International Relations and the Commonwealth of Nations conference

This year 2024 marks the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth of Nations. While some scholars see it as an embarrassing legacy of the British Empire that should be allowed to wither away, the modern Commonwealth of Nations has grown in membership from seven in 1949 to 56 member states today. This includes countries that were never part of the British Empire or had no constitutional links with the United Kingdom. In addition, more countries have expressed an interest in joining.

The modern Commonwealth has a combined population of 2.5 billion people, more than a third of the world's population and covers more than a quarter of the world’s land mass. Despite this, the Commonwealth has received little interest recently from international relations scholars, with only a few notable exceptions such as Shaw and Ashworth (2010) or McDougall (2018). Much has changed since then, with a Commonwealth charter signed in 2013 and an ever-expanding membership.

Speakers will present papers from the perspective of International Relations, International Business, political science, post colonialism, legal and social science scholars of the modern Commonwealth of Nations in both its intergovernmental and non-governmental guises.

The topics to be discussed include (but are not limited to):

• International Relations perspectives on the Commonwealth
• Diplomacy within the Commonwealth
• The impact of Commonwealth initiatives on member states
• The relationship of nations with the Commonwealth
• International business and firms within the Commonwealth
• Legacy of Empire
• The role of the Commonwealth within global context

Cost of attendance: £50. This includes lunch and a drinks reception

We hope to select papers for inclusion in a book or special edition of a journal.