Call for papers

Within the Conference's challenging conceptual and empirical framework the Human Rights Centre “Antonio Papisca” and the UNESCO Chair “Human Rights, Democracy and Peace” of the of the University of Padova have launched, in tight cooperation with other international human rights research institutes a call for papers open to human rights scholars, researchers as well as Ph.D candidates.

Preference will be given to sound proposals which contribute addressing, from different disciplinary perspectives the following topics (see detailed topic descriptions, below the "Dates and Instructions" section).

• Vulnerability from the perspective of Human Rights
• Vulnerability and ecosystems
• Vulnerable population in migration
• Vulnerable population in armed conflicts and humanitarian crises

The conference is however open to other relevant vulnerability related topics and approaches that have been left out from the proposed topics.

Dates and instructions
To participate in the call for papers, please fill the form by 30th September 2023 (midnight)

You will be asked to provide an abstract of maximum 250 words, information about authors, up to 4 key-words and a reference to one of the conference’s panel topics.
Notification of acceptance will be sent by 12th October.
For accepted abstracts, the submission of a working paper before the Conference is strongly encouraged. This will also help preparing the manuscript for the publication opportunities provided in the context of this event.

There is no Conference fee. Please note that the University of Padova is unable to provide any funds for travel and accommodation costs.

Proposed panel topics

Panel 1 – Vulnerability from the perspective of Human Rights

Proposed and managed by: University of Gothenburg, School of Global Studies

Vulnerability is often understood as an incapacity in individuals or groups to protect and fulfill their own needs and interests. However there has been a growing shift within Human Rights research and activism towards adopting human rights-based approaches that emphasize contextual, situational, structural and institutional factors as the root causes of vulnerability. This shift challenges the notion that vulnerability is an inherent trait of individuals or groups. Consequently, regulations and policies have increasingly focused on promoting agency, participation, visibility, and non-discrimination for individuals and groups identified as being in vulnerable positions within society.

Moreover, the implementation of human rights for these ‘vulnerable’ groups has shifted towards addressing the structural factors that contribute to their vulnerability. This approach recognizes the importance of managing these factors and involving the affected individuals and groups in the process. However, there remains a persistent resistance to human rights, as evidenced by contemporary far-right discourses. These discourses label human rights as a leftist ideology that undermines traditional societal values related to gender and culture. Consequently, they oppose human rights regimes giving extensive rights to inter alia ethnic and religious minorities, LGBTQAI+ groups, and migrants. Additionally, the neoliberal economy discourse seeks to diminish state responsibilities, thereby exacerbating vulnerabilities.

This theme takes a broad and interdisciplinary approach to vulnerability within the framework of Human Rights. It invites papers that contribute both theoretically and empirically to our understanding of vulnerability. Potential topics for these papers include, but are not limited to, critical examinations of the concept of vulnerability from various human rights perspectives; critical analysis of the use and interpretation of "vulnerability" in human rights discourse; exploration of the intersectionality of vulnerabilities (such as ethnicity, gender, poverty, disability, mental disorders, age, etc); discussions on the situations faced by specific ‘vulnerable’ groups (such as ethnic minorities, indigenous peoples, LGBTQAI+ individuals and groups, people with disabilities, children, the elderly, etc); and analysis of current political discourses that impact vulnerability for different groups.

Panel 2 - Vulnerability and ecosystems

Proposed and managed by: University of London and Stop Ecocide International

As the conference rationale outlines, the notion of human “vulnerability” has attracted considerable academic attention over the past two decades, from Bryn Turner’s classic sociological intervention in the 1990s, which sought to provide a sociological foundation for human rights in bodily vulnerability and human frailty, to more recent work which has connected the vulnerability of ecosystems to the violation of human rights and indeed our very survival in the face of, what Joel Kovel has termed, ‘the ecological crisis’. This panel will seek contributions that highlight the vulnerability of ecosystems, the environmental and social harms that flow from such vulnerability and potential solutions to the crises they have created.

• Ecosystem vulnerability and the role of social movements
• The potential for beneficial international legal change
• The role of corporations and the neoliberal political and economic system.
• Vulnerability, the limits to growth and planetary boundaries

Panel 3 – Vulnerable population in migration

Presented and managed by: University of Wroclav, Institute of International Studies

This panel aims to gather scholars and doctoral students from different disciplinary perspectives to exchange their opinions, results of research and critical views on some proposed issues:

• Immigrants and Refugees as a vulnerable people
• Women and children (separated families) as a key problem/group in migration
• Discrimination and stigmatization of vulnerable migrants
• The regions/states where migrants are most vulnerable population
• Government protection for migrants/migration policy
• Violation of vulnerable migrants and refugees
• Border governance

Panel 4 – “Vulnerable population" in armed conflicts and humanitarian crises

Presented and managed by: University of Graz, European Training Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (ETC-UNI)

Armed conflicts and humanitarian crises resulting from natural or man-made disasters place the most vulnerable at the highest risk, including through discrimination, abuse and long-term implications on their lives. Armed conflicts and humanitarian crises exacerbate pre-existing gender equality and put women at particular risk to experience violence, while children are especially vulnerable in light of their health and educational needs. Specifically vulnerable groups such as the elderly, persons with disabilities or chronic health conditions, or intersectional vulnerabilities, as well as members of disadvantaged ethnic or religious minorities, face disproportionate risks during disasters, humanitarian crisis and conflicts.

This panel will discuss  the legal and policy frameworks available to vulnerable populations in armed conflicts and humanitarian crises, analyse consequences of increased vulnerabilities in such situations, and highlight protective gaps at the intersection of international humanitarian law, international human rights law, refugee law, and the emerging international disaster response law, and corresponding state practice, including the role and responsibilities of non-state armed actors, humanitarian actors, NGOs and international organisations. While the law protects all civilians, it often fails to respond adequately to specific vulnerabilities, and while humanitarian assistance is most important for those most vulnerable, the existing legal and policy framework for (cross-border) humanitarian relief does not always adequately respond to this.

Topics may comprise vulnerabilities during armed hostilities, including their specific impact on the elderly, children, persons with disabilities, and intersectional vulnerabilities, the protection of medical facilities in armed conflict, the recruitment of children into armed forces, and humanitarian relief for vulnerable groups. This includes sexual violence perpetrated against vulnerable men, women, boys and girls in armed conflicts and its long-term impact on individuals, families and communities, and specific vulnerabilities of unaccompanied minors, internally displaced, or migrants. It may also include vulnerabilities in detention during armed conflicts (detention conditions, appeals possibilities, communication, visits and humanitarian support) as well as in IDP and refugee camps for specifically vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women and nursing mothers, infants and children, pre- and post-natal care, and persons with specific health or educational needs. The panel will also ask whether a fragmented humanitarian system leave peoples behind when their vulnerability is not sufficiently recognized by established humanitarian actors, norms and policies, particularly in protracted crises or in intersectional vulnerabilities.

Contributions from all academic disciplines and multidisciplinary contributions are welcomed.