The topic of the 2026 University of Alberta Graduate Philosophy Conference \;hosted by the University of Alberta Philosophy Graduate Student Group in collaboration with the UofA chapter of 'Minorities in Philosophy' (MAP) \;to be held Friday May 1 - Saturday\, May 2 is political philosophy concerning political violence\, resistance\, and themes in decoloniality. \;With the pervasiveness of news outlets reporting on a seemingly relentless flow of geopolitical and civil unrest worldwide\, issues continue to arise that incite philosophical perspectives including theories of justice\, the role of the state\, and duties of authority figures\, among others. This raises several important questions about what citizens and individuals can do in the face of the abuse of power\, how to work on decolonizing oppressive power structures\, where researchers should focus their investigations to address this unyielding era of political violence\, and more generally\, the role academia plays in theorizing and acting against oppressive forces. The aims of this conference include:
\nDiscussing and analyzing the rise in political violence in North America\;
\nExploring the desensitization to violent acts that may occur through the dissemination of graphic videos\, photographs\, and stories via social media platforms\;
\nExamining and understanding tools for decoloniality and their application to the various colonized territories and peoples around the world\;
\nConsidering the role of political institutions in moderating the escalation of abuses of states&rsquo\; power\;
\nDiscussing what forms resistance may take and what forms of resistance may be justified in differing contexts\; and
\nProposing actions people can take to resist injustice and surveying the potential of historical tactics and/or successful solutions people have adopted in response to breaches of the social contract or human rights infringements.
\nThe lenses through which we intend to think critically about these issues pertain to but are not limited to\, ethics\, Indigenous philosophies and methodologies\, epistemology\, political theory\, the philosophy of law\, feminist theories\, and continental accounts of violence\, grief\, and loss.
\nKeynote Presentations
\nDr. Jé\;rô\;me Melanç\;on\, University of Regina.
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\n\;Dr. Nathan Kowalsky\, St Joseph&rsquo\;s College\, University of Alberta. \;
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\nWe invite graduate students and postgraduates to submit papers to this year&rsquo\;s Philosophy Graduate Student Group Conference\, taking place in person on Friday\, May 1st to Saturday\, May 2nd 2026\, at the University of Alberta\, in Edmonton\, Alberta\, Canada. To ensure a rewarding discussion\, we strongly encourage submissions from all areas of philosophy and related disciplines including political theory/science\, sociology\, and the digital humanities\, (among others). We especially encourage submissions from groups that are underrepresented in the profession. A stipend will be available to accepted speakers.
\nSubmission Guidelines: Submissions are to be received no later than \;Sunday\, March 15th \;2026 at 11:59pm. We accept abstracts of up to 750 words or full-length papers\, which should not exceed 3000 words. Submissions should be prepared for anonymous review and include a bibliography. Please email us your submissions as anonymized PDFs to pgsg@ualberta.ca.
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