Workshop ‘Words to Worlds: Critical Conceptual Analysis and Conceptual History in World Politics’

This workshop introduces participants to the fundamental approaches, uses, and methodologies of critical concept analysis and conceptual history. We will be joined by Felix Berenskoetter (KCL), Taylor Borowetz (SOAS), and Jaakko Heiskanen (QMUL) for a two-day interactive workshop on the 11th and 12th of June. 

The workshop will discuss:

• the political nature of concepts, and the politics surrounding them; 

• conceptual change and its relation to the socio-political world; 

• different methodological approaches to studying concepts, their place in theories and in practices.

The workshop is aimed at early-stage PhD students interested in interrogating the power of concepts, the types of politics that concepts make possible, and the types of sociopolitical shifts that conceptual change reflects and drives in world politics and world history. It is of particular interest to students of international relations, politics, history, or governance. Participants will be introduced to foundational methodological approaches of working with concepts and conceptual analysis, and engage directly with their own research projects through structured exercises.

By the end of the workshop, students will have developed a clearer understanding of how to work with concepts in their research, as well as a set of analytical tools and theoretical perspectives to support and refine their research design. 

This workshop is funded by LISS-DTP, QMUL, and DoingIPS. It is open to all University of London PhD students, although students from further afield are encouraged to reach out if interested! 

Please email expressions of interest to a.j.barclay@qmul.ac.uk by the 5th May.