‘Power Games’: Sports and Diplomacy in Global Contexts  

Liverpool John Moores University, 5 May 2023 

We invite submissions for the sixth annual International History and Diplomacy (IHD) conference, to be held at Liverpool John Moores University on 5 May 2023. Established in 2015, the aim of IHD is to provide an accessible, inclusive, and intellectually stimulating forum for doctoral candidates, early career researchers and established academics in which to showcase, reflect upon, and discuss their research findings within international history and diplomacy. 

In an era where sport’s connections to concepts of ‘soft power’, ‘sportswashing’ and politics of attraction have taken on a new political significance, IHD’s 2023 symposium will focus on sports diplomacy in historical, international political and cultural contexts. More specifically, we invite papers that address how various sports or sport mega-events have been used as a political tool by networks of both state and non-state actors at the local, national, international, and/or transnational level, to impact, in some way, diplomatic relations between countries. Yet, this also opens up wider and important questions related to the politics of and within sport which call for both empirical and theoretical engagement by scholars. As such, the organisers of the conference are interested papers that critically examine the nexus between sport and diplomacy. 

To this end, the conference organisers invite both twenty-minute paper proposals and complete panel submissions from postgraduates, early career academics and established scholars, as well as journalists, politicians, think tanks and those in related fields, on topics relevant to the conference. Paper proposals should consist of a 300-word abstract and a few descriptive key words. Panel proposals are expected to include a chair and consist of three papers and should be submitted by one person who is willing to serve as the point of contact. In addition to 300-word abstracts for each individual paper, panel submissions should also include a brief 150-word introduction describing the panel’s main theme.  

Proposals should be sent to the IHD email editor@ihd.news by Friday 31 March. Please indicate clearly alongside your submission whether the panel/presentation is conceived as an in-person or online session. Unfortunately, we are unable to facilitate hybrid panels. Please note that proposals will be considered in accordance with IHD’s equality and diversity policy and all-male panel proposals will not be accepted. 

Decisions on inclusion will be made by Thursday 6 April. Updates regarding the conference will be posted to the IHD website. There will be no fees for delegates. It is hoped that participants will be able to call upon their departments for any transportation and accommodation expenses. 

Keynote Speaker: Dr Verity Postlethwaite