In the last decade, historical monographs, essays collections, and handbooks have shed much light on the study of terrorism and political violence. Yet historians have struggled to make their voices heard in a field whose presentist bias and problem-solving orientation means that scanning past horizons appeals far less than future ones. 

The recent upturn in historical scholarship on terrorism and political violence has demonstrated the value that historians can bring to the study of these phenomena.  Historical studies are sensitive to political, social, and cultural contexts, taking into consideration micro-historical factors – those immediate in geographical and temporal terms to the act or movement – and macro-historical factors – words or deeds on a grander temporal or geographical scale, with a system-shaping regional or global impact.  They appreciate contemporaneous meanings of words and actions and the historical antecedents that informed them.

Building on the success of the 2026 iteration of this conference, we invite 20-minute papers that take as their focus historical terrorism and political violence, broadly defined, as it has existed around the world since 1789.  We welcome papers that consider the subject in its historical context as well as those that concern methodological approaches.

Abstract submission deadline        1 January 2027

Notification of acceptance              15 January 2027

Conference                                        23 June 2027

Email abstracts and a one-page CV to:

terrorismconferencemmu@gmail.com