War and Peace after Kant

We are pleased to announce the upcoming conference War and Peace after Kant, to be held at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) from 6 to 9 November 2024, and we invite you to join us.

The conference will explore the continuing relevance and significance of Kant's notion of perpetual peace, both within the context of Kantian and post-Kantian thought, and in the broader scope of contemporary political and philosophical discourse. At a time when wars are raging both in Europe and beyond, it has become evident that the issue of war and peace has received too little attention in scientific and academic circles. This conference aims to fill this gap by examining the proper role of war and peace in Kant's essay on Perpetual Peace and its implications for contemporary political and philosophical thought.

According to Kant, perpetual peace should not be conceived as a static 'state' but rather as a form of activity that needs to be constantly exercised and actualized, both conceptually and politically. In this context, the conference will seek to answer whether perpetual peace is a political and theoretical utopia, as Kant’s idea is often characterised, or a fundamentally realistic theoretical proposal that remains productive for contemporary thought. Alongside discussions on Kant's historical predecessors (Saint-Pierre, Rousseau) and successors (especially Hegel, who was famously dismissive of Kant's pacifist ideal and instead accepted, even affirmed, the necessary possibility of war), the conference will also address related questions, such as he relationship between war and politics (Schmitt), the mechanisms of exploitation (Spivak), and the effects of military technology and organisation on the overall structure of society. The conference will enable participants to reflect on and develop the first outlines of a theoretical framework for understanding war and peace in our times.

We understand that some potential participants may have financial constraints, and therefore, a small number of stipends will be available to help with conference expenses.

This conference is a collaborative effort between the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, Goethe Institute, Humboldt University and Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade. 

We look forward to your participation in the conference and to welcoming you in Ljubljana!