After Pax Americana
12 October, 2026 12:00 (CET/Austria) RESOWI SZ 15.21 Universitätsstraße 15, Bauteil B, 2nd Floor
In a rapidly transforming 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 provides a space to challenge dominant paradigms and explore pathways beyond decaying systems of thought and governance.
Conference critically engages 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. We are especially interested in contributions that interrogate and reimagine the relationships between peace, security, and global order from decolonial and local perspectives.
Moving beyond entrenched epistemic and political boundaries requires collective effort and transnational dialogue. We therefore seek to connect scholars, students, and practitioners across diverse regions, fostering discourse that transcends euro-centric thinking.
Conference is 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).
12:00 - 12:15 (CET) Opening Remarks
Introduction to conference series and partners (Dr. Ksenia Radchenkova/Josef Mühlbauer – University of Graz; Prof. Fatima Sajjad/Prof. Mudasser Awan)
12:15 – 12:45 (CET) Keynotes & Theoretical Remarks – Pluriverse, Multipolarity or Hegemony?
Prof. Giorgio Shani (Chair of the Department of Politics and International Studies and Director of the Social Science Research Institute, ICU Tokyo)
12:45 – 13:30 (CET) - Decolonising Peace and Security: Beyond Western Epistemologies
Prof. Fatima Sajjad (Director of the Center for Critical Peace Studies at the University of Management and Technology (UMT) in Lahore, Pakistan)
Ass.-Prof. Mudasser Awan (COMSATS University in Lahore, Pakistan)
Dr. Mahmood Delkhasteh (London School of Economics and Political Science, London)
Dr. Zahid Shahab (Associate Professor, National Defence College, UAE)
13:30 – 14:15 (CET) - Whose Security? Rethinking Peace, Mobility, and Governance
Prof. Walden Bello (University of Philippines)
Dr. Mamadou Bodian (Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal)
Ass.-Prof. Yang Liu (Renmin University, China)
Ass.-Prof. Jasmin Lilian Diab (Director of the Institute for Migration Studies, Lebanese American University Beirut, Lebenon)
Sophia Stanger MA (Austrian Center For Peace)
13:55 – 14:30 (CET) Q&A and “Global Discussion”