Holding the Turbulent World

CALL FOR PAPERS

Submission Deadline: 20th of August, 2026
This is the call for papers for the upcoming South Africa Regional Meeting 2026. The South Africa RM Paper Selection welcomes papers for the Parallel Paper Sessions (PPS) on the theme Holding the Turbulent World – Dreaming the Unspoken: Inheritance, Power and Renewal in a Fragmenting World. The conference invites submissions to two complementary streams: an Academic Stream and a Practitioner Stream.

Intention

Over the last decades realities in organisations have changed – performance may have increased; but human relations did not improve accordingly. Contemporary organisational dynamics are shaped by global capital flows, migration, colonial histories, ecological instability and widening inequalities. In addition, we are observing right now a number of external challenges for organisations. Some considerations include the impact of the conflict in the Middle East, the Russian war in the Ukraine, the climate crisis, the enduring impact of COVID, digitalization and AI and its resulting economic and societal implications.

Although hosted locally, the gathering recognises that no region exists in isolation. The regional becomes a lens through which the global can be metabolised. The event will create a psychoanalytic and reflective space urging us towards holding the turbulence shaping organisational and societal life, inviting collective thinking, social dreaming and dialogue across multiple realities and identities. Through (y)our paper offerings we will collaboratively create a regional container that embodies psychoanalytic holding in a time marked by fragmentation, polarisation, ecological strain and institutional distrust. (Y)our paper offerings will hold both the local and the global simultaneously, mirroring the psychic work required of contemporary organisations. In this way creating a lived experience of containment, reflective dialogue and collective questioning and thinking in a turbulent global field.

ACADEMIC STREAM

Through our exploring of questions we adapt a psycho-analytic/dynamic and socio-analytic/dynamic lens in our exploration. We will also explore African and other knowledge systems and practice, offering participants an experiential engagement with positionality, identity, renewal, and multicultural meaning-making through lenses deeply rooted in psychoanalytic thought, as well as African and other wisdom traditions.

We invite all schools of thought, including indigenous knowledge systems, to join in our inquiry.

Criteria for the Abstract 

1. Addressing the Conference Theme
To what extent does the paper engage explicitly with this RM’s theme? Is the theme meaningfully integrated into the core argument rather than treated as peripheral?

2. Theoretical Rigour
How well is the paper grounded in relevant theory? Does it demonstrate a sound understanding of established and/or emerging psychoanalytic and systems-psychodynamic concepts, and apply them appropriately? Where relevant does it include African and Indigenous Knowledge systems

3. Relevance and Scope
Is the argument pertinent to the ISPSO community? Does the paper speak to clinical, organisational, and/or academic contexts, and contribute to the application of psychoanalytic or systems-psychodynamic thinking?

4. Clarity and Coherence of Argument
Are the central claims clearly articulated? Is the paper logically structured, with a coherent line of reasoning that is easy to follow?

5. Ethical Awareness and Reflexivity
Does the paper demonstrate sensitivity to ethical considerations (e.g., power, responsibility, confidentiality, and impact)? Does it reflect critically on its own ethical positioning and the implications of its arguments or methods? 

6. Engagement and Originality
Does the paper stimulate discussion and critical reflection? Does it offer original insights or perspectives that contribute meaningfully to the ISPSO community’s thinking?

Abstract submissions must include the following:

• An abstract in English, consisting of a page – i.e. 500 words only, It should include the paper title and indicate clearly the paper’s relevance to the symposium theme with no information identifying the author (please anonymise). 
• Please use Arial 12-point font, 1.5 spacing in the abstract - which is uploaded into the submission form.
• The submission form will require title of paper, name(s) of author(s), telephone, email address(es) and short biography
• It should also include a list of 5 key words which the author(s) plans to use in developing the paper.
• It should also include at least 10 references which the author plans to use in developing the paper.

The abstract should not exceed 500 words and needs to be submitted by 20 August 2026.

PRACTITIONER STREAM

Call for Practitioner Presentations
Deadline: 20 August 2026

We invite consultants, coaches, organisational practitioners, leaders and professionals to submit proposals for the Practitioner and Consulting Stream.

Not every important contribution begins as an academic paper. Some of our most significant learning emerges in the consulting room, the boardroom, the community, the organisation and the spaces where people work together amidst uncertainty.

We invite presentations that explore the realities, dilemmas, questions and insights arising from practice. We are interested in work that stimulates reflection and dialogue through psychoanalytic, systems-psychodynamic, socio-analytic, African or other relevant theoretical lenses.

Possible presentations may include:

• Consulting or coaching case studies.
• Organisational interventions and lessons learned.
• Leadership and governance challenges.
• Reflections on power, authority and identity.
• Experiences of working across cultures, communities and systems.
• Innovative methodologies or practices.
• Questions that remain unresolved and invite collective inquiry.

We welcome contributions that privilege thoughtful reflection over certainty and invite participants into shared exploration.

Criteria for Selection

Selection will consider:

• Relevance to the conference theme
  To what extent does the submission engage meaningfully with the Regional Meeting theme? Is the theme integrated into the reflection and central message, rather than referenced only superficially?

• Reflective depth
  Does the submission demonstrate thoughtful reflection on practice, including the presenter's learning, assumptions, challenges and insights? Does it move beyond description to offer critical reflection on the experience?

• Connection between practice and theory.
  How effectively does the submission connect lived experience with relevant psychoanalytic and/or systems-psychodynamic concepts? Are theoretical ideas used to deepen understanding of practice rather than simply cited?

• Contribution to learning and dialogue
  Does the submission offer insights, questions or experiences that are likely to stimulate discussion, reflection and shared learning within the ISPSO community? Does it encourage meaningful exchange among participants?

• Ethical awareness and sensitivity
  Does the submission demonstrate appropriate consideration of ethical issues, including confidentiality, power, responsibility and the potential impact on individuals, groups and organisations? Does it reflect thoughtfully on the ethical dimensions of the work?

• Originality and value for practitioners and the wider ISPSO community
  Does the submission provide original insights or perspectives that are relevant to practitioners? Is it likely to contribute meaningfully to the knowledge, practice and ongoing conversations of the broader ISPSO community?

Abstract submissions must include the following (which are included in the submission form):

• A presentation title.
• A 250-word abstract describing the context, the practice challenge, key reflections and relevance to the conference theme.
• Five key words.
• A short biography (maximum 150 words).
• Contact details.

Presentations will be approximately 30 minutes, followed by discussion.

We particularly encourage submissions that create space for thoughtful conversation, uncertainty and learning from lived organisational experience.

Submission deadline: 20 August 2026
Decision date: 30 August 2026

Should you have any questions or require further clarification, please contact mayms@unisa.ac.za