Conference Date: May 22-23, 2026
Location: Tbilisi, Georgia (online, hybrid)
Major organizer: Institute of Georgian History at Tbilisi State University

We invite submissions for the upcoming conference “North and South: Studies in the History of Global Development,” which seeks to bring together scholars researching the conceptual, political, economic, and cultural histories that have shaped the global North–South divide from Classical Antiquity to the present.

A competition between North and South seems to be a an important challenge with metropolitan system and agro-industrial confederation as the rivals, the latter moving towards the industrial visage thus ejecting the superpowers from a supply-scheme as outlined by Georgian scholar Tedo Dundua.

Global North and global South were seen as future opponents. The first one is superindustrial, and the next a permanent supplier of food and the raw materials from as far back as the Greek times. Such order has supported a normal evolution. The forces were considered to be distributed as follows: above the equator – industrial North and agro-industrial South; and below the equator industrial in prospect South and agro-industrial North. Future conflicts were not expected. However, modern geopolitical configuration challenges this view.

The conference welcomes papers that critically engage with the historical formation of the concept of “development” and its role in structuring global hierarchies. We aim to foster dialogue across disciplines, regions, and periods to better understand how ideas of “North” and “South” have changed over time, and how they continue to inform contemporary global challenges.

Conference is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Tedo Dundua, renowned Georgian scholar, who left a legacy of the study of global North and South dichotomy.

The conference welcomes sessions for senior scholars, Phd, graduate and undergraduate students. Each session will be organized accordingly.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Global dialectics – philosophy of history (general concepts)
• “North–South” division and political, economic, and intellectual history
• Environmental histories of development
• Development theories, modernization, dependency, and post-development paradigms
• Development encounters and everyday experiences in former colonies and postcolonial states
• International organizations and their roles in shaping development agendas

Submission Guidelines

 Paper proposal form with abstracts of maximum 300 words should be sent to this e-mail: natia.phiphia@tsu.ge
 Deadline for submissions: January 31, 2026
 Notification of acceptance: March 1, 2026
 Conference languages: English, Georgian
 Selected papers may be considered for publication in an edited volume or journal special issue.

Contact
For queries or further information, please contact: natia.phiphia@tsu.ge