You are invited to contribute to a special issue of Cooperation and Conflict, scheduled for publication in December 2028.
The proposed issue, “Cartographies of Dispossession: War, Statecraft, and Internal Displacement in the Middle East,” seeks to shift the International Relations (IR) discourse away from viewing internal displacement merely as a humanitarian tragedy. Instead, the issue aims to rigorously theorize displacement as a deliberate instrument of statecraft and a foundational component of modern Middle Eastern security and military architecture.
I truly believe your recent work on displacement and dispossession in the Middle East would provide immensely valuable theoretical and empirical depth required to advance this debate.
This special issue will feature 8–10 articles that present original research. We are moving beyond traditional analyses to explore:
- The Securitization of Civilian Presence: Investigating how mass flight is utilized to alter territorial control and redefine security dilemmas.
- Demographic Engineering: Analyzing how the systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure is used to foreclose future political settlements.
- The Erosion of Normative Frameworks: Critically assessing why existing International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and protection frameworks have failed to prevent mass expulsion.
Cooperation and Conflict is seeking “theoretically innovative themes” that significantly contribute to the field of International Relations. This proposal moves displacement from the periphery of IR studies to the center of regional power dynamics, providing a diagnostic tool for understanding the future of sovereignty, human rights, and regional security.
Submission & Timeline
The full proposal is due to the journal by 15 August 2026. If you are interested, we would include a 250-word abstract of your proposed article in our final submission.
- Article Length: Approximately 10,000 words.
- Revision Process: All articles will undergo peer review, with a tentative timeline extending through early 2028.
I would be honoured to have your perspective represented in this collection. Please let me know by August 1st if you are interested in contributing, and I would be happy to share the full project outline.
Please contact Ester Nergis Canafe, nergiscanefe67@gmail.com.