Our Aims and Objectives
We are the UK association for all those who research, study and teach global development issues
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DSA2026 Conference
University College Dublin, 8-10 July 2026
The Call for Funding has been postponed, the date will be provided by the end of January
DSA2026 conference will take place as a hybrid conference and will be organised and hosted by the Centre for Sustainable Development, School of Politics and International Relations, University College Dublin.
The conference convenors are Professor Supriya Garikipati and Dr Caitriona Dowd of UCD.
Format: Similarly to the last three years, the conference will be hybrid allowing for delegates to attend in-person or remotely. There will be a range of panel formats including paper, roundtable and experimental panels.
Accessing the conference as a hybrid conference, all the sessions will recorded and later uploaded to the conference website. To watch the recordings, log in to the website using the email address used for conference registration.
Funding: DSA2026 will offer partial funding for a limited number of delegates to cover some of their registration, visa, travel and/or accommodation expenses. More details will be availed in the New year.
Conference Theme: Reimagining Development: Power, Agency, and Futures in an Uncertain World
In a time of deepening global uncertainty – from climate crisis to digital disruption – development is being redefined. This theme invites critical reflections on how shifting power relations and emerging forms of agency are reshaping the field. What does it mean to reimagine development in light of contested futures, decolonial struggles, and systemic challenges?
At DSA2026, we welcome contributions on issues such as:
- Decolonising development and redistributing power
- AI, digital technologies, and new forms of inequality
- Climate justice and transformative futures
- Geopolitical shifts and the future of aid
- Grassroots agency, solidarity, and alternative visions of progress.
The conference also invites panels that extend beyond the central theme, addressing key concerns in development studies.
Find out more about the conference theme
Phishing Scam Alert
There are phishing emails circulating this year pretending to be a conference accommodation booking service. This is a widespread problem, impacting a number of conferences over the past years.
We do NOT book accommodation for conference delegates, so please delete these emails on receipt and do not, under any circumstances, share your card details.
The scammers appear to be using several email addresses such as booking(at)gtravelexpert.com, sometimes hidden behind a conference-related name.
All genuine conference communication will originate from conference(at)devstud.org.uk address.
NB! This is not a data breach – the phishers appear to be picking off the names of accepted authors on the conference website and then finding email addresses on institutional websites.
If you do not recognise the email address, delete such emails. As these emails do not come from our system, we regret we cannot prevent you receiving them.