We are living in violent times. During the past decade we have witnessed terrorist attacks, protracted international wars, an explosion of pan-Arabian revolutions and now the socio-political fallout of an unprecedented economic crisis. Moreover, the increasing inequality both within and between societies has lead some observers to evoke the violence of unjust and unequal socio-economic structures. Yet political violence is, of course, far from a new phenomenon. From revolutionary violence and terror to genocide, total war and decolonization, political violence is a constant theme throughout human history. History has repeatedly thrown up the problem of political violence, how to define, explain and understand it; how to justify, excuse and legitimise it; and how to go beyond and end it.

This major conference on the 19th of April 2013 seeks to reassess such questions today. We invite both historical and contemporary approaches to political violence, embracing all academic disciplines. We also encourage papers from non-academic backgrounds. It is hoped that the conference will strike a balance between academic and non-academic fields, bringing together a broad range of perspectives to this complex and highly problematic issue. Papers should be 15-20 minutes in length, and abstracts, along with a CV, should be submitted to Warwickpoliticalviolence2013@gmail.com no later than 30 November 2012. Responses will be sent by early January 2013.