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Instructions for Submitting Abstracts

Theme Description

The 12th Genocide and Human Rights conference is organized by the Center of Genocide and Human Rights Research in Africa and the Diaspora (GHRAD) at ����Թ� (NEIU), Chicago. GHRAD examines the history and manifestations of genocide in Africa and the Black Diaspora to understand the elements that can prevent genocide. Our research and informed action are a contribution to the intercultural understanding that will ensure that genocides will cease to take place in humanity.

Central to our mission, this year’s conference will focus on the link between the memory of past genocides and the prevention of future atrocities. How can the cycle of violence be broken, when the pain of the past can both inhibit the risk of political engagement and fuel the resentment of civil conflict? In June 2025, the United Nations celebrated the twentieth anniversary of its Responsibility to Protect, a mandate addressing the memory of international paralysis in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. Yet this commitment has failed to stem the tide of civilian deaths on a global scale. According to the Secretary-General’s report, “The alarming increase in serious allegations of atrocity crimes points to a widespread deterioration in respect for international norms. Many States are rolling back fundamental freedoms and human rights. Repression and persecution are on the rise.” Indeed, few failures have more profoundly undermined the credibility of the multilateral system than its inability to prevent or put a stop to genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.

During a time of profound geopolitical uncertainty, it is imperative that national security discourse be framed in terms of human security, prioritizing the well-being of all people over the sovereignty principle. Yet too often, socioeconomic inequality and discrimination trigger the memory of past violence in ways that unscrupulous politicians easily manipulate. As genocide scholars, we are interested in what survivors of mass atrocity have to teach us about prevention, by reconciling memories of devastation with the everyday process of rebuilding inclusive and resilient communities. The term “re-membering” challenges the temptation to repress the pain of memory by emphasizing the active, collaborative work of recollection. How we remember is as important as what we remember, because trauma has the power to deprive the world of the meaning we need to survive.  

We welcome submissions of critical work from scholars, researchers, and students from various disciplines whose research explores the link between the memory of past genocide and its future prevention.  
 

PRESENTATION TOPICS

Suggested presentation topics include:

• The meaning of memory for survivors of genocide
• Silence as a political tool
• Culturally-appropriate prevention tools
• International Law and the Responsibility to Protect
• The viability and effectiveness of early warning systems
• The role of civil society in governance and law
• Truth, reconciliation, and restorative justice
• Ubuntu and the work of (re)building social networks
• The tension between identity and solidarity
• The victim-perpetrator dichotomy and mutual humanization
• Gendered experiences of genocide and resilience practices
• Intergenerational cycles of violence on youth
• The impact of mass atrocities on economic development
• Climate change, environmental degradation, and land use after the genocide
• The role of religion and theology during and after conflict
• The diasporic politics of genocide
• Genocidal memory and attitudes towards refugees
• The genocidal legacy of colonialism
• Neocolonialism and humanitarian intervention
• The ethics of witnessing, archival collection, and management
• Information technologies and communication strategies
• Mental health and culturally-specific tools for healing
• Memorialization and education
   

Submit a proposal

If your work aligns with the conference theme, please submit your Abstracts. Abstracts should be 250 words summarizing the purpose of your paper/research, methodology/conceptual framework, and findings/analysis. As the only genocide center in the U.S. focused on Africa and its diaspora, GHRAD particularly encourages submissions about and from the Global South. All abstracts should be submitted at by September 26th, 2025, 6 pm CST. Acceptance notification by November 21st, 2025.

Questions

If you have any questions about the call for papers, please email us at humanrights@neiu.edu.