In an era characterised by a multiplicity of crises – for example, ecological crisis, right-wing populism and widening inequalities – it is easy to lose hope. Indeed, the most hopeful people at the current moment might be either delusional – they have fundamentally misunderstood something – or dangerous – what is augured by the preeminent forces of the contemporary world do not bode well for our collective future. Yet hope – the sense that things can be better and that improvements are possible – has always been a necessary ingredient and driving force within social movements, whether this resulted in radical reform or revolutionary change. Indeed, without some amount of hope, what possible reason might people have to involve themselves in politics?
While the NZPSA conference of 2025 welcomes submissions from all fields of Political Studies, we would especially like to encourage papers, panels, and roundtables that speak broadly to the theme of “Political Hope”, including the following themes and topics:
Dr Anna Sturman is a political economist and human geographer working at the intersections of climate change, care labour, more-than-human life and political economic transformations.
Responding to an ongoing impasse on emissions mitigation for New Zealand’s agricultural sector, Anna’s PhD thesis, Capital, the State and Climate Change in Aotearoa New Zealand provided a critical reading of capitalist agriculture’s role in the development of the nation’s domestic economy, interpellated within the global economy. The thesis focused on the ways that the socio-ecological “costs” produced within and extending beyond the sector have been managed through the forms and functions of the state, and absorbed by the bodies of the humans and more-than-human lives they organise. Crucially, the thesis oriented around the continuities and breaks that our age of climate crisis offers this ongoing articulation, and considers the agencies and politics that might be capable of breaking the siege of life that we confront.
Building on a commitment to emancipatory politics built on materialist critique, Anna’s work in relation to Green New Deals (GNDs) in Australia with her colleague Dr Natasha Heenan advanced the global conversation on GNDs in the Oceanic context and resulted in guest editorship of a special issue of the Economic and Labour Relations Review alongside other academic and public facing outputs for domestic and international audiences. She has also written about programmatic transformation of Aotearoa’s political economy with her colleague Dr Matthew Scobie (Ngāi Tahu) in their book The Economic Possibilities of Decolonisation (2024, BWB Books) and is involved with ongoing efforts to explore GND-type programs in this context.
In her postdoctoral research in the Federal Government-funded project Developing systems and capacities for protecting animals during catastrophic bushfires, Anna worked with communities in the Shoalhaven, on the South Coast of NSW Australia, to understand how they mobilised to care for wild, domesticated and farmed animals in the absence of official efforts, during the 2019/20 Black Summer bushfires. Working with Chief Investigator Professor Danielle Celermajer, a world-leading scholar in multispecies justice, Anna has published academic outputs from this project including those appearing in the More Than Human Rights Project at NYU Law’s recent monograph and in Environmental Politics, alongside a range of materials for and with the communities the project engaged.
Anna’s perspective on hope responds to, and builds upon, the forms of crisis and socio-ecological response alive in the world today. Her talk will draw on experience working with communities and building connections across places, scales, territories and networks, toward collective liberation for all.
The formal submissions period has now closed. The conference organisers may still accept proposals at their discretion, so please contact the email below if you missed the deadline.
Individual paper submissions should include: the presenter(s)’ name(s), paper title and a short abstract (max 200 words)
Panel submissions should include: the name of the panel, presenters, paper titles and a panel abstract (max 200 words)
Submissions should be emailed to: co********@******co.nz (Note: The conference team is reviewing submissions as they are received and aims to respond within seven days)
Submissions close: Tuesday 1 July
Notification of draft panel composition: 22 August 2025
A range of accommodation options have been negotiated with nearby hotels/motels:
Option 1 is at the Aurora on George Motel, which is an approximately 5-minute walk to the University and a 10-minute walk into town.
The rates are as follows:
In order to get this rate guests will have to book direct with them over the phone on 03 477 7984 or 0800 737 378 and quote they are coming for the 2025 Biennial Conference.
Option 2 is the Alexis Motor Lodge, around 5 mins to the conference location.
Pricing is as follows:
Bookings need to be made either by phone on the numbers below or emailed to the above address, stating the conference and dates.
You can call on (+64) 03-471-7268 or 0800 425 394.
Option 3 is the Dunedin Leisure Lodge, 20-minutes walk from the Hunter Centre, but located not far from the Botanic Gardens.
Offerings are as follows:
Bookings can be made via the following link.
For further questions or enquiries, please contact the conference team at: co********@******co.nz
