Call for Papers: De Ethica Special Issue: Pacifism Revisited: Moral and Political Responses to Contemporary Wars

2026-07-30

CALL FOR PAPERS

De Ethica Special Issue: Pacifism Revisited: Moral and Political Responses to Contemporary Wars

Publication 2027

CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSIONS: January 15, 2027

Topic Areas: Peace Ethics; Pacifism; Non-violence; Resistance; Theological Ethics; Social and Political Philosophy.

The editors of De Ethica are pleased to announce a special issue for 2027 on Pacifism Revisited: Moral and Political Responses to Contemporary Wars.

From Ukraine and Gaza to Sudan and Iran, the world is experiencing a resurgence of violent conflicts and state-led militarization. In this context, pacifism, frequently dismissed as idealistic or politically naïve, appears more relevant and urgent than ever. This issue of De Ethica aims to examine the continued ethical relevance of pacifism, both as a political and social movement and as a normative theory.

Given ongoing global conflicts and the increasing normalization of military solutions in political discourse, there’s a rising need to evaluate the key resources provided by different peace ethics frameworks. These frameworks help analyze war, militarism, resistance, and the conditions necessary for sustainable peace, while also considering the moral and political implications of war and militarism.

Pacifism is often associated with movements within a broader philosophy of nonviolence, with liberation as its primary aim. It also appears as an element in various religious traditions. As a peace ethics, pacifism has undergone significant development. Today, we encounter a multifaceted pacifistic analysis of the conditions that lead to war and peace. Pacifism is not just a strict rejection of war; it manifests in various forms, such as absolute, conditional, pragmatic, religious, and feminist pacifism.

What are the theoretical foundations and practical implications of pacifist thought? How does pacifism relate to Just War Theory and to other traditions within peace ethics? How can different strands of pacifist thought speak to the complexities of contemporary warfare, and is pacifism still a viable or necessary alternative in the moral imagination of global politics? These are some of the questions that articles in this De Ethica issue can raise.

We invite submissions on questions and issues such as:

Historical and contemporary interpretations of pacifism.

The role of religious traditions and theological perspectives in shaping pacifist commitments.
Pacifism and just war theory in comparative analysis.
Feminist, decolonial, or non-Western approaches to pacifism.
Pacifism and non-violence as forms of political resistance or civic virtue.
The ethical implications of military alliances, conscription, and arms proliferation.
The international community’s responsibilities in the face of aggression and war.
The ethical tensions between humanitarian intervention and pacifist commitments.

The deadline for submissions to the thematic issue is January 15, 2027. All submissions will undergo rigorous blind review. Submissions should be between 4,000 and 8,000 words in length.

For further information on submission requirements, formatting, and referencing style, refer to the Author Guidelines on the De Ethica website: https://de-ethica.com/about/submissions.

Manuscripts should be prepared for blind review and submitted via the De Ethica website at https://de-ethica.com/about/submissions.

De Ethica is committed to a prompt and author-friendly review process; in most cases, the editors will notify the authors of their decision within three months.

De Ethica seeks to publish scholarly works at the intersections of philosophical, theological, and applied ethics. It is a fully peer-reviewed, open-access publication hosted by Linköping University Electronic Press. We are committed to making papers of high academic quality accessible to a wide audience.

De Ethica is published in cooperation with Societas Ethica, the European Society for Research in Ethics.

If you have any questions regarding research issues, contact the guest editors of this special issue: Dr. Jenny Ehnberg at jenny.ehnberg@teol.uu.se and Dr. Alexandra Lebedeva at alexandra.lebedeva@nck.uu.se. You can also contact our Executive Editor, Dr. Martin Langby at executive.editor@de-ethica.se. For practical issues, please contact our Assistant Editor, Amanda Lindestreng at assistant.editor@de-ethica.se.

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