Diverse & Divergent Approaches to Peace and Gender in the Nordics and Beyond, 1980s to Present

The Nordic countries have traditionally portrayed themselves as firmly supporting peace. The so-called “Nordic peace brand” has portrayed the region as uniquely stable and co-operative, and as an internationally minded promoter of security, humanitarianism, and conflict resolution. In recent years, scholars have started to problematise this image, its history, and its legacy. This workshop makes an intervention in the existing scholarship by promoting gendered analyses of peace work within these frameworks. At a time when debates regarding security in the Nordic region are once again timely, due to shifting alliance structures and heightened geopolitical tensions in the Arctic, this workshop will offer a venue for historians and social scientists to gather and discuss the gendered foundations of the Nordic peace brand, and compare as well as connect it to other geopolitical contexts.

A one-day workshop titled Diverse & Divergent Approaches to Peace and Gender in the Nordics and Beyond, 1980s to Present on August 20, 2026, will attempt to start this discussion by placing the late Cold War context into dialogue with present-day peace organising concerning conflicts in e.g. Ukraine and the Middle East, with a focus on gendered dynamics in various national, transnational, and international settings.

We hope to bring together, for example, historians, political scientists, sociologists, and gender studies scholars, and welcome presentations that promote intersectional research into peace movements, conflict resolution, and peace building processes in historical and present-day contexts. The presentations can explore (but are not limited to) key actors, events, and themes prevalent to conceptions of peace as a mobilising force. Additionally, the role of United Nations and other (inter)governmental bodies in peace building processes are of interest. We particularly welcome presentations that pay attention to the transnational dynamics in mobilising and negotiating for peace, but also national case studies can be presented.

The workshop is organised at the University of Bergen, Norway, and online, on August 20, 2026. It is part of a three-part workshop series organized by the newly established Gender and Peace in the Nordics network. The first workshop took place at the Swedish Labour Movement’s Archives and Library in Huddinge, Sweden in February 2026.

Submission instructions

Please send an abstract of 300-word and a short biographical note to heidi.kurvinen@uib.no no later than April 30, 2026. Please also include a mention of the participation form: do you wish to attend on site in Bergen or online.

Decisions about conference proposals will be communicated via email by May 15, 2026.

Enquiries about the workshop can be send to Heidi Kurvinen (heidi.kurvinen@uib.no) and about the network to Hannah Kaarina Yoken (hannah.k.yoken@jyu.fi).

The Gender and Peace in the Nordics network explores gendered approaches to peace, carried out in the Nordic region from the early Cold War up to the present day. It brings together humanities scholars and social scientists interested in analysing the ways in which established approaches to conflict and security have been refined and challenged via gendered peace activism.