 |  |  |  |
Werbung:
Call for Papers
Theme: Culture, Diversity, and Military Ethics
Subtitle: Intersections of Military and Civilian Culture at a Time of
International Political Upheaval
Type: 2018 Annual Meeting
Institution: International Society for Military Ethics (ISME)
Case Western Reserve University
Location: Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: 25.–26.1.2018
Deadline: 2.10.2017
This year's North American Chapter of the International Society for
Military Ethics (ISME) annual conference will be held at Case Western
Reserve University in the lovely University Circle district of
Cleveland, Ohio, 25-26 January 2018. The overarching theme of the
conference, the ethics of culture and diversity in the military at a
time of international political shifts, will allow delegates from the
US, Canada, and around the world to explore immediate challenges
related to military ethics in a growing global culture of conflict.
More specifically, dialogue will focus on three main research axes:
(1) the application of just war theory in asymmetrical contexts, (2)
military ethics and politics (both international and domestic), and
(3) cultural integration, diversity, and globalisation. As ever,
discussion of other issues in military ethics will also be welcome,
including, for example, ethical issues arising from the development
of new technologies, such as advancements in cyber or biotech.
Just war theory in asymmetrical contexts
Discussions on this theme will evolve around the role of just war
theory in the current context of asymmetrical conflicts. In the last
year or so, there were many startling news items: trucks and cars
used as weapons against civilians, people shooting their fellow
citizens while they prayed in a sacred space, drone attacks affecting
unarmed individuals, chemical weapons used against vulnerable
civilian populations, the "mother of all bombs" deployed against
insurgents in Afghanistan, not to mention nuclear threats replacing
diplomatic discussions and many more alarming incidents. In the
context where borders have never been more permeable and yet
alliances seem more fragile and polarized than ever, how is the
recourse to violence to be justified? How do we recognize just cause,
legitimate authority, last resort, etc. in the present disordered
international order?
Military ethics and politics (international and domestic)
Faced with seemingly newly porous conceptions of war, countries need
to increase their adaptability to constantly emerging and morphing
crises. In the wake of the political awareness embedded into military
training, many armies have seen new political engagement of their
former and serving members in the public sphere: countries from
around the world have permitted the recycling of former military
leaders into leadership roles in political parties. Similarly, in the
wake of populism, armies have allowed their soldiers to contribute to
or advocate on behalf of particularly politically positioned
publications, and former service members to be voices on cable and
other new outlets, commentating on politics and endorsing specific
views. Is there a duty of the armed forces to keep political
distance? Should the freedom of expression of current and former
military be more or less restricted than it currently is? Tensions
between military ethics and real politics have also been found in the
welcoming of persona non grata into the political sphere, in the
daily negotiations with controversial leaders, and in the pursuit of
questionable peace negotiations. How separate should the military be
from domestic and international politics?
Cultural integration and globalisation
Diversity of views and values also brings the question of how best to
manage cultural integration to the Forces at a time of extensive
global migration. Nationalist and anti-immigrant movements in several
nations have raised fundamental questions about the relationship
between citizenship and service. Is it just for the rights of
native-born citizens who do not serve to be greater than those of
foreign-born residents who do? How successfully integrated are
minority populations in the modern military? By being more of a
meritocracy, could the military actually become a better model of
integration than the broader population (as when the U.S. Army forces
under the pressures of WWII eventually became more successfully
racially integrated than 1940s civilian society – 20 years before the
Civil Rights era)? The serving members at greater risk for attrition
are visible minorities and females, and many armies adjust their
quotas based on demographics. Should minority quotas be increased to
make minorities less vulnerable? What are the implications of quotas
and other possible solutions to the minority experience in military
serve and to minority service members' sense of belonging and
collective identity? What can we learn from abusive situations such
as Marines United photo sharing scandal? Does social injustice begin
at the stage of military recruiting? While populations are, at the
global scale, more urbanised, most Forces struggle to recruit from
both urban and rural areas and across diverse socio-economic sectors.
Is this lack of diversity both an ethical concern and a strategic
weakness?
While priority will be given to abstracts submitted in one of these
three axes of research, submissions related to any issues in military
ethics will also be considered. Only abstracts submitted using the
electronic submission form provided at this webpage will be
considered. All abstracts will be peer reviewed. The format for
presentations at the conference will be moderated panels on specific
themes (based on submissions received) with extensive Q&A, rather
than panellists reading prepared papers. Presenters will be required
to submit potential discussion questions pertaining to their work to
their panel moderators in advance of the conference and will be given
only 10 minutes to briefly summarize their work before engaging in
lively and in-depth discussions with fellow panelists, managed by the
panel moderator and including questions from the audience. Students
are encouraged to submit abstracts, as there will be a student panel
and a prize for best student contributor.
Deadline for abstracts submissions:
October 2nd, 2017.
Researchers will receive an answer by November 2nd, 2017. Presenters
will have to register prior to November 30th, 2017 in order to be
considered for the programme. If early bird registration rate ends
November 30th 2017, general registration at regular rate will end the
day prior to the start of the conference. Many opportunities for
publications will be offered to participants.
Conference website:
http://www.internationalsocietyformilitaryethics.org/2018-conference.html