International Relations

PSA26 Annual Conference

We have three joint panels co-organised with other PSA Specialist Groups and we look forward to seeing you in Oxford.

• Social Movements and Civil Society in a Changing Global Order (organised w/ Political and Social Movements group)
• Faith and Foreign Policy: Examining Religion’s Role in Global Affairs (organised w/ Politics and Religion group)
• Populism and the International (organised w/ Italian Politics group)

We are an open and interdisciplinary community of scholars working at diverse intersections of International Relations and Political Studies.

Formed in 2025, we invite you to join us in taking forward the political study of International Relations, embracing the plurality of perspectives and approaches that characterise this field.

The scope of International Relations (from approaches focused on inter-state and diplomatic interactions to those encompassing varied global and transnational social, economic, political, cultural and ecological relationalities), its troubled histories, and its relationship to Political Studies are topics of heated scholarly debates to this day. However, we contend that it is this very fluidity and contestation that is fruitful as it opens up crucial debates in the face of contemporary global upheavals, and it widens possibilities for potential collaboration.

One of the key objectives of the PSA International Relations Specialist Group is to promote interdisciplinary dialogue, and to this end the group will organize workshops, conferences, and seminars that bring together scholars from different backgrounds, seeking especially to build on synergies with other PSA Specialist Groups. Through open and interdisciplinary discussion we aim to develop more rigorous and critical understandings of global problems and how they may be addressed.

Inclusivity is a core value of the PSA International Relations Specialist Group, given that International Relations has traditionally been dominated by Western perspectives, often marginalizing voices from the Global South and other underrepresented groups. We actively seek to include scholars and practitioners from diverse backgrounds, providing them with opportunities to contribute to the group’s activities and shaping its agenda.

Besides promoting interdisciplinary dialogue, engaging with contemporary challenges, and fostering diversity and inclusivity, the PSA International Relations Specialist Group will focus on supporting early career researchers including through initiatives aimed at the development of their work towards publication, and their advancement within the Political Studies and International Relations fields.