On 12 October 2026, the Section Global Governance at the University of Graz hosted the international hybrid conference “After Pax Americana– Decolonial and Local Perspectives", which invited a collective moment of reflection to make sense of a world in profound transformation.
In a rapidly changing global order marked by geopolitical fragmentation, shifting power centers, and growing contestation over norms and institutions, the notion of a stable Pax Americana appears increasingly untenable. In response, this conference provided a space to challenge dominant paradigms and explore pathways beyond decaying systems of thought and governance. Conference critically engaged with the question of whether the new emerging order is best understood as multipolar, defined by competing centers of power, or as a pluriverse, emphasizing epistemic diversity, decoloniality, and alternative peace-making practices.
The Keynote was delivered by Prof. Giorgio Shani (Chair of the Department of Politics and International Studies and Director of the Social Science Research Institute, ICU Tokyo)
Conference was organized by Josef Mühlbauer & Ksenia Radchenkova (section Global Governance, Uni Graz) in cooperation with the Lebanese American University, I.F.A.N University in Senegal, Centre for Critical Peace Studies & Comsats University in Pakistan and builds on the earlier “Local Peace Formation” series at the University of Graz and the conference of the Center for Critical Peace Studies (Lahore).
The full record of the conference is available here.
