Central European Journal of International and Security Studies

In 2026, the Central European Journal of International and Security Studies (CEJISS) will commemorate its 20th anniversary. To celebrate this milestone, the Journal will bestow the 20th Anniversary Award for the best paper written by a PhD candidate, postgraduate (Master’s) student or recent graduate. Hence, we cordially invite all eligible individuals to submit their work for consideration. Submissions are welcome and accepted from current postgraduate (MA- or PhD-level) students or those who finished their MA or PhD studies in 2023, 2024 or 2025. Submissions must be original, previously unpublished papers within the field of International Relations (broadly defined) or any of its subfields.

The submissions may be based on conference papers or PhD/MA dissertations. Co-authored papers are accepted, but all authors must meet the aforementioned conditions. The key criteria for evaluation are related to the submissions’ originality and scientific (academic) quality, including the strength of the argument, theoretical/analytical framework and empirical evidence.

The awarded paper will be published in the first issue of CEJISS in 2026. Shortlisted finalists will be provided with extended feedback in the form of two reviews. Should they wish, the finalists can elaborate on their manuscripts in accordance with the provided feedback, and their manuscripts can also be considered for publication in the journal.

• Deadline for submissions: 1 October 2025 
• Announcement of the winner and the shortlisted finalists: 30 November 2025
• Publication of the awarded paper (print issue): March 2026
• Language of submission: English 
• Length: 6,000–12,000 words (including bibliography, footnotes, abstract)
• Abstract: 100–200 words 
• We do not request any specific citation or formatting style. However, the author of the awarded paper will be responsible for adjusting the style of the paper according to the journal’s guidelines prior to the paper’s publication. 
   

Call for Papers - Thematic Section - Politics of Anniversaries in International Relations

In 2026, the Central European Journal of International and Security Studies (CEJISS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary. How can we better celebrate than with a thematic section that explores the politics of anniversaries? In this call, we invite prospective authors to analyse different aspects of the politics of anniversaries and explore how, why, or to what end anniversaries are constructed, mobilised, and instrumentalised. We are interested in any anniversaries relevant in the context of international politics (as a subject of scholarly inquiry) and International Relations (as an academic discipline, broadly defined). At the same time, we are also open to contributions that incorporate insights from Sociology, Social Anthropology, Political and Human Geography, Post-Colonial Studies, Area Studies, and any other relevant branch of social sciences.

Contributions may focus on the following and other relevant topics:

• The Politics of Commemoration: How are anniversaries used to legitimise political regimes, promote national unity, or advance specific political agendas?
• Contested Memories: How do different groups within a nation or internationally remember the same event in conflicting ways? How are these contested memories negotiated or suppressed during anniversaries?
• Kidnapped Anniversaries: How are anniversaries (mis)used or appropriated by dissent or oppositional actors?
• The Role of Media and Popular Culture: How do media, films, literature, and other forms of popular culture shape the commemoration of anniversaries?
• Transnational and Comparative Perspectives: How are similar anniversaries commemorated in different national contexts? What can comparative analysis reveal about national identities and historical narratives?
• Invisible Anniversaries: Why are some events or figures not commemorated? What does it tell us about power and historical narratives?
• Anniversaries and International Relations: How do national anniversaries affect diplomatic relations, international norms, and historical reconciliation processes?
• The Academic Anniversaries: How do anniversaries within the academic field shape disciplinary histories, canon formation, and future research agendas?

This thematic section builds on and aims to contribute to the memory studies and the politics of memory. We encourage the potential authors to consider, build upon or critically engage with the concepts of imagined communities (Anderson 1983), invented traditions (Hobsbawm & Ranger 1983), ontological and mnemonic security (Mälksoo 2015), timing practices (Hom 2017) and others.

Timeline

• Deadline for abstracts (about 200 words): 30 September 2025
• Abstract selection (acceptance emails): 10 October 2025
• Manuscript submission deadline: 31 January 2026
• Review process and paper revisions: February-May 2026
• Print publication: 30 June 2026