CFP: MANCEPT 2026: New Directions for Cosmopolitanism and Global Democracy

CfA: New Directions for Cosmopolitanism and Global Democracy – MANCEPT Workshops 2-4 September 2026

Convenor: Dr. Maximillian Afnan, London School of Economics and Political Science

The political optimism of the post-Cold War period was accompanied by sustained scholarly attention to questions of global justice and democratic global governance (Caney, 2005; Held, 1995; Archibugi, 2008). Yet the past decade and a half has seen a 'globalisation backlash' that has called into question the feasibility and, for some, the desirability of cosmopolitan aspirations, and of the strong global institutions sometimes associated with them (Walter, 2021). Alongside these political developments, growing scholarly interest in the subaltern has prompted accusations that cosmopolitan and global democratic thought, particularly where it emerges from the liberal tradition, is guilty of a 'false universalism' that masks parochial moral views (Chakrabarty, 2000).

These developments raise numerous questions for cosmopolitanism and global democracy alike, which share a common concern with extending moral and political principles beyond the state, and face parallel challenges regarding feasibility, legitimacy, and the accommodation of diversity. Is democratic global governance compatible with cultural and national diversity? Is it possible to construct a truly inclusive cosmopolitan theory, or is the tradition irredeemably particular? What institutional forms might a legitimate global order take? And what methodological approaches are best suited to theorising such questions?

Recent scholarship has sought to address these challenges from a variety of angles. Some scholars have engaged with non-Western philosophical traditions, or the methods of comparative political theory, to diffuse charges of Western-centrism (Graness, 2018; Xu, 2018; Shapcott, 2020). Others have turned to 'grounded normative theory', using empirical research into lived experience to inform normative theory (Cabrera, 2020). Scholars have also examined the relationship between cosmopolitan commitments and pluralist visions of global political order (Ulaş, 2025). A further strand of literature has brought insights from empirical political science into conversation with normative political theory, testing assumptions about the feasibility of global democratic institutions (Koenig-Archibugi, 2024; Agné, 2022). Meanwhile, scholars continue to debate the relative merits of polycentric approaches to global governance against proposals for more centralised supranational authority (Smith, 2018; Scholte, 2014).

This panel invites papers that engage with these debates. It welcomes contributions focused on cosmopolitanism, on global democracy, or on both, including (but not limited to) their relationship to questions of diversity. It aims to bring together scholars working across different theoretical traditions and methodological approaches to reflect on substantive questions of global political order, and the methods by which such questions are best addressed.

Papers are welcome on topics including, but not limited to:

• The relationship between cosmopolitanism and pluralism
• Responses to charges of 'arrogance' or false universalism in cosmopolitan theory
• The compatibility, or otherwise, of global democracy with cultural and national diversity
• Polycentric versus centralised approaches to global governance
• Non-Western theories of global justice, global democracy, or global order
• Conceptions of inclusion in the design of global institutions
• Proceduralist and substantive accounts of global democratic legitimacy
• The role of grounded normative theory in cosmopolitan and global democratic thought
• Comparative political theory and its contribution to debates on global justice
• The interaction of empirical and normative inquiry in theorising global democracy

The workshop will take place as part of the MANCEPT Workshops in Political Theory at the University of Manchester (September 2-4, 2026). Bursaries are available to help cover the conference registration fee, and participants are encouraged to apply if needed.

To submit a paper, please send an anonymised abstract of no more than 500 words, suitable for a 30 minute presentation (followed by 30 minutes of Q&A), to Maximillian Afnan at [email protected], by Monday 11 May. Successful applicants will be notified shortly afterwards.