Call for Papers: “The Social Psychology of Third Parties in Intergroup Conflicts” - A Special Issue of Social Psychology (https://www.hogrefe.com/de/zeitschrift/social-psychology)

Aims and Scope of the Special Issue:

Recent global conflicts, such as the Israeli-Palestinian war and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, demonstrate how third parties not directly involved in hostilities can shape the course of conflicts. States (e.g., USA, European countries, Qatar), organizations (e.g., the United Nations, the International Criminal Court), and (groups of) individuals may intervene as mediators, commenters, allies, or sanctioners, thereby exerting considerable influence on conflict dynamics. Within social psychology, there is also a growing call to expand research on intergroup conflict beyond binary perspectives. The special issue aims to advance the study of third parties as key actors in intergroup conflicts. It invites theoretical and empirical contributions (including original, meta-analytic, and methodological work) examining the roles and perspectives of third parties.

We invite submissions that address the role of third parties in various stages of intergroup conflict. Topics may include, but are not limited to:
(1) Collective action, allyship, and solidarity (e.g., the role of third parties in mobilizing action to prevent or fuel intergroup conflicts, inequality, and violence);
(2) Moral courage and bystander involvement (e.g., the role of third parties in intervening in intergroup contexts, against discrimination or hate speech);
(3) Social justice and third-party punishment (e.g., the role of third parties in enacting sanctions or punishments in intergroup conflicts);
(4) Intergroup reconciliation (e.g., the role of third parties in fostering dialogue and peaceful relations, or complicating reconciliation, for instance by siding with groups in intergroup conflicts);
(5) Collective trauma and collective memory (e.g., the role of third parties in shaping, transmitting, and socially dealing with past intergroup conflicts).

To provide a comprehensive understanding, we invite submissions that examine the roles and perspectives of both conflict parties (e.g., how third parties shape perceptions, motivations, responses among conflict parties) and third parties themselves (e.g., their perceptions, motivations, responses) in intergroup conflicts.

Special Issue Editorial Review Committee:

Submitted abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editor team, and the suitability for inclusion in the special issue will be decided by consensus. Full articles will be handled by one of the Guest Editors and sent out for blind review by (at least) two experts in the field.

Timeline:

Deadline to submit Abstract via email to Special Issue Editors: February 28, 2026
Notification on invitation to submit full-text article: March 31, 2026
Opening of Social Psychology’s submission portal for Special Issue Submissions: March 31, 2026
Deadline to submit full-text article via the Social Psychology Editorial Manager system: August 31, 2026

Submission Guidelines:

Author Instructions for Social Psychology available here: https://www.hogrefe.com/index.php?eID=dumpFile&t=f&f=2440&token=1b5a3223d91d9e3fec3ba5dfdbee74e9102545dd

Please send a single pdf-document with an abstract of your planned contribution (400–600 words) by February 28, 2026 to Fiona Kazarovytska (fiona.kazarovytska@uni-mainz.de), with the subject line “Submission for Special Issue – Third Parties in Intergroup Conflicts.” The abstract should highlight the relevance to the special issue and include a summary of the research questions, methods (sample and sample size, design, if applicable manipulations, measures), and results. The Guest Editors strongly encourage all interested authors to submit an abstract, but manuscripts may also be submitted without it.

Contact Details:

Editor/Editorial Office:
Dr. Fiona Kazarovytska, fiona.kazarovytska@uni-mainz.de
Prof. Dr. Anna Baumert, baumert@uni-wuppertal.de
Prof. Dr. Zsolt Péter Szabó, zsoltpeter.szabo@uni-corvinus.hu

Production Office:
Should you have any technical queries regarding the online submission system, please contact production@hogrefe.com.

Guest Editors:

Dr. Fiona Kazarovytska, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
Prof. Dr. Anna Baumert, University of Wuppertal, Germany
Prof. Dr. Zsolt Péter Szabó, Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary