About the event

Theme: Global Dissonance, Disruptions, and Alternative Conversations

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The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed a cascade of social, political, and economic disruptions that have exposed the limitations and contradictions of many domestic political systems and the international order. It also laid bare the human consequences of the deepening inequalities at local, regional and global levels. Nonetheless, such disruptions have created opportunities for new, inclusive, and critical dialogues that underpin the possibilities for social, political and economic transformation.

This conference explores where and how these alternative conversations are taking place, who is involved, nomenclatures used, emerging patterns and priorities, and what outcomes they may be producing. Are we witnessing the early stages of a new global order, or simply fragmented reactions to an increasingly unstable one? What form, priorities and hierarchies are likely to emerge? Who are the likely winners and losers of the ongoing shifts? While media and scholarly attention focus on dominant geopolitical narratives such as great power rivalries, equally urgent conversations continue to unfold on the margins. Topics such as poverty, inequalities, exploitation, and structural violence remain underexplored in mainstream discourses but carry significant transformative potential.

This conference critically engages with these often overlooked or ‘fringe’ conversations, recognising them as possible catalysts for reimagining leadership, governance and peacebuilding practices at both domestic and global levels at a time of dissonance and disruption. The day will open with a keynote address by Professor ‘Funmi Olonisakin, followed by a series of thematic panels featuring ALC staff and PhD students whose works explore unconventional sites of dialogue and leadership. In addition to paper presentations, the programme will incorporate roundtable discussions to foster collaborative reflection and knowledge exchange across disciplines.