Dr. Melika Mahmutović and Dr. Ajda Hedžet, researchers at the Centre of International Relations at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, organised the second edition of the CEEISA Young Scholars Initiative (CYSI) between 16 and 20 June 2026 as part of the 16th Conference of the Central and East European International Studies Association (CEEISA), titled Contesting Imperialism(s), held in Sarajevo.
Following its successful launch at the ISA–CEEISA Joint Conference in 2024, this year’s initiative was further developed both substantively and organisationally. CYSI Volume 2 was designed as an integrated mentoring experience, combining a pre-conference academic publishing workshop (CEEISAhub) with a dedicated series of young scholars’ panels within the main conference programme. The initiative aims to foster collaboration among early-career researchers, strengthen their academic and methodological skills, and facilitate close engagement with established scholars in the field of International Relations.
The Young Scholars initiative Vol. 2 was organised with the support of CEEISA and the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS), within the research programme Slovenia and its Actors in International Relations and European Integrations (P5-0177).
CEEISAhub – Academic Publishing Workshop
The first component of the initiative was the one-day CEEISAhub workshop, held on 16 June at International Burch University in Sarajevo. CEEISAhub was designed as a hands-on workshop for researchers preparing articles for submission to international peer-reviewed journals. The programme guided participants through the full publication process—from formulating a research question and structuring an academic article, to preparing cover letters for journal editors, aligning manuscripts with journal expectations, and responding effectively to peer review feedback. A particular emphasis was placed on discussing participants’ own draft articles, which received tailored feedback from mentors and peers.
Fifteen early-career researchers participated in the workshop. The mentoring team consisted of Aida A. Hozić (University of Florida), Ákos Kopper (ELTE University), Anna Leander (Graduate Institute Geneva), Srdjan Vucetic (University of Ottawa), and Stefano Guzzini (European University Institute), all of whom bring extensive editorial and publishing experience in leading International Relations journals.
Young Scholars Panels
The second component of the initiative took place during the main CEEISA conference, where five thematic Young Scholars panels were organised. In contrast to the standard conference format, participants submitted their papers to mentors and panel members two weeks in advance, enabling in-depth reading and the preparation of substantial feedback.
During the panels, participants presented their research articles or sections of their doctoral dissertations, followed by extended discussions with mentors and fellow participants. The panels addressed the following thematic areas: Memory, Silence, and Memorialization; Technopower and the Changing International Dynamics; International Order, Foreign Policy, and the Politics of Global Governance; Representation, Discourse, and the Politics of Meaning in World Politics; and Nationalism, Youth, and Postcolonial Political Subjects.
Panel chairs and discussants included Anitta Kynsilehto (Tampere University), Artur Gruszczak (Jagiellonian University), Joseph MacKay (Australian National University), Jessica Auchter (Université Laval), Tamara Pavasovic Trost (University of Ljubljana), and Faris Kočan (University of Ljubljana).
In total, seventeen early-career researchers participated in the CYSI initiative from leading universities and research institutions across Europe and beyond: Ajla Henić-Sarajlić (University of Hamburg), Azra Dizdarević (University of Graz), Saniah Matengu (European University Institute), Sanja Vasić (European Regional Master’s Programme in Democracy and Human Rights in South East Europe – ERMA), Rime Hanani Abdalli (Gaziantep University), Ema Smolo-Zukan (University of Ljubljana), Maura Madeddu (University of Graz), Marco Čokić (London School of Economics and Political Science), Asaf Alibegović (Heidelberg University), Yang Han (University of Oxford), Ana Đorđević (University of Belgrade), Bénédicte Anthony (Bilkent University), Fjolla Ceku Sylejmani (University of Graz), Jakub Hrdina (Prague University of Economics and Business), Robert Montgomery (Prague University of Economics and Business), Emily Selby Smith (Syracuse University), Džana Hodžić (University of Graz), and Amani Aruri (Karama Feminist Network).
Over the past years, the CEEISA Young Scholars Initiative has established itself as one of the core activities of the CEEISA Doctoral Network, due to its unique combination of intensive mentorship, collaborative learning, and in-depth academic discussion, that enables the initiative to move beyond the conventional conference format and provide early-career scholars with opportunities to develop research skills, build international collaborations, and engage meaningfully with the broader community of International Relations scholars.