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This article explores how participation in participatory and action-oriented research can be made more meaningful, engaged, and genuine. Introducing the concept of “queering participation,” it challenges hierarchical power dynamics embedded within traditional participatory methods. Drawing on a case study with the LGBTIQ community in Cambodia, the article demonstrates how reconfiguring the roles of researcher and researched can disrupt normative research relationships. It highlights the importance of positionality and shared lived experience in generating deeper insights, and ultimately advocates for a queer theory-informed approach that centres the leadership of marginalised communities in knowledge production rather than their passive inclusion.

The Gendering International Relations and Critical Military Studies working groups host a Zoomside chat on Pleasure and Depletion in Contemporary Militarism (2026) by Julia Welland. The discussion explores why military personnel and families remain emotionally invested in militarism despite its significant personal costs.

We are pleased to share the recording of the online launch event for the report “Engaging the Global Ukrainian Community for Ukraine’s Recovery: Democracy and Human Rights Dimensions.” written by Maria Koinova, Professor in International Relations in the Deaprtment of Politics and International Studies at the University of Warwick. Her report outlines a practical framework for engaging the Global Ukrainian Community (GUC) - diaspora and refugees - to drive Ukraine’s recovery by centring democratic participation, human rights protections, and inclusive governance across business, civic, and political spheres.