakos).

 

9:45-11:45: Day 1 workshops (find more details and register here!):

• 'Making Sense of your Data: Inconclusive Evidence in International Studies' with Sarah Weiler (University of Strathclyde) (G.159 MacLaren Stuart Room, Edinburgh Law School).
• 'Becoming One with Your Professional Self' with Laura Malik (Mental Health Counsellor & Psychotherapist, Juniper Green)(Quad Teaching Room, Edinburgh Law School).

 

11:45-12:00: Coffee break (G.159 MacLaren Stuart Room, Edinburgh Law School).

 

12:00-14:00: Day 1 morning panels:

 

Panel 1 - Financial Frontiers: Security Sustainability and Strategic Rivalry in Global Markets (2.03 50 George Square): This panel examines how global markets are reshaped by strategic rivalries (EU-Japan economic nationalism), security-driven interdependence (EU-China connectivity), sustainability challenges (banks' ESG practices), carbon-market financialization, and monetary policy impacts on stock liquidity. 
Discussant: Julia Calvert (University of Edinburgh)
- Kenichi Mayer-Odrich (London School of Economics): Car Wars: The European Community, Japan and the battle over ‘economic nationality’.
- Edoardo Tartaglione (University of Genoa): Securing connectivity - Security, economy and interdependence in EU-China relations
- Md Jaber Al Islam (University of Edinburgh): Does CEO Ability Matter in Mitigating Bank ESG Washing?
- Ruoxuan Li (King's College London): Financialization and the Transformation of Carbon Markets: Rethinking Carbon Offsetting in a Market-Driven Climate Economy
- Huilei Kang (University College London): Stock-Level Reactions to Monetary Policy: A Structural Approach to Trading Behavior and Liquidity Dynamics

 

Panel 2 - Intersectional Barriers to Well-Being: Health, Social Reproduction and Inequality (2.39 50 George Square): This panel explores how gendered structural inequalities shape health outcomes, social reproduction, and care practices across marginalized communities. Panellists provide insights from diverse contexts—urban marginality, rural struggles, policy reforms, and domestic violence—to reveal how gender intersects with economic and social vulnerabilities.
Discussant: Kaveri Qureshi (University of Edinburgh)
- Prerna Singh (University of Edinburgh): Navigating Menstrual Health and Social Reproduction in Urban Marginality: Ethnographic Insights from Kusumpur Pahari
- Natalia Valdebenito Contreras (London School of Economics): Assessing the impact of Chile’s maternity leave reform on child development
- Anne Peterscheck (University of St. Andrews): Living by the Rules: Patriarchy, Hegemonic Masculinity, and the Production of Violence in Domestic Abuse and Involuntary Celibacy
- Yan Wei (University of Edinburgh): Walking into rural mothers’ inner worlds: Understanding generational inequalities in northwestern China
- Joaquín Mayorga Camus (London School of Economics): The employment impact of COVID-19 on disabled people and their households in Chile

 

Panel 3 - Constructing the Other: Perceptions, Power and Foreign Policy Narratives (2.54 50 George Square): This panel explores how narratives of the 'Other' are constructed and instrumentalized in both domestic and international political contexts. From Orientalist legacies and Cold War imaginaries to securitization and shifting foreign policy identities, the papers reveal how perception becomes a powerful tool in shaping global hierarchies and state behaviour.
Discussant: Nicola Nymalm (University of Edinburgh)
- Bethan Burnett (Aberystwyth University): Legacies of Orientalism: Rethinking Western Perceptions of China's Rise
- Margaret Jane Go (University of Westminster): China’s Rise Through Western Eyes: Evaluating Representations of China’s Rise in the Context of US Foreign Policy During the ‘Old and New Cold War’ (1949–2023)
- Neha Dwivedi (University of Aberdeen): From War to Peace: Dilemma of the 'Extraordinary' Victim
- Agrima Shankar (University of Manchester): The Security State and the Muslim ‘Other’: The Case of Umar Khalid in Contemporary India
- Peter (Hung-Yao) Chu (University of Edinburgh): Role and Foreign Policy: Taiwan's Foreign Policy Discourse (2008–2024)
- Ioana Popescu (University of Edinburgh): The Prospects and Limitations of the Polarised Model of the Theatre of the Oppressed in Israel-Palestine

 

Panel 4 - Feminist Frontiers: Leadership, Resistance and Representation in Global Politics (3.39 50 George Square): This panel explores how feminist actors and frameworks challenge dominant power structures across diverse political landscapes—from imperial governance and Islamist movements to populist politics and international diplomacy. Through case studies spanning Somaliland, South Africa, Egypt, and beyond, panellists examine how gendered leadership and resistance reshape global political narratives and institutions.
Discussant: Sarah Liu (University of Edinburgh)
- Anil Kaan Yildirim (University of Exeter): The Discourse and Policies on Gender: Justification, Ruling, and Execution in the Empire’s Administration of Life
- Sena El Banna (Warwick University): Women’s role in transforming Islamist ideas and practices of gender: a comparative study of Egypt and Exile
- Hannah Shaw (University of Leeds): Gender minorities and populism in South Africa: The EFF’s relationship with Winnie Madikizela-Mandela
- Hodo Abdilahi (Gollis University): Advancing Women’s Leadership in Somaliland—Governance, Development and International Engagement
- Victoria Devars (University of Oxford):  Rationalizing Dependence: A Feminist IR analysis of French Foreign Policy in New Caledonia and French Polynesia

 

14:00-15:00: Lunch break (G.159 MacLaren Stuart Room, Edinburgh Law School).

 

15:00-17:00: Day 1 afternoon panels:

 

Panel 5 - Cultivating Change: New Politics of Care, Environment and Development (2.03 50 George Square): This panel explores how alternative political imaginaries around care, environment, and development challenge dominant capitalist frameworks, nationalism, and anthropocentric worldviews. Drawing on diverse case studies—from rethinking human-nature relations and questioning developmental interventions to examining green nationalism—panellists critically interrogate paths toward more just and sustainable futures. 
Discussant: Sophie Haines (University of Edinburgh)
- Grace Garland (University of Edinburgh): What Epoch Is This? The Politics of Alternatives in the ‘Anthropocene’ 
- Blanche de Moidrey (University of Manchester): Care as a Way of Being and Knowing: Healing Human-Nature Relations in the Age of Capitalism. 
- Aparna Bose (University of St. Andrews):    Refocusing our gaze: Studying development intervention in the UK and internationally
- Morgane Dirion (Cardiff University): Planting a tree, growing a nation: researching green nationalism in South Wales

 

Panel 6 - Critical Perspectives on International Theory and Order (2.39 50 George Square): This panel brings together critical approaches that challenge the dominant assumptions underpinning international theory and global order. Through analyses of race-critical theory, epistemic exclusion, feminist posthumanism, and foundational philosophical critiques, the papers explore alternative ways of understanding and reshaping the international.
Discussant: Julia Calvert (University of Edinburgh)
- Chase Beecroft (University of Glasgow): Constructing a Race-Critical World-System: From Hierarchy to Heterarchy
- Lei Tang (University of Edinburgh): From Crisis to Emancipation: Investigating Epistemic Violence and Exclusion Within the Liberal International Order
- Chayuth Chamnanseth (University of Aberdeen): The Republican Divide: Reassessing Kant's Influence on Democratic Peace Theory
- Holly Swift (De Montfort University): The Importance of Posthuman Feminist Theoretical Perspectives in International Humanitarian Law

 

Panel 7 - Displacement and Belonging: Navigating Borders, Migration and Forced Mobility (2.54 50 George Square): This panel explores the lived experiences, infrastructures, and emotional geographies of migration, with a focus on forced displacement and the search for belonging. Through diverse case studies—from Kurdish refugees and sea migration routes to environmental injustice and grassroots refugee networks—the panel highlights how individuals and communities navigate physical, social, and conceptual borders in conditions of precarity and transition.
Discussant: Ċetta Mainwaring (University of Edinburgh)
- George Ayres (Aberystwyth University): Disabled Asylum Seeking in the UK: Accounts of (In)Accessibility in Housing
- Tara Morton (Aston University): The Role of Migrant Refugee Community Organizations Supporting Refugee Asylum Seekers Within Local and Regional Migration Ecosystems
- Georgie Holmes (Aston University): Sea Migration and Boat Spaces: Materialities and Infrastructures of Mobility Across Borders
- Iweta Baran (Edinburgh Napier University): Exploring Connectivity Between Mindfulness and Interculturality Through the Concept of ‘Space’
- Nabeela Khan (University of Bradford): A Visual Exploration of Life Along an Uncertain Border – The Case of Azad Jammu and Kashmir

 

Panel 8 - Insurgents, Interventions and Inner Worlds: Understanding Conflict in Motion (3.39 50 George Square): This panel explores conflict as a dynamic and evolving process, shaped by insurgent strategies, state interventions, and the often-overlooked emotional and embodied experiences of those within it. From rebel responses to natural disasters and the inner lives of ex-combatants and child soldiers, to the role of medicine and holistic intelligence in modern conflict, the papers reveal how war is lived, narrated, and strategically transformed.
Discussant: Jamie Allinson (University of Edinburgh)
- Cyrus Azimy (University of Leeds): Tropical Storms and Terrorism: A Quantitative Analysis of Post-Disaster Rebel Strategy in Southeast Asia
- Golukumo Chikezie (University of Aberdeen): Small Powers, Adaptability to Counterinsurgency Theory in Post-Colonial 21st Century
- Nicholas Gribble (University of Manchester): The Child Soldier, Aberrance, and the Affective Force of Violence
- Irene Piedrahita-Arcila (University of Glasgow): Ex-combatants' Narratives on Violence: A Methodological Approach in the Field of International Relations
- David Stanton (University of Nottingham): Holistic Intelligence: Medicine's Role in the Hidden Hand

 

Friday 9 May 2025

Location: Edinburgh Futures Institute

Registration/check in is open 9:00-11:00 at 1.55 EFI

 

9:00-9:20: Breakfast (1.55 EFI).

 

9:20-11:00: Day 2 workshops (find more details and register here!):

• 'Publishing Your First Book: Editorial and Author Insights' with Emma House (Edinburgh University Press) and Annika Bergman Rosamond (University of Edinburgh) (1.50 EFI).
• 'Getting a Job and Thriving in Academia' with Benjamin Faude (University of Glasgow) and Lucy Abbott (University of Edinburgh) (1.55 EFI).

 

11:00-11:15: Coffee break (1.55 EFI).

 

11:15-13:15: Day 2 morning panels:

 

Panel 9 - Africa in Global Politics: Colonial Legacies, Strategic Narratives and External Engagements (3.52 EFI): This panel examines Africa’s evolving role in global politics through the lens of foreign policy, humanitarian discourse, and postcolonial power dynamics. From colonial-era solidarities and international diplomacy to contemporary perceptions, the papers reveal how external actors continue to shape — and be shaped by — strategic narratives about Africa.
Discussant: Maggie Dwyer (University of Edinburgh)
- Nada Afa (Radboud University): The French Diplomatic Playbook: A Typology of France’s Responses to Coups in Africa
- Manon Minassian (University of Glasgow): Developing a decolonial and feminist methodology for humanitarian discourses - The case of Western Sahara’s refugees
- Maria Pereira da Costa (University of Oxford): Trans-imperial Solidarity During the Portuguese Colonial Wars in the United Nations (1961–1974)

 

Panel 10 - Peace in Practice: Emotional, Financial and Religious Dimensions of Mediation and Resolution (3.35 EFI): This panel explores the multifaceted practices of peacebuilding and conflict resolution, highlighting how emotional perceptions, financial dependencies, and religious actors shape mediation efforts. From historical maritime disputes to contemporary post-conflict contexts, the papers offer grounded insights into the diverse and often overlooked forces that influence sustainable peace.
Discussant: Andrew Neal (University of Edinburgh)
- Abdul Ghani Amin (University of Exeter): Non-State Actors and Homeland Peacebuilding: A Comparative Study of Afghan and Iraqi Diaspora Engagement with External Support amidst Post-9/11 Peacebuilding
- Janith Prabashwara Perera Jayatilake Kankanamalage (University of Leeds): Strengthening Preventive Diplomacy in Post-Easter Attack Sri Lanka: Lessons for Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding
- Meysune Yaşar (University of Exeter): Emotional and Perceptual Domains in Maritime Dispute Resolution: The Case of First Opium War in 19th Century
- Kasia Houghton (University of St. Andrews) & Elisa D'Amico (University of St. Andrews): Financial Dependencies and Conflict Resolution: The Role of Militarised Mediators in Modern Insurgencies
- Alexandra Rice (University of Oxford): The Role of Religious Actors in Conflict Mediation in Israel/Palestine

 

Panel 11 - States in Flux: Security, Resistance and the Politics of Authoritarian Resistance (1.60 EFI): This panel examines how states under pressure navigate the politics of survival, authority, and legitimacy through security structures, quasi-state actors, and local power networks. From traditional and religious leaders in Nigeria to militias, repression, and governance in Syria, Iraq, and Iran, the papers uncover how authoritarian resilience is forged in fluid and contested spaces.
Discussant: Lucy Abbott (University of Edinburgh)
- Ibrahim Machina Mohammed (Warwick University): The Role of Traditional and Religious Leaders in Community Resilience to Violent Extremism: Evidence from Bauchi, Jigawa, and Kano States in Northern Nigeria
- Jaida Casakit Keaveney (University of Edinburgh): Intricate Affiliations: Iraq and the Political Economy of Militia Proliferation
- Nazanin Shahbazi (University of Manchester): Ticklish Quilting Points: Desire, Repression, and the Fragility of Power in Iran
- Yassmine Tlass (University of Kent): The Role of the Security Establishment in Authoritarian Resilience: The Case of Syria

 

13:15-14:15: Lunch break (1.55 EFI).

 

14:15-16:15: Day 2 afternoon panels:

 

Panel 12 - Technologies of Power: Monitoring, Sovereignty and Conflict Response (3.52 EFI): This panel examines how emerging technologies shape power dynamics in contexts of conflict, post-conflict recovery, and environmental governance. From digital sovereignty and cybersecurity to drone use and conservation monitoring, the papers explore how states and civilians alike navigate the complex intersections of surveillance, resilience, and control.
Discussant: Patrick Theiner (University of Edinburgh)
- Ramsha Ashraf (Northeastern University): Cyber Security Governance in Post-conflict Somalia
- Joe Murphy (University of Edinburgh): Recognising Resilience: The Importance and Challenges of Civilians Supporting Ukraine’s Drone Capabilities
- Konstantinos Manakos (Northumbria University): The EU’s Digital Sovereignty Initiative: Safeguarding the European Union’s Digital Future

 

Panel 13 - Security in Motion: Identity, Audiences and the Struggle for Legitimacy (3.35 EFI): This panel explores how security is constructed, contested, and performed through evolving relationships between states, audiences, and identity. From grassroots resistance and referendums to strategic foreign policy moves, the papers interrogate the shifting dynamics of legitimation at the heart of contemporary security politics.
Discussant: Annika Bergman Rosamond (University of Edinburgh)
- Emily Pomeroy (Aberystwyth University): The Audience Strikes Back: Reactionary Securitizing Moves, Resistance, and the Challenges to Securitization Theory
- Robynne Grant-Jepps (University of Bristol): Islands of Resistance: The Role of Group Identification in Audience Negotiation of Securitization in Cape Town’s Community Action Networks
- Zhehao Du (University of Edinburgh): Identity, Threat and Policy: American Justification for Strengthening US-Taiwan Security Relations Since the First Trump Administration
- Shivani Singh (Leicester University): The Game of Accommodation: Explaining India's Behaviour in the Global Nuclear Order
- Muhammet Derviş Mete (University of Edinburgh): The People's Voice or the Autocrat’s Tool? Rethinking Referendums in Competitive Authoritarian Regimes of Latin America

 

Panel 14 - Contested Resources: Geopolitics, Nationalism and Environmental Governance (1.60 EFI): This panel explores how environmental governance is increasingly shaped by geopolitical competition, nationalist agendas, and competing visions of sustainability. From China's ecological diplomacy on the Mekong to militarised conservation and contested energy politics in the Eastern Mediterranean and Latin America, the papers examine how natural resources become sites of strategic power, normative struggle, and global environmental contestation.
Discussant: Dan van der Horst (University of Edinburgh)
- Stefanos Manolis (University of Edinburgh): Cyprus’ Offshore Natural Gas Development, Turkey’s Opposition, and Cyprus’ Reaction
- Federica Persico (University of Genoa): Setting Boundaries: How Major Powers Contest the Environmental Protection Norm in Armed Conflict
- Ricardo Barbosa, Jr. (University of Brasilia): From Conservation to Control: Militarized Environmental Governance under Bolsonaro
- Uzoma Okafor (Nigerian Institute of International Affairs): Renewable Energy and Economic Dominance: The Impact of Nationalist Policies on Global Sustainability
- Francesca Chapman (University of Leeds): The power and practice of China’s ‘ecological civilisation’ in international water politics: an analysis of the Mekong River.

16:15-17:00: Closing remarks (2.35 EFI): BISA Postgraduate Network Team (Assala Khettache, Andrea Gimeno Solaz, Daksh Sharma, Konstantinos Manakos).