1ST WAR&VIOLENCE CONGRESS 

From June 5th to 19th, 2025, the Research Network on War and Violence will host the first edition of its international conference, bringing together scholars from across Europe and beyond to explore a central and pressing theme in modern European history: propaganda and violence in civil wars.

This inaugural War & Violence Congress will unfold across three major sessions, each focusing on a key dimension of civil conflict—definition, propaganda, and violence—and will feature contributions from historians, political scientists, and social theorists from leading institutions.

A Transnational and Interdisciplinary Approach

Rather than reducing civil war violence to either micro-level motives or grand structural explanations, the conference promotes a methodological pluralism that considers ideological, social, political, and cultural dynamics. The aim is to provide a comprehensive, comparative analysis of European civil wars in the 20th century.

The programme is structured as follows:

📅 June 5 — What is a Civil War?

The opening session tackles the foundational question of what defines a civil war. Scholars such as Bill Kissane (LSE), Sinisa Malešević (University College Dublin), Troy Paddock, Dmitar Tasić, and Joan Pubill will provide conceptual and historical insights.

Thursday, June 5 · 6:30 – 7:30pm

Time zone: Europe/Madrid

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/rrm-vygj-ukb 

Or dial: ‪(ES) +34 822 11 25 79‬ PIN: ‪455 604 234‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/rrm-vygj-ukb?pin=4773832620738

📅 June 18 — Propaganda

This session will examine propaganda as a powerful tool of legitimation, mobilisation, and polarisation. Presenters include Tuomas Tempora (University of Helsinki), Elain Callinan (Carlow College), among others.

Wednesday, June 18 · 7:00 – 8:00pm

Time zone: Europe/Madrid

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/gij-auhd-tvz 

Or dial: ‪(ES) +34 822 11 32 05‬ PIN: ‪352 224 245‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/gij-auhd-tvz?pin=7758767474940 

📅 June 19 — Violence

The final panel will focus on the multifaceted nature of violence in civil wars—military, political, and symbolic. Contributors such as Francisco J. Leira-Castiñeira (UC3M), Thomas Earls FitzGerald (Trinity College Dublin), and Kiril Nazarenko (St. Petersburg University) will present their case studies.

Thursday, June 19 · 7:00 – 8:00pm

Time zone: Europe/Madrid

Google Meet joining info

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/mmz-xdtj-fco 

Or dial: ‪(ES) +34 955 25 66 53‬ PIN: ‪106 304 720‬#

More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/mmz-xdtj-fco?pin=9214362242437 

A Collaborative and Global Effort

The congress is supported by a wide network of academic institutions, including University of Belgrade, UAB, Lancaster University, Trinity College Dublin, Carlow College, University of Helsinki, UC3M, and many more.

This broad collaboration ensures a transnational and comparative perspective, positioning the conference as a reference point for current research on civil wars, political violence, and collective memory.

A Timely Reflection

At a time when the boundaries between memory and politics are increasingly blurred, and disinformation fuels polarization, this congress offers a much-needed opportunity to critically revisit the history of civil wars—not as closed chapters, but as processes whose legacies still shape European societies today.

📅 June 5–19, 2025
🧠 Organised by: Research Network on War and Violence

📍 Online