WELCOME LETTER
The ICSD European Branch is organizing its next conference in Assisi, Italy, in June 4-7, 2027, under the working theme “Building the Peace”. The theme responds to a global context in which peace has again become an urgent and fragile concern, shaped by war, military escalation, insecurity and growing threats to human wellbeing.
This is why the conference, from an interdisciplinary point of view, wishes to delve into the problematic of peace and social development. Therefore, the ICSD European Branch invites you – the social development scholar, social worker and other social scientists, philosophers, humanists, religious thinkers, artists, activists, practitioners or policymakers – to present new and inspiring insights emerging from your own work on peace.
Conference sub-themes:
- What do we mean by ”peace”?
Under this sub-theme we invite participants to reflect on peace not only as the absence of war, but as a positive and meaningful condition for personal wellbeing and social welfare, social justice, human rights and social development. Participants are encouraged to discuss peace as both an internal and a social process: something that concerns individuals, communities and societies, and that must be built from the bottom up as well as supported through institutions and policy. - How can social development contribute to peace?
Peace understood in a positive and meaningful way connects closely with broader questions of social development, such as respect, solidarity and sharing of common values between people, social justice, social welfare, issues concerning family, children, youth and other vulnerable groups and individuals, and international challenges such as refugees, war conflicts, territorial disputes and ecology. The conference invites papers that discuss how these issues and related fields can contribute to peace, how peace can become a foundation for a renewed social pact, and what kind of society becomes possible when peace is treated as a value in itself. - How can we change social policy and practice in order to promote peace?
Under this track we welcome papers that engage with the future of social development and peace policy and practice, such as what political and social actions must be taken to ensure a social development that promotes peace, analyzing how politics, institutional arrangements, and other societal strategies influence social development and peace policy and practice, understanding what the political and institutional barriers or other obstacles to social development and peace are, and showing which measures provide examples of innovation.
ABOUT ICSD
The International Consortium for Social Development (ICSD) brings together scholars, practitioners, and students from social work, welfare, and development studies. ICSD advances social development processes that strengthen community capacity and promote social, economic, and environmental well-being worldwide.« (more: https://www.socialdevelopment.net/)
The European Branch ICSD was established on 26 September 1989 during its first conference in Heidelberg, initiated by Harald Swedner from Sweden, who also became the first elected president of the European Branch. Since then, conferences have been held, mostly biennially, addressing current societal challenges: human services and welfare; the role of the non-profit sector and civil society; poverty and nationalism; the significance of (social) work in social development; urban community work; research on European social development; social and economic aspects of ageing societies; social policy and social work; European societies in transition; human rights and social development; participatory democracy; the welfare society; and criticism and commitment in social work. European members, particularly the Board, have contributed to ICSD activities. They have served as Consulting Editors of Social Development Issues and as organisers of two IUCISD symposia held in Europe (in 1996 in Oporto, Portugal, and in 2001 in Istanbul, Turkey), as well as two additional ICSD symposia in Zagreb, Croatia (2017), and Gävle, Sweden (2023). Proceedings have been published after some conferences, with regular participation from scientists, experts, and students from various professions.
Key achievements include organising 15 European conferences and an additional 4 in collaboration with the ICSD. In cooperation with various publishers, 11 publications have been produced. The publication entitled Kritik und Engagement in der Sozialen Arbeit. Gesellschaftliche Transformation durch Partizipation und professionelle Praxis (Criticism and Commitment in Social Work. Social Transformation through Participation and Professional Practices), Schriftenreihe der ÖFEB-Sektion Sozialpädagogik, Band 12, Verlag Barbara Budrich, edited by members Gordana Berc and Arno Heimgartner, among others, was very well received in German-speaking countries.
INFORMATION
Venue
Grand Hotel, Assisi
Via Giovanni Renzi 2 06081 Assisi (Italy)
info@bvgrandhotelassisi.com
+39 0758 1501
https://www.bvgrandhotelassisi.com/en/
Date
June 4-7, 2027
IMPORTANT DATES
- Call for abstracts – October 15, 2026 – January 15, 2027
- Notification on acceptance of abstracts – February 15, 2027
- Early bird registration – February 15 – March 31, 2027
- Regular registration – April 1 – June 1, 2027
Post-conference tour
The conference itself will take place from Friday, June 4, to Sunday, June 6. On Monday, June 7, a post-conference excursion will be organized, featuring visits to Assisi and the surrounding area, as well as lunch at a vineyard. This is a special option that those who are interested can choose to take or not. Due to the international situation and uncertainty regarding fuel costs, it is currently not possible to provide an exact price; this will be communicated to those who are interested later. Payment is to be made upon arrival in Assisi to the tour organizers.
Contact
Dr. Hans Kolstad
E-mail: kolstad@mail.dk
Phone: + 47 41 33 50 90
Dr. Liljana Rihter
E-mail: liljana.rihter@fsd.uni-lj.si
Phone: +386 1 280 9264
REGISTRATION
Conference fee
- Early bird (February 15 – March 31, 2027), including ICSD members -300 EUR
- Students – 195 EUR
- Participants from low-income countries* – 200 EUR
- Regular (April 1 – June 1, 2027) – 340 EUR
*Registration fees for low-income countries are determined according to the
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CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Guidelines for abstract submission
- The abstract should be within 300 words of text including the title and keywords (MS Word Doc.)
- The abstract’s title page should include the paper’s title, author’s name, designation, institution affiliation, mailing address, contact number and email id.
- It is essential that you specify the sub-theme to which your abstract pertains when submitting it.
- The abstract can be submitted through the link given or through the conference website.
- Abstract submission ends by January 15, 2027
Please submit abstracts in form below.
Various formats including paper, poster, roundtable, and workshop presentations are welcome.
You will be notified of your paper’s acceptance by February 15, 2027, at the latest. Registration opens on February 15, 2027.
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Congress agency
- Ulica kralja Zvonimira 44, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia
- Contact person: Maja Orsag
- M +385 1 48 21 193
- @ maja@contres.hr
