The Europaeum Spring School 2027
Peripheries of Power: Past, Present, & Future
University of Oxford | 12–14 April 2027
Throughout history, Europe has moved from central to peripheral positions — on the cusp of empires, trade networks, and global power systems. Yet peripheries are nevertheless rarely passive. They generate movements, ideas, and shifts that come to reshape metropoles at the political centre.With shifts in power, as geopolitical competition intensifies, Europe once again risks becoming marginal. How will Europeans cope if such a development comes to pass? What strategies do they have in place to prevent it? What might be its advantages? And how have they managed to negotiate such questions in the past or in relation to Europe’s own internal peripheries?
This Europaeum Spring School invites participants to explore the concept of ‘periphery’ across time, and the past, present and future of power from the perspective of actors in liminal spaces and at the edge. The Europaeum invites master’s and doctoral researchers at member universities to come together in Oxford to explore this topic and these questions from an explicitly interdisciplinary perspective. Participants may come from a humanities, law, philosophy, social science, natural or applied sciences background.
A limited number of slots will be available for 15-minute student presentations and we invite expressions of interest for them from students in all relevant disciplines. We especially welcome proposals for papers addressing the theme in relation to the following topics:
- Empires and edges
- Bipolarity and other Cold War Geographies
- Eastern Europe: from periphery to partner
- Ireland, the Atlantic Fringe, and the Politics of Distance
- Internal Peripheries: Regionalism, Devolution, and the Politics of Marginal Europe
- The View from Brussels: Institutional Power and Its Discontents
- Geopolitical Realignment: Europe’s Place in a Multipolar World
- Peripheral Futures: Innovation, Resistance, and the Next Centre of Gravity
Applications should include the Europaeum application form, a brief CV, a statement of purpose (up to 500 words), and a reference letter sent from their supervisor or academic advisor to applications@europaeum.org. Those who wish to submit a paper should also add a short abstract of the proposed paper (up to 500 words).
Only students from Europaeum member universities are eligible to apply.
Reasonable travel expenses to and from Oxford as well as accommodation and board during event days, will be covered for selected participants.
For more information about how to apply visit: https://europaeum.org/programmes/events-activities/
Deadline for submission of applications and abstracts: 12 January 2027.
All submissions should be sent to applications@europaeum.org.
