Call for Papers

The deadline for applying to the conference is April 18, 2022.

The study of kinstate policies (i.e., the pursuit of nation states or national majorities to cultivate ties with co-ethnics living abroad) has developed into a dynamic subfield of nationalism studies. Scholars have focused on multiple forms of kinstate involvement, ranging from seeking territorial (re-)unification and support for rebellious minorities through extra-territorial nation building relying on dual citizenship to subsidies for minority institutions and international lobbying for minority rights. Given this wide range of instruments it is not surprising that scholars interested in this field analyzed the causes and effects of kinstate policies from multiple perspectives. Security related approaches certainly remain an important angle: in a realist line of thought one may ask about factors encouraging (or impeding) nation states to seek leverage over (or in extreme cases territorial unification with) their ethnic kin. It is also a relevant question how kinstate involvement affects minority claims and minority political agency in general and whether this influence can be interpreted on a programmatic dimension (as radicalization vs. moderation). Another stream of the scholarly literature discusses kinstate policies in a diaspora or transnationalism framework, as a dynamic interrelation between different projects of nation building or as an aspect of the international regime of minority protection better regulated through multilateral treaties.

We are interested in presentations that discuss various aspects (causes, dimensions, effects) of kinstate policies. Scholars working in the domains of international relations, nationalism studies or minority rights are all welcome. We are particularly interested in papers discussing how kinstate policies are perceived by minority communities and majority publics (both in kinstates and states of residence) and how they are framed by different political and institutional actors. We welcome papers about cases from all around the world, but our territorial focus is primarily the CEE region, and we are especially interested in Hungary’s post 2010 kinstate polies, intending to organize several roundtables on the Hungarian case.

We are also happy to announce that the keynote speaker of the conference will be Zsuzsa Csergő (Queen’s University), with a presentation titled “Kin-state involvement as a double-edged sword”.

The event will be the fifth in a series of conferences that take place under the auspices of the same institutional cooperation at Cluj, following the MINEUREG, MIREMIR, PIONME and CHALLENGES100 conferences of 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2018.

The deadline for applying to the conference is April 18, 2022. Please submit your abstract (250-300 words), together with a brief bio, including your academic/institutional affiliation on the following link. 

Registration form! 

Panel proposals including a chair, 4-5 speakers and a discussant are also welcome. The selection of participants will be carried out no later than April 25, 2022.

The language of the conference is English, but exceptionally Romanian- and Hungarian-language presentations will be accepted (especially in the case of roundtables). In these cases, organizers will ensure English language translation for the participants.

The conference will be held in Cluj-Napoca, at Sapientia University, but depending on the COVID-19 situation, the organizers offer the possibility for online participation as well. Such requests should be indicated by everyone in the registration form. The city can be easily reached by several low budget airlines. The organizers are unable to cover for the accommodation of participants, but are happy to offer assistance for participants to find cheaper accommodation facilities.

Participants are kindly requested to pay a registration fee of 70 Euros that covers for the conference materials, the coffee-breaks and two receptions. Participation in the excursion planned for Saturday (May 28), including a dinner and a visit to a neighboring historical town and salt mine, will require a contribution of additional 30 Euros.

Conference organizers:

Romanian Institute for Research on National Minorities (contact persons: Tamás Kiss, István Gergő Székely)

Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Faculty of Science and Arts (contact person: Tibor Toró)

Organizing partners:

POLITEIA – Hungarian Political Science Association of Romania

Committee on Political Sciences of the Regional Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Science in Cluj

Further questions should be submitted to the e-mail address: conferencekv.sapientia.ro.

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