32nd International Conference of Europeanists
June 16-18, 2026
Conference Location: University College, Dublin
Conference co-chairs: Karen Anderson (UCD), Imelda Maher (UCD), and David Phinnemore (Queen’s University Belfast)
Application portal is now closed! Applicants will be notified of decisions by December 18, 2025. Registration will open in January.
Integrity, Solidarity, and Unity: Hopes and Realities of the European Future
European society, politics, law, and culture are imbued with shared ideas of integrity, solidarity, and unity. The end of the Cold War redrew the map of Europe as once oppressed societies gained independence and territorial integrity after decades, or even centuries of domination. But integrity was not simply related to borders, it was inextricably linked to solidarity– the idea that European countries would join together to promote social progress and democracy through shared ideas and institutions advancing European unity, however defined. Solidarity also captures Europe’s efforts to build social and political institutions — the welfare state broadly defined — to provide collectively financed and organized social protections. Indeed, the “European Social Model” no matter how flawed, is for many the standard against which all advanced democratic societies should be judged. Similarly, solidarity implies individual autonomy embodied in shared values such as fundamental rights and the right to social protection.
European hopes around integrity, solidarity, and unity rest on loosely shared understandings of what the future should hold. Dashed hopes of the past show the importance of embedding individual and collective hopes in values of integrity and solidarity and in social and political realities. Seeking to realize hope through agency and an articulation of shared goals creates space for the exploration and realization of potential futures for Europe. The integrity of collective hopes grounded in shared values also means reimagining European futures in response to realities. Indeed, Russia’s war against Ukraine, the radical reorientation of US policies toward Europe since January 2025, and the increasing flow of migrants and refugees from outside of Europe are daunting realities.
Ireland is an ideal location for the CES conference, situated on Europe’s western coast and of all European countries the one geographically closest to North America. Ireland is an island that has forever looked beyond its shores: from the early medieval period when Irish monks travelled throughout Europe leading to the title of Insula Sanctorum et Doctorum, to the Wild Geese – Irish soldiers of the late 17th century, and the departure of famished and impoverished migrants from the mid-19th century following the Great Famine when the United States and Canada became key destinations. Transformed in the late 20th century, a country that challenges the boundaries of post-colonial studies, Ireland is the European home for many of the leading tech and pharma multinationals, a gateway into the European Union single market. It is also the first country in the world to adopt marriage equality by popular vote. The island is an important location for the arts and culture. Irish authors and poets have made an exceptional contribution to English literature while Ireland’s ancient language, Irish/Gaeilge, is one of the oldest living languages in Europe.
The conference is organized on an all-island basis, recognizing both the richness of scholarship that exists across Ireland and Northern Ireland and the continuing near invisibleness of the border, despite Brexit. The conference will officially open on June 16th, Bloomsday, the day on which Leopold Bloom meanders around Dublin in Ulysses, that most local and most European of novels, authored by James Joyce — the most celebrated alumnus of UCD.
We invite papers, panels, roundtables, and other kinds of presentations that explore these themes from a multidisciplinary and multilevel perspective. We welcome submissions related to other topics related to European Studies, as well as the inclusion of underrepresented groups and early-career scholars.
Program Committee:
| Antonio Estella de Noriego, Chair: CES Law Research Network, Carlos III University of Madrid | Adrian Favell, University College Cork |
| Sara Benedi Lahuerta, University College Dublin | Matthias Dilling, Trinity College University |
| Marius Busemeyer, University of Konstanz | Thomas Daubler, University College Dublin |
| Roch Mongbo, Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Bénin | Alex Rossen, The New School |
| Colleen Anderson, Smithsonian Museum | Monica Ibanez Angulo, Universidad de Burgos |
| Maria Julia Trombetta, University of Nottingham, Chingbo | David George, Bates College |
| Thomas Haakenson, California College of the Arts | Jeta Abazi, George Washington University |
| Dagmar Schiek, University College Dublin | Yota Deli, University College Dublin |
| Aneta Spendzharova, co-chair European Integration and the Global Political Economy Research Network, Maastricht University | Chris Nshimbi, Pretoria University |
| Emmanuele Pavolini, University of Milan | Patricia Ferraz de Matos, University of Lisbon |
| Ana Ivasiuc, University College Dublin |
Local Organizing Committee
| Ana Ivasiuc, University College Dublin | Mary Dobbs, Maynooth University |
Keynote Speaker
We are excited to announce Judge Síofra O’Leary as the keynote speaker for the 32nd International Conference of Europeanists! An alumnus of UCD, Judge O’Leary served as the President of the European Court of Human Rights. Judge O’Leary will deliver her lecture on June 16, 2026, at UCD. The keynote lecture will be followed by the presidential reception.
2026 Conference Fees:
| Early Bird | Regular | |
| Student/Unemployed/Retired *Must have a valid CES membership | $160 | $190 |
| Early Career *Must have a valid CES membership. Early Career members should be within 6 years of completion of their PHD. | $190 | $210 |
| Regular Members *Must have a valid CES membership | $255 | $275 |
| Sustaining Members *Must have a valid CES membership. | Choose what you pay: $300 $350 $400 | Choose what you pay: $350 $400 $450 |
| Non-Members | $450 | $450 |
| Day Pass | $75 | $95 |
By electing to register at the Sustaining Member rate, you can further help support the activities of CES. Any payment made above the amount of the standard registration rate will be considered a tax-deductible donation to support CES.
All students, administrators, and faculty affiliated with CES Institutional Members will receive an additional 15% off of their registration. Institutional memberships must be valid through the conference. To verify your institutions eligibility and receive the discount, please email us at events@ces-europe.org
Future conferences:
2027: University of Leiden, The Netherlands
2028: University of Bologna, Italy