Within the perspective of political science, researchers have increasingly emphasized the connection between history and politics. The development of various subfields of political science—including Chinese politics, comparative politics, and international politics—is closely related to historical politics. In turn, the advancement of historical politics requires an open academic community and the formation of inclusive research approaches.

Among them, Historical Institutionalism (HI) is a highly dynamic theoretical school. Its proponents are not only active in the fields of comparative politics and public policy research; in recent years, they have also gained momentum within international relations scholarship, with a growing number of research outcomes published successively. In contrast to its prosperous development overseas, historical institutionalism remains understudied in China, as reflected in the insufficient number of publications in both theoretical discussions and empirical research.

Against this backdrop, a group of university faculty and students with shared academic interests have launched this workshop. Through regular exchanges and seminars, they aim to advance the development of historical politics and historical institutionalism in mainland China. Since 2017, the workshop has been convened eight times with remarkable achievements. We look forward to the active participation of interested faculty and students in this session, to contribute to the building of a vibrant academic community.

The workshop is hosted by Historical Politics Research Center of Chenghai Institute of Global Development and Security, and Historical Institutionalism Studies WeChat Official Account. It will be held on May 16, 2026, at Renmin University of China (Tongzhou Campus).

Faculty members and students interested in presenting papers at the workshop are requested to send a registration email to hi_studies@163.com, indicating your name, affiliation, professional title (or postdoctoral fellow/PhD candidate/graduate student), and attaching the full text of your paper. The deadline for registration is April 26, 2026.

After the registration deadline, the organizers will select appropriate papers for the agenda and notify applicants of their acceptance by email by May 3, 2026. The workshop will cover meals for all participants and accommodation for those coming from outside Beijing. No conference fee will be charged. Participants are kindly requested to cover their own transportation expenses.

The organizer reserves the final right of interpretation for this call for papers.