1 September 2024

The Centre for Public Values and Ethics (CPVE) is pleased to announce the inaugural Leiden Public Ethics Undergraduate Conference. As a leading interdisciplinary academic centre of expertise, the CPVE is dedicated to advancing research on normative issues in public sector governance and ethics. This conference is designed to encourage and highlight undergraduate research in the areas of justice, public values, and ethics. Through this conference, the CPVE aims to foster academic engagement and scholarship among undergraduate students in public values and ethics.

The conference will be held on 22 November 2024 in The Hague on the theme Borders Reimagined: Identity, Culture, and Justice in a Globalized World.

Theme Borders Reimagined: Identity, Culture, and Justice in a Globalized World

Borders remain an essential aspect of our political world. They encompass more than geographical boundaries between states: they shape identity and culture, and influence how societies define themselves and interact with others. Recent events on the global stage have illustrated how the definition and enforcement of borders play a critical role in both domestic and international politics, challenging conventional wisdom about sovereignty, political membership and belonging. We are also witnessing stricter border management, with contrasting political, moral, and ethical values bearing on immigration policies and refugee flows.

This year’s undergraduate political ethics conference aims to identify and discuss these themes and tensions by examining the competing and complementary normative orientations that shape our understanding of borders and their role in fostering global justice, equity, and solidarity. We invite participants to question the narratives that define inclusion and exclusion critically and scrutinise the general ethical implications of borders. Given the interdisciplinary nature of this conference we aim to recognise the inherent value of tackling these issues through both philosophical and normative lenses by encouraging participants to analyse (a) what conceptions of 'borders' are being pursued in different contexts, and (b) how are they constructed, negotiated, and challenged.

Presentations may touch on, but are not limited to, topics of:

• Global Governance and Human Rights (e.g., how international agreements impact border policies, such as the UN's role in balancing national security with refugee protection)
• Legal Ethics and Rights of Refugees (e.g., the ethics of legal instruments and/or principles for handling migrants and refugees, such as the non-refoulement principle)
• Culture and Identity across borders (e.g., how border policies affect cultural integration and the preservation of minority languages among immigrant communities)
• Moral Dimensions of border control and immigration (e.g., implications of immigration policies as considered from the perspective of citizens, migrants or public officials in charge of policy design or implementation)

Keynote speaker

Dr. Matthew Longo will be the keynote speaker for this conference. Dr. Longo, a senior assistant professor at Leiden University, researches political theory and international relations, with a focus on borders, sovereignty, and security—key themes of our conference. His books, The Picnic, The Politics of Borders: Sovereignty, Security, and the Citizen after 9/11, and his articles in leading journals and major media outlets highlight his experience in this critical topic and promise to provide valuable insights for our discussions.

Guidelines

We welcome submissions from any undergraduate student in the Netherlands enrolled at a university or hogeschool. If you wish to apply, please submit an abstract that meets the listed requirements to LeidenEthicsUG@gmail.com by 22 September 2024.
Acceptance emails will be sent out by 7 October 2024.

Abstract submission details:

• Abstracts must be 500 words (+/- 10%), excluding title and references.
• Abstracts should be anonymous and not include any identifying information, but the submission email should include the name, school, programme and year of study of the author.
• Suggested structure:
  - Clearly state the argument being defended (or the research question being answered).
  - Explain the relevance or importance of the chosen topic.
  - Include the structure of the main results, findings, or arguments.

Conference details:

• Four abstracts will be selected to present at the conference, for 25 minutes with a Q&A after.
• Selected authors will have to submit an outline of 2,500-3000 words (excluding references) by 8th November 2024.

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact LeidenEthicsUG@gmail.com.

If you would like to keep up to date with conference details, please sign up via this form.