From March 28 to April 2, scholars from around the world were reunited at last in Nashville, Tennessee for the first hybrid International Studies Association (ISA) annual convention since 2019. In spite of some presentations taking place virtually, the Gaylord Opryland convention center was buzzing with ISA goers, all eager to connect with colleagues and get feedback on works-in-progress.

Whether there virtually or in-person, Global Governance Centre researchers attended this year’s ISA convention, collectively contributing to the vibrancy and dynamism of international studies as an intellectual community and field of study.

Theoretically, methodologically, and thematically diverse, the GGC community could be heard speaking on a range of topics, all making timely and critical interventions in debates on global governance.

With many members of the GGC having made multiple presentations, here are just a few highlights:

• The GGC’s Director Annabelle Littoz-Monnet presented three different papers touching on a variety of themes tied to her SNSF project on international organizations (IOs) and strategies of mission creep, from the role of private actors in the production of global metrics on health to IOs act as brokers to strategically expand into new policy domains;
• The GGC’s Executive Director Monique Beerli spoke on her use of biographical interviewing as a methodological lever into the pluralistic lifeworlds of international organizations, meso-level processes of IO culture-making, and her activities as co-editor of PARISS;
• In a co-authored paper with Professor Nico Krisch, entitled “Alternative Paths Around and Away From Multilateralism” Dr. Ezgi Yildiz presented an innovative theory of state agential roles in multilateralism. Presenting the major findings from a SPARK project conducted with Dr. Umut Yüksel, Ezgi also made an intervention on the impact of international court decisions on state policies in the field of maritime law;
• Tied to her ongoing interest in the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) norm, Dr. Erna Burai put forward a paper conceptualizing the notion of responsibilization as a process of normative change, thereby emphasizing the performative aspect of using responsibility-related arguments in world politics to attach moral obligations to political issues.

Among our affiliated faculty and researchers:

• Professor Anna Leander participated in a roundtable assessing fruitful avenues for future research mobilizing the communities of practice concept. In two paper presentations, she also spoke about some of her latest work on the material-aesthetics of expertise and the politics of the Californian Aesthetic; 
• Further developing questions emanating from research for her recent book on transnational lawmaking coalitions in the field of human rights, Dr. Nina Reiners gave two interventions, one on the role of NGO-NGO interactions in shaping negotiations on social rights and the other on gender equality and membership dynamics in UN human rights expert bodies;
• Having participated in five panels, GGC Research Associate Stefano Guzzini contributed to a collective debate on the linguistic infrastructures of world politics, offered valuable insights on how to do process-tracing, and gave publishing tips based on his experience as editor of International Theory;
• Drawing from a co-edited book project, Dr. Fanny Badache provided a review of methodological discussions and their pluralization within the field of IO studies. With GGC Research Associate Dr. Sara Hellmüller, she equally gave analytical insights on the role of the United Nations and its peacebuilding activities in a multipolar world.

As one can see from this panorama of research presented at the ISA 2022, research conducted at the GGC and by its scientific community is as diverse as it is critical and innovative. Congratulations everyone…we hope you enjoyed the conference!

See the full ISA 2022 convention program here

Related information

Read the abstracts of the 45 papers presented by Graduate Institute's professors and researchers.

Read the abstracts here