RC24 - Armed Forces and Society

IPSA Research Committee on Armed Forces and Society (RC-24) 

CALL FOR PAPERS, IPSA WORLD CONGRESS

JULY 12-16  2025  SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA

Sponsor:  International Political Science Association (IPSA), Research Committee on Armed Forces and Society (RC-24)

Interdisciplinary research on the armed forces and civil society has focused on a variety of subjects, including civil-military relations, the role of the military in politics, and military organization and psychology.  In the early years of the discipline, a great deal of research concentrated on explaining coups and military-led authoritarian regimes in the developing world. Later, in the 1980s and 1990s, with Third Wave democratizations underway, interest shifted to studying civilian control of the armed forces and security sector reform. the study of armed forces and society continues to be significant for scholars, analysts, and policy makers.  Attention has shifted towards military attitudes, the military's role in autocratization, as well as peacekeeping, humanitarian, and other similar deployments around the world.  Robust scholarship has led to the proliferation of monographs, edited volumes, and innumerable articles in such journals as Armed Forces & Society, the Journal of Political & Military Sociology, and other publications geared towards disseminating research within the field.

IPSA’s Research Committee on Armed Forces and Society (RC 24) invites paper proposals for our closed panels at the IPSA World Congress in Seoul, South Korea in July 2025.  We welcome papers exploring a range of topics within the scope of national and international security that touch on issues related to armed forces and society.  Papers that review and analyze the current state of the literature are particularly encouraged to apply.  New empirical and/or theoretical studies analyzing significant issues of civil-military relations, national, and international security, or similar research is also welcome.  Both RC-24 members and non-members are encouraged to submit paper proposals.  However, if selected to participate in a panel at the World Congress, you must become a member of IPSA.  Participants in RC-24 panels are granted membership in RC 24. 

On July 10th the call for papers will open at the IPSA Seoul World Congress website: https://www.ipsa.org/events/congress/seoul2025   The Congress theme is Resisting Autocratization in Polarized Societies.  November 5th, 2024 is the deadline to submit to RC 24's closed panels.  Please submit your paper proposal (abstract up to 350 words) to the RC Chair, Marybeth Ulrich, abstracts (up to 350 words), by October 1st at marybeth.ulrich@usnwc.edu  The RC 24 organizing committee will create the RC’s closed panel topics based on the submitted paper proposals.  Between October 1st and October 15th you will receive an invitation to submit your paper proposal to a specific RC-24 closed panel.  At that time you will go to the World Congress website to attach your paper to the designated panel.  For further information about the 2025 World Congress, consult the website above.  Please encourage your colleagues to participate in what promises to be an outstanding set of RC-24 panels in Seoul.