Annual Lithuanian Political Science Conference “Vision of Resilience: Governance and Politics in the Context of Uncertainty”

Call for papers

In contemporary politics, the concept of resilience has become a crucial practical, analytical, and normative keyword, transcending national borders and traditional perceptions of threats. Resilience characterises not only the ability of a state, its society, institutions, economy, and other systems to function amid shocks but also their potential to transform and adapt to an ever-changing and unpredictable geopolitical, social, and informational environment.

The current environment of operation is complex, marked by overlapping crises: Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has been ongoing for the third year, the Middle East region faces new stages of military and political instability, and the evolution of transatlantic relations is marked by continuous shifts in stance, accelerated by Donald Trump’s return to power. At the same time, societies are experiencing growing polarization, increasing challenges to the stability of democratic institutions, informational resilience, as well as energy and economic security.

The Annual Lithuanian Political Science Conference “Vision of Resilience: Governance and Politics in the Context of Uncertainty”, which will take place on 4-5 December, 2025, at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science, Vilnius University, invites for a broader analysis of resilience – ranging from its hard (military, economic, strategic) to soft (informational, cultural, psychological) forms, and from conventional to unconventional security threats as well as responses to them. The conference aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on what it means to be resilient in nowadays global, European, and Lithuanian political context.

We invite to submit presentation and panel proposals that address, but are not limited to, the following resilience-related questions:

How can national and international governance systems ensure resilience to crises?

What is the role of economic policy choices in strengthening resilience?

How are theories and practices of international relations changing in the context of resilience?

How does resilience manifest itself in social structures, civic engagement, culture, and media?

What role does resilience play in contemporary security and defense strategies?

What is the role of informational resilience in combating disinformation and propaganda?

How can we philosophically, normatively, and practically define democratic resilience?

Proposals of presentations and panels should be submitted by 19 October via this form.

Information regarding the selection of presentations and panels for the conference programme will be announced by 3 November. Proposals may be submitted in Lithuanian and English; however, remote participation in the conference will not be possible.

For any inquiries, please contact konferencija@tspmi.vu.lt.

Keynote speakers

Elena Korosteleva is Professor of Politics and Global Sustainable Development, and Director of the Institute of Global Sustainable Development (IGSD). Prof. Korosteleva has over 20 years of professional experience of researching the issues of global sustainable development, with a focus on Global Europe and Central Eurasia from a Complex IR and Development perspectives. She received her Doctoral Degree in European Studies & Modern Languages from the University of Bath (2001), and a PhD equivalent in Political Sociology from the Belarusian State University (1997). Thereafter she served as a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow, and Lecture/Senior Lecturer/Professor at the Universities of Aberystwyth and Kent. She is currently a Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford ; LSE IDEAS; European Institute for International Law & International Relations, and the College of Europe (Natolin). Elena served as member of the International Advisory Board for the GLOBSEC and Central European Strategy Council; Professorial Fellow of the Dahrendorf Forum at LSE IDEAS, and core group member, Munich Security Conference. Elena works closely with the UK and EU institutions, EU organisations, and national governments in wider Eurasia.