Trust and Hope in Times of Crises

Announcement and Call for Abstracts

International Conference on the Theme of Trust and Hope in Times of Crises

June 22&23, 2026

         The American University of Armenian (AUA), Yerevan

Organised by AUA Center for Ethics in Public Affairs (ETICA)

In association with

The International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP)

The Armenian Philosophical Academy

Yerevan State University (YSU)

The Horizon Europe project ETICA  (Center for Ethics in Public Affairs) at the American University of Armenia (AUA), directed by the ERA Chair Professor Maria Baghramian, will hold its second international conference, June 22 and 23. 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia .The theme of the conference is  “Trust and Hope in Times of Crises”, the research theme of the  ETICA project. The conference is co-sponsored by The International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP), The Armenian Philosophical Academy (APHA), and the Yerevan State University (YSU).

The conference explores philosophical questions on the nature and interconnections between trust and hope with an emphasis on the impact of economic, social, and political crises on these core elements of our public and personal lives. 

Abstracts of 300- 500 words, for conference presentations of 20 minutes (+10 minutes Q&A), in English or Armenian, are invited on questions relevant to the general theme of the conference, including but not limited to: 

What are the connections between trust and hope? 

Does trust without hope make sense, or is hope always implicit in trust?

 Is hope a precondition for trust in times of crisis?

Is there a moral or social obligation to remain hopeful in times of crisis?

Is it rational to trust or to remain hopeful in times of crisis?  

What are the impacts of living in times of crisis on the conditions  and levels of trust and hope? Do public and interpersonal trust vary in this respect? 

Is betrayal of trust in a time of crisis morally worse than in ordinary times or is it more excusable ?

Are hope and trust  epistemic or character virtues to be cultivated or are they in-built  features of the  human make up? 

What distinguishes hope from wishful thinking, and does this distinction become blurred in times of crisis? 

What do times of crises reveal about the  fragility or the resilience of trust? and relatedly, can times of  crises ever create new forms of solidarity leading to greater trust and hopefulness 

What are the connections, if any, between, trust and faith, particularly in times of crisis?

Presentations  discussing the work of major philosophers on the topic of conference are also welcome. 

The official languages of the conference are English and Armenian. Abstracts and presentations in either language are welcome.  We aim to publish a selection of the conference proceedings in ETICA: A Yearbook of Ethics and Public Affairs. Competitive conference bursaries, covering  accommodations and subsistence for the duration of the conference,  will be awarded to a maximum of eight early career international researchers who do not have access to other research funding. 

Anonymised abstracts  in Word format should be sent as email attachments to [email protected], with the heading Trust and Hope. This is an in-person conference and online presentations cannot be facilitated.  

The deadline for the abstracts is January 15 2026.  

All queries to [email protected]