Eurograd message

                Dear colleagues,

I would like to share with you the CfP for the workshop Societal Security in
Times of Crisis: Navigating Uncertainty through Security Narratives which will
take place in NTNU, Trondheim on May 26-27.
Please note that the deadline for abstract submission is March 15.
Feel free to share this CfP with colleagues who might be interested in the
workshop.
*********
Societal Security in Times of Crisis: Navigating Uncertainty through Security
Narratives
Workshop, 26-27 May 2025, Trondheim, Norway
Deadline for abstract submission: 15 March 2025
In an increasingly interconnected world marked by profound ecological, social,
economic, and political crises, the concept of societal security has become
more critical than ever. These multifaceted crises are not isolated; they
overlap and reinforce one another, exposing vulnerabilities across communities
and testing the resilience of societies worldwide. As these crises challenge
existing security frameworks, they also raise important questions about how
security is understood, who gets to define it, and what is considered a
threat. Central to this inquiry are security narrativesthe stories and
discourses that shape our understanding of risk, security, and collective
well-being.
As global uncertainties intensify, not only do the material threats facing
societies change, but also do the narratives about security evolve. These
narratives often stage definitions of who is perceived as vulnerable, who is
seen as a threat, and what solutions are deemed appropriate. Processes of
securitization, or the framing of issues as security concerns, play a
significant role in determining what is prioritized in policy responses.
Similarly, understandings of vulnerabilityboth perceived and realneed to be
understood in relation to these security narratives, as these influence how
risks are managed and whose security is ultimately protected. The interplay
between resilience, risk, and security narratives reveals the complexity of
responding to crises while managing societal fears, anxieties, and aspirations
for safety.
We invite contributions that critically engage with the concept of societal
security in the context of global crises and uncertainties, with a special
focus on securitization, vulnerability, resilience, risk and security
narratives. We welcome interdisciplinary perspectives and theoretical,
methodological and empirical contributions that explore the following themes:

  *   Securitization and Governance: How are issues such as climate change,
migration, economic inequality framed as security threats? What impact do
these securitization processes have on policy, governance, and the
prioritization of security measures? How do security narratives influence
political and social responses, and what are their broader implications for
human rights and social justice?
  *   Security Narratives and Public Perception: How do security narratives
shape public understanding of risks and threats? How do these narratives
affect social cohesion and trust in institutions? What role does the media
play in constructing these narratives, and how can alternative narratives be
fostered to challenge dominant discourses?
  *   Reframing Security Narratives: How can we shift dominant security
narratives to foster more holistic, inclusive, and sustainable responses to
global crises? How can alternative narratives, particularly those rooted in
community resilience, environmental justice, and human rights, be promoted to
challenge traditional state-centric security frameworks?
  *   Vulnerability, Inequality, and Exclusion: How are vulnerabilities to
global crises distributed across different populations and regions, and how do
security narratives contribute to these inequalities? What are the
implications of framing certain groups as "vulnerable" or "at-risk"? How can
security narratives be reimagined to promote inclusivity, equity, and social
justice?
  *   Resilience and Adaptation: How do societies and communities build
resilience in response to crises, and how are these resilience efforts framed
within security narratives? What are the challenges in promoting adaptive
strategies in communities that are disproportionately affected by multiple
risks, and how can security narratives support or hinder these efforts?
  *   Risk, Future Trajectories, and Scenarios: What emerging risks are
communities facing in the context of global uncertainty, and how are these
risks framed within security narratives? How do scenarios in particular
provide narratives with a high degree of solidity? How do security narratives
influence decision-making processes about future vulnerabilities, and how can
they guide more effective and equitable responses to these challenges?

This call for papers encourages interdisciplinary dialogue and contributions
that critically explore how societal security is framed, enacted, and
contested in the face of overlapping crises. We welcome papers that engage
with security narratives across various domains, across social, behavioral
sciences and humanities.
Keynote Speakers
TBA
Submission of papers
The abstract submission deadline is 15 March 2025. Abstracts of 300-500 words,
along with a short bio should be sent in Word-or PDF format to
olga.usachova@ntnu.no, with the subject line
Workshop: Security Narratives. The decision of acceptance will be
communicated by the end of March 2025. Accepted papers will get the
opportunity to receive feedback from peer-discussants. Therefore, before the
workshop in May, participants will be expected to share draft discussion
papers with other participants.
Furthermore, we aim to develop an edited volume on the basis of the submitted
papers, for which all workshop participants will have the opportunity to
contribute.
Costs
The workshop will be free of charge and include lunches and 1 dinner.
Participants are to organize and cover their own travel and lodging.
The Workshop is funded by NTNU's thematic area Civil Security. It will be
hosted by the thematic group Security
Narratives, part of
NTNU's thematic area Civil Security in collaboration with the Department of
Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture and the Department of Information
Security and Communication Technology.
Workshop Organizers
Govert Valkenburg, Research Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies
of Culture, NTNU
Aristidis Kaloudis, Professor, Department of Information Security and
Communication Technology, NTNU
Olga Usachova, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of
Culture, NTNU

Olga Usachova, PhD (she/her)
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Department of Interdisciplinary Studies of Culture (KULT)
Room 6544B, Bygg.6, Dragvoll, Trondheim

Email: olga.usachova@ntnu.no
Website: https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/olga.usachova
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