CALL FOR PAPERS

THE WORLD HOUSE FORUM 

YUCATAN PEACE CONFERENCE

THEME

THE WORLD HOUSE:

Building Peace and Justice in Community

CONFERENCE ORGANIZERS

AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF YUCATAN

THE WORLD HOUSE PROJECT, INC.

DATE: 04 – 07 FEBRUARY 2026

VENUE: MÉRIDA, MEXICO

“We have inherited a large house, a ‘world house’ in which we have to live together…or perish as fools.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

INTRODUCTION

Today's rapid technological, geopolitical, and other social change are causing significant shifts in what some call a new world order. Rising state authoritarianism, unchecked corporate power, and the erosion of democratic institutions are threatening political, economic, and social structures with unprecedented consequences for our lives and the planet. These changes create a social order characterized by chaos and community collapse.

Martin Luther King, Jr. called for a new world order. His vision was a "world house" where humanity would learn to live peacefully or perish. To bring about this new order, King also called for a revolution of values to inform the world order and instruct the social edifice of institutions, organizations, policies, and processes that mediate human action and interaction within the social structure and between all humanity, fostering peace and justice. However, we have yet to answer his call.

Instead, the new order is likely to exacerbate the order of the past century, which witnessed subaltern nations emerging from colonial oppression only to suffer under imperialism, geopolitical domination, and economic exploitation—all justified in the name of democracy, development, and the rule of law. Just as the increasing population of the oppressed rises to global prominence, and the emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and quantum technology, create opportunities for their liberation and full participation in the world's promises and potentials, the new order will extend the old and ensure its indefinite continuation. To promote liberation and full participation, the global populace must take charge of their lives and instigate the necessary social changes in King's vision.

This call for papers is to critically and constructively reflect, conceptualize, and mobilize for nonviolent peaceful change in the tradition of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “World House” logic. For this purpose, The World House Forum Mérida Peace Conference will bring together world-renowned academics, scholars, and activists to deliberate, decide, and act upon the nonviolence, peace, and conflict critical thinking, case studies, and issues within the framework of the World House Project’s nonviolence logic. The conference is the first in a series taking place around the globe in preparation for The World House Forum, 2027.

SUBMISSION SCHEDULE AND GUIDELINES

SUBMISSION SCHEDULE

Intent to submit Paper or Panel: 31 July 2025

·      Simple notification of intent; no other information necessary at this point

Submission of Individual Paper Proposals (abstracts): 31 August 2025

·      Proposals for review to include Title of Paper, Abstract (100-150 words), 5-8 Keywords, Name of Institution (if applicable), and Short Biodata of Contributor/s (100 words)

Submission of Panel and Round Table Proposals (maximum 3): 31 August 2025

·      Panel proposals for review to include Title of Panel, Abstract (100-150 words), 5-8 Keywords, Name of Institution (if applicable), and Short Biodata of Contributor/s (100 words)

Notification of Paper/Panel Acceptance: 30 September 2025

·      All submissions will receive notification of acceptance status.

Research methodology Workshop: 10 September 2025

Submission of final paper: 31 December 2025

Submission guidelines: 

Please submit your full research paper, including the abstract. 

·      Papers - no more than 1600 words

·      Abstracts - approximately 300 words 

Review process: 

We want you, and the scientific community, to be confident that all content presented at this event is thoroughly vetted and peer-reviewed. That is why we will be using a single-blind review process to evaluate all submissions. 

PLEASE REGISTER YOUR INTENT TO SUBMIT A CONFERENCE PAPER PROPOSAL  HERE OR A CONFERENCE PANEL PROPOSAL. HERE.