THE RESPONSIBILITY OF KNOWING: PERSPECTIVES BEYOND DISCIPLINES, BORDERS, AND CLASSES
14-15 May 2026, Istanbul
The Alliance of Civilizations Institute is pleased to announce the third edition of the Graduate Conference in Civilization Studies. We invite graduate students and early-career scholars to submit research that explores the ethical discourses surrounding knowledge and the evolving ideals of intellectual life.
At a time when knowledge is increasingly mobilized by powerful actors including large corporations, authoritarian regimes, and other structures of power in ways that may harm humanity, degrade the environment, alienate individuals, commodify human intentions, and fracture communities, urgent questions arise: What responsibility does the knower bear? Knowledge for whom? Knowledge for what?
We seek to explore the "responsibility of knowing" across a diverse spectrum of roles, including academic scholars, religious and spiritual authorities, scientists, practitioners, and public intellectuals. We welcome interdisciplinary submissions from fields such as:
Our mission is to look beyond the rigid boundaries of disciplines, classes, and borders to redefine what it means to be a guardian of knowledge in the 21st century.
We are also pleased to announce that Professor Cemil Aydin will deliver the keynote lecture of the conference.
Please submit a 300-word abstract and an updated CV by 1 April 2026 to civsconference@ihu.edu.tr.
Notifications of acceptance will be sent by 10 April 2026.
The conference will be held at the historic Salis Madrasa within the Süleymaniye Complex in Istanbul.
Limited accommodation support may be available for participants traveling from outside Istanbul.
