8-9 February 2027 | UNSW Canberra City Campus

The Greater Second World War and Modern Global Geopolitics

 
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CALL FOR PAPERS

About the conference

In 2025, the world marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, but for millions across the Asia-Pacific, Allied victory in 1945 did not bring peace. Numerous wars ravaged the region in the years that followed, decolonisation created dozens of new states, and millions of people died, migrated, or were otherwise displaced by conflict. The longer-term effects of the conflict have shaped, and continue to influence, the development of nations, their relationships, and the societal, environmental, and geopolitical challenges the region faces today. In this context, there has been much renewed discussion about reconciliation (or the lack thereof), reconstruction, and the preciousness of long-term peace, both in the Asia-Pacific and globally.

In recognising the continued influence of the Second World War on the Asia-Pacific today, the War Studies Research Group (UNSW Canberra) and the Second World War Research Group (King’s College London) will be hosting an international conference that addresses the aftermath of the war, and its longer-term impacts on the region. The conference seeks to act as a nexus through which to bring together researchers from across the Asia-Pacific and beyond, to bridge international and scholarly boundaries, and foster connections beyond the conference.
Keynote speakers
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Key dates

Abstract submission deadline

2 August 2026 – Call for Papers is open now, click here to learn more

Call for Papers

Abstract acceptance notifications

August/September 2026

Registration

TBC

Conference

8–9 February 2027

Note: Dates subject to change

Keynote speakers
Emerita Professor Joan Beaumont
Joan Beaumont
Emerita Professor
Australian National University
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Emerita Professor Joan Beaumont
Emerita Professor Joan Beaumont

Joan Beaumont

Emerita Professor
Australian National University

Joan Beaumont is an internationally recognized historian of Australia in the two world wars, Australian defence and foreign policy, the history of prisoners of war and the memory and heritage of war.

Her publications include the critically acclaimed Broken Nation: Australians and the Great War (Allen & Unwin, 2013), joint winner of the 2014 winner of the Prime Minister's Literary Award (Australian History), the 2014 NSW Premier's Prize (Australian History), the 2014 Queensland Literary Award for History, and the Australian Society of Authors' 2015 Asher Award; and shortlisted for the 2014 WA Premier's Prize (non-fiction) and the 2014 Council for the Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences Prize for a Book.

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Angela Wanhalla headshot
Angela Wanhalla
Professor
Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago
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Angela Wanhalla headshot
Angela Wanhalla headshot

Angela Wanhalla

Professor
Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka University of Otago

Angela Wanhalla (Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe) is a professor of history at the University of Otago | Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka. Angela has collaborated on several externally funded projects concerned with Indigenous experiences of the Second World War. These include the Mothers’ Darlings project on the social impacts of American servicemen on Indigenous communities in the South Pacific and a co-authored volume Te Hau Kāinga (Auckland University Press, 2024) about the Māori Home Front experience. Her Of Love and War (Nebraska University Press, 2023) traced New Zealand and Pacific war brides who married American servicemen and settled in the United States. With Dr Claire Macindoe she is currently investigating the relationship between war service and health, focusing on Māori servicemen’s access to medical care during and after World War II. This project is supported by a three year Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund Grant.

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John Lee Candelaria
John Lee Candelaria
Assistant Professor
Hiroshima University
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John Lee Candelaria
John Lee Candelaria

John Lee Candelaria

Assistant Professor
Hiroshima University

John is a historian and peace studies scholar specializing in the study of memory and heritage related to wars and other anthropogenic disasters.

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Organising committee

The Conference organising committee is comprised of the following members:
UNSW Canberra Dr Nicole Townsend
Dr Nicole Townsend
UNSW Canberra
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Professor Jonathan Fennell
Professor Jonathan Fennell
King’s College London
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UNSW Canberra Associate Professor David Stahel
Associate Professor David Stahel
UNSW Canberra
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Assistant Professor Jennifer Yip
Assistant Professor Jennifer Yip
National University of Singapore
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Dr David Littlewood
Dr David Littlewood
Massey University
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Supporters

The Greater Second World War and Modern Global Geopolitics conference is supported by the War Studies Research Group (UNSW Canberra),  Second World War Research Group (King's College London), and the Global Research and Impact Program (UNSW Sydney).

General information

Registration

Registration will open soon. 

Program

Program will be released soon. 

Contact

Contact the Organising Committee for all conference enquiries: n.townsend@unsw.edu.au

Location

The conference will be held at UNSW Canberra City Campus.

Acknowledgement of Country

UNSW is located on the unceded territory of the Ngunnawal peoples (UNSW Canberra), Bidjigal (Kensington campus), and Gadigal (City and Paddington Campuses) who are the Traditional Owners of the lands where each campus of UNSW is situated.