‘From Chaos to Order: Negotiating Multipolarity and Diversity in Eurasia’

The 18th Biennial Conference of the Australasian Association for Euro-Asian Studies (AAEAS) 2027 - hosted by the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (CAIS) at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

The AAEAS biennial Conference brings together scholars from area studies, political science, international relations, economics, history, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, linguistics and cognate disciplines to discuss all aspects of life in the supercontinent of Eurasia. 

The Conference’s 18th iteration invites participants to reflect on how state and non-state actors inside Eurasia have adapted to challenging conditions and learned how to survive and prosper. In 1997, a prominent US political scientist and former National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski famously predicted that without Washington’s leadership the bulk of Eurasia will indefinitely remain a geopolitical black hole mired in bloodshed, violence and state failure. 

Three decades on, and despite American hegemony going into relative decline, this part of the world has defied the gloom and displayed infinite resourcefulness and creativity in finding solutions to the problems of governance, security, economic development, national identity and environment. Some of these solutions may seem at loggerheads with the universal West-centric recipes which does not necessarily render them ineffective. 

It is important we study the ways in which local actors make sense of Eurasia’s past, present and future and envision their place in a polycentric world order. The Conference invites submissions for panels, roundtables, and individual papers related to its central theme, as well as on other topics relevant to Eurasia. The Conference Programme Committee will consider all proposals; however, full panel proposals are encouraged.

Important Info:

1) This is an exclusively face-to-face, on campus event with no virtual presentations; the conference aims to foster academic discussion and networking through extensive live interactions among participants. 

2) At the conference, the host will cover morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea on both days. Participants will cover their own travelling and local lodging as well as the conference dinner. 

3) We welcome expressions of interest among all participants to serve as panel chairs. Please send your EoI together with your paper/panel proposal submission. 

4) Publications: the authors of selected papers presented at the conference will be invited to publish them in special journal issues or an edited book. 

5) Two PhD student paper awards will be announced at the end of the conference.