The Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre is excited to be hosting the the 2025 International Association of Genocide Scholars Conference from October 20, 2025 through October 24, 2025themed around The Challenge of “Never Again”: Engaging with Protection and Prevention of Genocide. The call for papers for this conference is now open. Submissions can be made through this link.
Eighty years after World War II, thirty years after the harrowing events in Srebrenica, and two decades after the adoption of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Principle, the imperative to confront and prevent genocide remains as urgent as ever. In light of this, we invite contributions to this timely and crucial discourse at our 2025 conference, “The Challenge of ‘Never Again’: Engaging with the Protection and Prevention of Genocide.”
The end of the second millennium marked the beginning of a new era for the international struggle against genocide and other atrocity crimes. The United Nations (UN) Security Council decisions constituted two ad hoc tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. The unanimous adoption of the R2P Principle and the establishment of the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and Responsibility to Protect marked an uncompromising international response to these atrocities. International and national mechanisms were set up to address, respond to, and prevent genocides and other atrocities around the globe, such as the creation of the ICC, the UN Fact Finding Mechanisms for the conflicts in Syria and Myanmar, and transitional justice mechanisms to adjudicate atrocities in various conflicts, such as those in Cambodia, East Timor, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Bosnia.
To complement legal and transitional justice efforts, the international community established numerous mechanisms to remember, commemorate, and combat genocide. Education and combatting denial of atrocities and genocides are also critical to protection and prevention, as the UN policy paper, Combating Holocaust and Genocide Denial: Protecting Survivors, Preserving Memory, and Promoting Prevention (2002) affirms. The international community continues to confront genocides and other atrocities, even in areas and spaces where it has already taken steps to address, respond to, and deter such conduct. As such, a critical and comprehensive examination of the measures and means used at both the international and national levels to prevent and respond to genocide and other atrocities is necessary.
Theme:
The 2025 International Association of Genocide Scholars conference aims to critically examine the progress made, obstacles faced, and opportunities presented in the ongoing quest to fulfil the pledge of “Never Again.” We invite papers that explore a wide array of topics related to the conference theme: The Challenge of “Never Again”: Engaging with the Protection and Prevention of Genocide, including genocide prevention, humanitarian interventions, international cooperation, the role of institutions, and legal and ethical dimensions inherent in safeguarding human rights on a global scale. We also welcome papers and panels on any topic within the broad field of genocide studies and related areas. We encourage contributions from academics, practitioners, and artists who work on the legal, social, cultural, and scientific aspects of genocide, mass atrocity, and crimes against humanity.
Topics of Interest: Papers are invited on, but not limited to, the following topics:
1. Historical perspectives on genocide and lessons learned from World War II, Srebrenica, and subsequent genocides and atrocities;
2. Current perspectives on genocide, crimes against humanity, mass atrocities, and the differences between these crimes;
3. The evolution and impact of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Principle;
4. Challenges in implementing preventive measures and protection mechanisms against genocide and other mass atrocities;
5. The role of international organisations, governments, and non-governmental organisations in genocide prevention;
6. Ethical considerations in humanitarian interventions and implications for global justice;
7. Case studies on successful or failed efforts in preventing mass atrocities;
8. Challenges and opportunities in the application of international and national legal mechanisms in the fight against impunity;
9. The use of education in the struggle against genocide and Holocaust denial;
10. Healing and memory representation in post-genocide societies;
11. The role of grassroots movements and civil society in the fight against impunity and denial of genocide, and;
12. Current, developing, and future technologies that pose promises and threats to safeguarding human rights on a global scale.
Submissions on any topic in the field of genocide studies are most welcome.
We welcome abstract proposals that showcase submissions that utilize innovative delivery formats. In addition, IAGS is committed to efforts to diversify prevailing understandings of all aspects of genocide, and we encourage proposals that employ novel methods and address a wide variety of cases, concepts, theories, methods, practices, traditions, and topics relevant to the study of genocide, genocide education, and prevention. We strongly encourage submissions from the Global South, minoritized and marginalized groups, and emerging scholars on under-researched issues, comparative analyses, and critical and creative work that addresses lacunae in the field.
Submission Guidelines:
Individual proposals should be no longer than 250 words long and include a presentation title, abstract, and 3-5 descriptive keywords.
Panel proposals (comprising three to four presentations) require an overarching description of the panel (250 words) and individual proposals (250 words) from each panel presenter. Consistent with IAGS’ commitment to diversity, the program committee considers diversity as a selection criterion, so presenters are strongly advised to ensure that the proposed panels are as inclusive as possible.
Proposals for artistic or other creative installations, readings, public performances, screenings, exhibitions, and workshops will also be considered. Artistic and creative proposals should include links to samples of the proposed work and detail any specific technical, spatial, or other requirements.
Workshops are interactive sessions that target specific audiences and promote knowledge transfer, skills development and collaborative learning among all participants and workshop facilitators. Workshops differ from panel presentations in that they target smaller audiences with high levels of interactivity and audience participation. Workshop/Exhibition Proposals should include a description (not to exceed 300 words) of the proposed workshop, its rationale, intended audience, format, goals, and intended impact. The proposal must identify at least two individual workshop/exhibition leaders and note their expertise or experience in the subject matter.
All proposals will undergo an anonymous peer review. To register and participate in the 2025 conference, accepted presenters must be members of IAGS.
Regardless of format, all conference presenters should plan to speak for a maximum of 15-20 minutes, and workshops/exhibitions are limited to one-panel session length. Although multiple submissions are permitted, the organizers reserve the right to accept only one presentation per submitter.
Please note that the conference will be primarily in-person due to technical bandwidth and infrastructure challenges. In addition to our in-person panels, we will host one virtual room for Zoom presentations. Applicants will have the option to choose between the in-person conference and the online virtual room. Please note that hybrid panels are not possible due to technical and spatial limitations; however, we aim to live-stream keynotes or the online participants.
Please click here to submit your abstract.
Please address any questions to the conference organisers at: info@iags2025.com
The proposal submission deadline is midnight (Eastern Standard Time) on 25 November 2024. Notifications will be provided by 30 January 2025.
