The Joint IPSA RC Colloquium on Democratization and Constitutional Design in Divided Societies was held at the University of Cyprus on June 24-27, 2017. Organized by RC 14 (Politics and Ethnicity) in conjunction with RC 13 (Democratization in Comparative Perspective) and RC 28  (Federalism and Multilevel Governance), the conference brought together more than 130 participants from over 40 countries. Over three hot and sunny days in Nicosia, we ran 35 panels on a range of topics, including:

- Culture, Territory and Community in Diverse Societies

- Comparative Perspective on Political Participation in Divided Societies

- Gender, Power-Sharing and Peace Processes
- The Cypriot Diaspora in a Comparative Perspective

- From Paper to Peace? Examining the Role of Institutional Design in War-to-peace Transitions

-Substate Nationalisms and Multilevel Governance
 

Highlights from the conference include the keynote address by John McGarry (Queen’s University) on “What Explains the Performance of Power-Sharing Settlements?” and a roundtable discussion on “A Federal Cyprus? Comparative Perspectives on Reunification” organized by Neophytos Loizides (University of Kent). The conference wrapped up with a day-long group excursion to the Limassol-Curium archeological site, Paphos, and Aphrodite’s Rock, sponsored by the Cyprus Tourism Organization.

 

We would like to thank our local organizer, Maria Hadjipavlou (University of Cyprus), the Department of Political and Social Sciences, IPSA RCs 13 and 28, as well as all of our sponsors: International Political Science Association, Political Studies Association, Taylor and Francis Group, Cyprus Tourism Organization, Brandon University, and Queen’s University Belfast.

 

The conference programme is online at: https://ipsacolloquium2017.wordpress.com/

Photos from the conference can be viewed at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/michael-hein/albums/72157683728662023 (courtesy of Michael Hein, Humboldt University of Berlin)