(A microsymposium is one or more special sessions which are thematic and are organized as part of one of our general (non-thematic) conferences. If you want to organize such a thematic event, please review our policy and guidelines, for more details) | |||
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| Declaration of Enduring Peace and Prosperity in the Middle East as part of the 19st Annual International Conference on Mediterranean Studies Academic Responsible: Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos, President, Athens Institute This symposium aims to examine pathways toward regional stability, intercultural dialogue, and shared economic growth. Proposals from all academic disciplines are welcome. | |||
| The War in Ukraine and the MENA Countries as part of the 19st Annual International Conference on Mediterranean Studies Academic Responsible: Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos, President, Athens Institute This symposium aims to bring together scholars, analysts, and policymakers to examine the multiple dimensions of this evolving relationship between the Ukraine conflict and the MENA region. | |||
| Energy Security in the Mediterranean Basin: Global Challenges as part of the 19st Annual International Conference on Mediterranean Studies Academic Responsible: Dr. Hemmat Safwat, Deputy Director, Engineering Division, Athens Institute. The Mediterranean region stands at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East—making it a strategic hub for global energy flows, trade, and geopolitical interactions. As the world transitions toward cleaner and more sustainable energy systems, the Mediterranean faces unique challenges and opportunities in ensuring energy security, resilience, and cooperation. This session invites papers that explore the economic, political, technological, and environmental dimensions of energy security in the Mediterranean basin. | |||
| Cyprus: History, Memory and Politics as part of the 19st Annual International Conference on Mediterranean Studies Academic Responsible: Dr. Utku Ozer, Research Fellow, Athens Institute. This session aims to bring together researchers from different fields of social sciences to rethink Cyprus in its historical, political, cultural and economic contexts and to discuss the Cyprus Issue from different disciplinary perspectives. The session aims to discuss Cyprus’s position in the Mediterranean world, its post-colonial transformations, social memory and identity constructions, practices of conflict and reconciliation, forms of cultural production, and transnational interactions from an interdisciplinary perspective. In addition to studies addressing the political, social, and cultural dynamics of the island within a framework of historical continuity and transformation, the session will also cover the reflections of the issue in the context of the Mediterranean geography, the European Union, the Middle East, and Eastern Mediterranean energy policies. Presentations may come from different disciplines such as history, political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, cultural studies, literature, and art history. Participants are expected to contribute both empirically and theoretically. | |||
| Rethinking Mega Sport Events — Impacts, Legacies, and Future Directions as part of the 26st Annual International Conference on Sports: Economic, Management, Marketing & Social Aspects Academic Responsible: Dr. Spiro Doukas, Deputy Head, Sports Unit, Athens Institute & Associate Professor, American Public University, USA. This microsymposium explores the complex world of mega sport events, such as the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup, and continental championships, through critical and interdisciplinary lenses. While these events promise global visibility, economic growth, and urban regeneration, they also raise pressing concerns regarding social displacement, environmental degradation, political instrumentalization, and uneven legacy outcomes. Bringing together scholars, practitioners, and policy thinkers, this microsymposium will examine the planning, governance, and long-term implications of hosting mega events in diverse contexts. Topics include stakeholder power dynamics, local community impacts, sustainability challenges, post-event urban transformations, and financial and economic implications. Special attention will be given to case studies from emerging economies, shifting geopolitical priorities, and the role of sport in nation branding and soft power. This forum aims to foster debate on whether mega events can be reimagined to serve more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable goals—or whether the model itself needs fundamental reform. | |||
| New Idea of Olympic Games: Venues, Sport and Timing as part of the 26st Annual International Conference on Sports: Economic, Management, Marketing & Social Aspects Academic Responsible: Dr. Mario Nicoliello, Deputy Head, Sports Unit, Athens Institute & Researcher, Universiry of Brescia, Italy. The Olympic Games are undergoing a deep transformation in response to shifting societal values, environmental concerns and changing patterns of global engagement. The call for papers invites scholars, practitioners and policymakers to explore the evolving nature of the Olympic Movement through the lens of innovation in venues, sport formats and scheduling. How are host cities reimagining Olympic infrastructure to ensure legacy, sustainability and community engagement? What role do emerging sports and disciplines play in maintaining the Games’ relevance for new generations? How does the adjustment of event timing affect participation, viewership and global impact? We welcome theoretical and empirical contributions from a variety of disciplines, including sport management, urban planning, environmental studies, media studies and sociology. Comparative case studies, conceptual frameworks and policy analyses are encouraged. | |||
| Global Perspectives on the World Football Cup: Sport, Culture, and Innovation as part of the 26st Annual International Conference on Sports: Economic, Management, Marketing & Social Aspects Academic Responsible: Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos, President, Athens Institute. We welcome acdemics and researchers from around the world to participate in an interdisciplinary exploration of football’s global impact. The microsymposium aims to bring together diverse perspectives on the cultural, economic, technological, and social dimensions of the World Cup. | |||
| Communicating War and Peace: Application of Scholarship to Global Crises as part of the 24st Annual International Conference on Communication and Mass Media Academic Responsible: Dr. Festus Eribo, Professor, East Carolina University, USA. With the invention of more deadly weapons and the ubiquity of violence, scholars should be more involved in preventing, deterring, de-escalating, and mitigating wars, drums of wars, and messages of wars through constructive, impactful, and progressive communication and the media. The global picture of human toll and misery perpetrated by warriors of all stripes is alarming. It is imperative that scholars harness new ideas, propagate crystallized intelligence, and use new technologies in a frontal intellectual battle with the primitive legacy of bellicosity inherited over time. The historicity and universality of aggression, conflicts, and wars are well documented. It is embarrassing in the 21st century, that homo sapiens are refusing to evolve beyond the basal inclination to fight one another. It is time to deconstruct the ancestral and archaic toga of armament, rearmament, and killings of fellow humans. The disruption of peace and the destructiveness in wars are indescribably barbaric, monstrous, and mischievous. The theater is a challenge to civilization. This Micro-symposium is significant because it offers additional opportunity to leverage various branches of communication, including human communication, organizational communication, media ethics, and mass communication in the discourse on war and peace. | |||
| Media Coverage of the Middle East War as part of the 24st Annual International Conference on Communication and Mass Media Academic Responsible: Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos, President, Athens Institute. The aim of the symposium is to examine how traditional, digital, and social media shape global perceptions and narratives of the Middle East conflict. It invites papers exploring journalism practices, disinformation, ethical challenges, and the role of online platforms in framing war and humanitarian crises. By bringing together diverse academic and professional perspectives, the session aims to deepen understanding of how media influence both the representation and the realities of conflict in the region. | |||
| Investigating Methods to Improve Relationships between Teachers and their Students as part of the 28thAnnual International Conference on Education Academic Responsible: Dr. Mervyn J. Wighting, Deputy Director, Arts, Humanities and Education Division, Athens Institute & Professor, Regent University, USA. This microsymposium invites academics and researchers to submit papers exploring innovative methods for strengthening relationships between teachers and students in educational settings. The session seeks contributions that examine strategies to enhance trust, communication, empathy, and mutual respect within the classroom environment. We welcome both theoretical and empirical studies that investigate the social, emotional, and pedagogical factors influencing teacher–student interactions. Submissions may address approaches such as mentorship programs, positive behavior interventions, measuring teacher-student relationships or collaborative learning models that promote positive engagement. By sharing diverse perspectives and evidence-based practices, this session aims to deepen our understanding of how strong teacher–student relationships contribute to academic success, student well-being, fewer incidents of poor behavior, and improved learning communities. | |||
| Environmental Philosophy: Ethics, Technology & Ways of Living as part of the 21st Annual International Conference on Philosophy Academic Responsible: Dr. Oidinposha Imamkhodjaeva, Deputy Head, Philosophy Unit, Athens Institute & Teaching Assistant Professor, Pennsylvania State University, USA. How should we live in a world shaped by ecological crisis, technological acceleration, and global interdependence? This microsymposium invites philosophers, scholars, and practitioners to explore the ethical, cultural, and political dimensions of our relationship with the environment. We welcome contributions that examine how environmental philosophy can guide sustainable living, responsible innovation, democratic governance, and active citizenship in an age of climate change and artificial intelligence. Key themes include: Environmental ethics and ecological justice, Indigenous and non-Western ecological worldviews, AI, automation, and environmental governance, philosophies of nature, sustainability, and technology, business ethics and green enterprise, civic responsibility and ecological citizenship and rethinking human-nature relations in the Anthropocene. | |||
| Philosophy of Physics as part of the 21st Annual International Conference on Philosophy Academic Responsible: Dr. Robert Bishop, Head, Philosophy Unit, Athens Institute & Professor, Wheaton College, USA This microsymposium aims to explore the deep philosophical questions underlying modern physics, including the nature of space and time, the interpretation of quantum mechanics, the role of symmetry in physical laws, and the philosophical implications of cosmology. We welcome papers from philosophers, physicists, and interdisciplinary researchers. | |||
| Romanticism as part of the 19th Annual International Conference on Literature Academic Responsible: Dr. William Davis, Head, Literature Unit, Athens Institute & Professor, The Colorado College, USA. The session on Romanticism will take place within the larger Athens Institute’s Literature Conference. Our hope is to create an international discussion on current topics, approaches, and theories related to the study of literary, historical, philosophical, and political Romanticism. Our call for papers is thus broad: we encourage proposals on any aspect of literary Romanticism, including comparative studies, national Romanticisms, trans-Atlantic, papers on single authors or texts, as well as papers that reflect current trends in Romantic studies, i.e., Romanticism and gender studies, new materialism, posthuman, etc. | |||
| "Visual History and Images as Sources" as part of the 24th Annual International Conference on History & Archaeology: From Ancient to Modern Academic Responsible: Dr. Snezhana Filipova, Deputy Head, History Unit, Athens Institute & Professor, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, North Macedonia isual history brings together art history, media studies, and cultural studies to explore how images shape and reflect historical narratives. With digital technologies, the field has expanded—enabling new methods of analysis, wider access to collections, and immersive reconstructions of the past. Research on pre-photography periods often turns to drawings, prints, and monuments as historical sources, showing how images and public art construct memory, identity, and cultural imagination. From lost tombs to repurposed structures, monuments reveal both permanence and erasure. Today, digital tools revive destroyed sites and offer new perspectives on history. We invite contributions on visual history methodologies, images as historical sources, monuments and memory, and the impact of digital technologies across periods and regions. | |||
| The Transmission and Maintenance of Diaspora Identity Through time and Generation as part of the 17th Annual International Conference on Visual and Performing Arts Academic Responsible: Dr. Maria-Irini Avgoulas, Academic Member, Athens Institute & Casual Academic, School of Health, Medical & Applied Sciences, CQUniversity Australia and Cultural Counselling and Consultancy, Australia Diaspora communities with their specific cultural identity are found throughout the world and exist on a continuum of redevelopment as they evolve. The experience of diaspora identity and the transmission of memory culture that supports identity maintenance may vary by generation, the original migrants and their descendants born in diaspora. Diaspora community members of all generations may maintain a sense of nostalgia but also negative emotions of not belonging to either their original homeland or the host community. This may be expressed as having two homelands and, in a sense, belonging to both. While potentially enriching, diaspora identity may in fact be more like belonging nowhere and being a stranger in both cultures. This may represent a negative emotion associated with the experience of migration and acculturation despite the generation of membership. This session will explore the transmission and maintenance of diaspora identity through time and generation and consider how associated psychosocial factors and the recreated social environment of the culture of origin may influence wellbeing and the experience of illness that are significant factors in overall health as well as the promotion of health and wellbeing in diaspora. You may participate as stream leader, presenter of one paper, chair of a session or observer. | |||
| Wellness Tourism as part of the 22nd Annual International Conference on Tourism Academic Responsible: Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos, President, Athens Institute The microsymposium will explore the multifaceted dimensions of spa tourism. As wellness tourism continues to grow globally, this event aims to foster dialogue on contemporary challenges and opportunities in the spa industry. | |||
| Polls and Gallups as part of the 24th Annual International Conference on Politics & International Studies Academic Responsible: Dr. Gregory T. Papanikos, President, Athens Institute. The aim of the microsymposium is to explore the role, methodology, and impact of public opinion research in modern societies. This microsymposium welcomes both theoretical and empirical contributions that critically examine the design, execution, and interpretation of opinion polls across political, social, economic, and cultural contexts. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Methodological innovations in polling and survey design; Polling accuracy and error margins; Electoral forecasting and political implications; Media use and misuse of polling data; Cross-national and comparative public opinion research; Online polling and digital data collection; The psychology of survey response; Public trust in polling institutions; Ethical considerations in opinion research. | |||
| Interior Architecture as part of the 16th Annual International Conference on Architecture Academic Responsible: Dr. Atlihan Onat Karacali, Research Fellow, Architecture & Design Unit, Athens Institute and Lecturer, University of Lancashire, UK. This microsymposium seeks to explore emerging dialogues, theoretical frameworks, and design practices that are redefining the interior as a site of cultural, social, and ecological engagement. We welcome abstracts that address topics such as adaptive reuse, sustainability, digital fabrication, immersive technologies, spatial politics, post-pandemic interior environments, materiality, and the narrative potential of interior space. Interdisciplinary approaches and contributions in interior architecture, design, history, and related fields are encouraged. | |||
| Waste Management and Recycling as part of the 21st Annual International Symposium on Environment Academic Responsible: Dr. Isaac T. Rampedi, Deputy Director, Sciences Division, Athens Institute & Associate Professor, University of Johannesburg, South Africa. This session aims to explore current challenges, innovations, and best practices in the management of municipal solid waste, including but not limited to topics such as waste collection and disposal systems, recycling and resource recovery, waste-to-energy technologies, circular economy strategies, smart waste management solutions, regulatory frameworks, community engagement, and environmental impacts. |
