School of Law

Disarmament from the Margins - call for papers

At a time when the foundations of the international legal system are fracturing and the outlook for disarmament progress may look bleak, how can communities, activists and scholars gather to resist and reenergise? This conference seeks to engage the question of how international disarmament is envisioned, articulated, contested, and made in 'other’ places. We are particularly interested in exploring the role of ‘marginal’ actors, places, ideas and processes in disarmament and how we conceive of ‘the margins’.

International legal scholarship addressing disarmament has long centred the role of the state and statesmen, and in particular the role of Great Powers and their leaders. It has done so notwithstanding that a wide range of other actors – international organisations, social movements, Indigenous peoples, corporations and individuals – from across the globe have been engaged in struggles over disarmament issues for centuries. For instance, the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom amassed six million signatures for a petition calling for general disarmament in the 1930s; social movements were central in advocating for the International Court of Justice to issue an Advisory Opinion on whether nuclear weapons are legal under international law in 1996; and the arms industry has influenced and surreptitiously shaped disarmament agendas.

In recent years, scholars have begun to delve into the work of non-state actors and non-Great Power states involved in the Humanitarian Disarmament movement but there are still many aspects of disarmament law scholarship where the role and work of non-state and non-Great Powers actors remains in the shadows.
By coming together in Scotland, a place at the margins that has also long been on the front line of both nuclear threats and peace campaigns, our hope is that this conference will provide a supportive space for scholars, activists and practitioners to share knowledge, gain insights and draw strength from each other.

At the close of the conference, we will take a fieldtrip to the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park via Faslane Peace Camp and Naval Base. Please indicate in your submission if you are interested in joining this excursion.
Some areas for discussion might include:

• How does law figure in strategies of anti-militarist/peace/disarmament activism?
• How should we understand progress in disarmament when tied to legal strategies and governance?
• How are ‘the margins’ defined, conceived of, or demarcated in the context of disarmament?
• How do definitions of marginality relate to ways of thinking about ‘the centre’ and to the dynamics and distributions of power, authority, and status in the international legal system or the disarmament sphere in particular?
• Spatiality of the margins - what is the significance of the frontier, outer limits, the edge, and remoteness to Great Power, non-state and/or Third World activism and thinking about disarmament and international law? How might these map on to legal claims arising out of testing, reparations, and/or the development of regimes such as Nuclear (Weapons) Free Zones, demilitarised or neutralised zones (eg the Antarctic, Outer Space), or military bases?
• The margins and identity – what might it mean to identify as marginal? How do we inhabit or embody marginality and are these identities fixed, fluid or relational? What is the significance of marginal identities in disarmament law contexts?
• What about processes of marginalisation emanating from racism, colonialism, or prejudice? Do these have particular time-space-identity configurations informing our understanding (eg centre-periphery, the metropole) of what disarmament ‘from below’ means, in theory and in practice?
• What ideas, concepts and goals are marginalised in mainstream disarmament discourse? What techniques are used to sublimate these marginalised ideas? What strategies exist for reviving them?

We are especially keen for participation by early career researchers, activists, communities and practitioners of the Global South and have some funding available as contribution towards expenses.

The conference will be held in person on 7 and 8 October 2025 at the Pearce Institute, Govan, Glasgow, and participants will be able to join online. We aim to hold all sessions in plenary and invite participants to present their ideas in diverse formats which might include:

• A more traditional 10-15 minute academic presentation of short paper;
• A panel discussion/roundtable forum;
• Performance: spoken word, poetry, song, storytelling etc;
• Visual representation: short film, artistic work, textiles, poster etc;Something else! – get in touch to discuss your ideas!

To apply, please send a description of your proposed contribution (around 300 words or so) and a two line bio to scottishdisarmamentproject@gmail.com by Friday 30 May 2025. Any questions about the Call or conference, please contact the organisers (Charlie Peevers, University of Glasgow and Anna Hood, University of Auckland, NZ) at scottishdisarmamentproject@gmail.com