In the era of globalization, there is a need for research which explains the cause and the importance of transnational phenomena that affect people's lives. International organizations are obvious objects of analysis, and an organization that has attracted much attention in recent years is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Organization’s mission, as defined just after the end of World War II, is to construct intellectual and moral solidarity in order to build “ the defenses of peace in the minds of men”. UNESCO has therefore carried out a considerable amount of mental engineering.

Historians have uncovered the roots of many of the soft power initiatives launched to construct sincere solidarity between peoples, but we still know very little about their impact. The overall objectives of this publication is thus to trace their routes from the center to the periphery – from UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris to the member states – to assess UNESCO’s global impact from World War II and up till today. Researchers from around the world are invited and encouraged to submit articles of which up to 15 articles will be chosen for publication.

The publication is sponsored by the Global History of UNESCO Project (www.unesco.aau.dk) and will be presented at a conference in November 2015 on the occasion of UNESCO’s 70th anniversary.

Contributions may be based on questions such as:
- How were ideas and initiatives transmitted in practice from the UNESCO headquarters in Paris to the member states and
what distribution channels did the UNESCO-related national institutions have with regard to the populations?
- What exact knowledge was transferred, domesticated and made available for the construction of “peace in the minds of men”?
- How were initiatives made acceptable to the different populations -
were they equally implemented in all member states and what explains country-specific priorities?
- What effect did the implementation of specific initiatives have on changing people’s mindsets?

Deadlines: 1 May 2014 (abstracts) and 1 November 2014 (articles).

The abstract must be limited to 250 words. Articles are expected to be of max 20 pages and in English and should be clearly written and accessible to both specialists and non-specialists. Abstracts and articles, as well of questions of any kind, should be sent directly to the editor, Professor Poul Duedahl: duedahl@cgs.aau.dk