International Burch University was pleased to host two pre-conference workshops on 16 June 2026 as part of the biannual conference of the Central and East European International Studies Association Conference. The workshops brought together doctoral researchers, early-career scholars, and established academics for an intensive day of scholarly exchange, mentoring, and collaborative discussion.
One workshop, organised within the CEEISA Young Scholars Initiative, focused on academic publishing and was designed to support young scholars in developing their research for journal submission. Through plenary discussions and small-group mentoring sessions, participants examined how to formulate strong research questions, structure arguments, position their work within relevant literature, respond to reviewers, and prepare manuscripts for publication. The workshop also encouraged the building of longer-term academic collaboration among emerging researchers in international studies.
The other workshop, entitled “Ontological Security, Emotions and Social Orders”, explored the relationship between identity, emotions, security practices, and the reproduction or transformation of social order. Across several thematic panels, participants discussed topics such as emotions in protest movements, post-Brexit UK-EU relations, the Anthropocene, drone warfare, open-source investigations in the Ukraine conflict, and the role of grief, pride, love, memory, and meaning in international politics. The workshop concluded with a discussion on future publication plans, including the possible development of a Special Issue.
Following these pre-conference events, the 2026 CEEISA Conference, also co-hosted by the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Sarajevo, will continue in Sarajevo over the next several days, bringing together scholars from across Europe and beyond to discuss contemporary developments in international studies.