Call for Papers for the Summer Symposium| Disruptive technologies and social transformations: economic, legal, political
Deadline for submissions: 30 April 2026
Scholars and researchers are invited to submit abstracts for the Summer Symposium titled: “Disruptive Technologies and Social Transformations: Economic, Legal, Political,” which will take place on 22-24 August 2026 in Possidi, Halkidiki, Greece. The symposium is organised by King’s College London, University of Nicosia, and Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Disruptive technologies seem to be everywhere, and there is much scholarly and public anxiety about their effects. However, there has been less analysis of what ‘disruption’ means, what is disrupted, through which practices and what the alternatives to disruption are. The symposium aims to bring together scholars from law, political science, international relations, economics and related disciplines to explore the profound transformations generated by disruptive technologies, such as artificial intelligence, digital platforms, cyber systems and other emerging techno-scientific innovations.
The event will focus on four main thematic sessions:
- Power, Security and Geopolitics in the Age of Emerging Technologies
- Economic Transformations and Digital Capitalism
- Society, Ethics and the Human Future
- Governing Disruptive Technologies
Through an interdisciplinary dialogue, the symposium seeks to critically assess how disruptive technologies reshape legal orders, political power structures and economic systems, while also raising fundamental ethical and societal questions.
If you would like to join us, please submit an abstract of up to 300 words by 30 April 2026 to the following email: [email protected] .
Invitations will be sent in May. Participants are expected to cover their travel expenses.
The sessions will explore the following indicative issues:
Session 1 – Power, Security and Geopolitics in the Age of Emerging Technologies
This session focuses on the political and strategic implications of technological disruption in international relations and security studies. It addresses issues such as cyber warfare, autonomous weapons systems, digital surveillance, and the geopolitical competition over technological supremacy. Particular attention is given to how emerging technologies reshape power relations, state sovereignty, and the nature of conflict and deterrence.
Session 2 – Disruptive Technologies and “Latest” Capitalism
This session examines the economic dimensions of disruptive technologies and their impact on markets, labour and global development. It analyses the rise of platform economies, autonomy, artificial intelligence in production, financial technologies and digital currencies. The session aims to critically assess how “latest” capitalism restructures economic power, creates new inequalities, and challenges traditional regulatory and redistributive mechanisms.
Session 3 – Society, Ethics and the Human Future
This session addresses the broader philosophical, ethical and societal consequences of disruptive technologies. It explores themes such as transhumanism, human enhancement, algorithmic bias, social justice, and the future of human agency in technologically mediated environments. The session seeks to interrogate the limits of innovation and the normative assumptions underlying technological progress, particularly in relation to concepts of humanity, responsibility and post-anthropocentrism.
The summer symposium will take place in Possidi, Halkidiki, between 22 and 24 August 2026.
Session 4 – Governing Disruptive Technologies
This session explores how legal systems and regulatory frameworks respond to the rapid emergence of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, algorithmic decision-making, nanotechnologies, biotechnologies and digital platforms. It examines questions of global governance, regulatory fragmentation, soft law, ethical guidelines and the challenges faced by national and international institutions in ensuring accountability, transparency and fundamental rights in technologically driven societies.
