cultural studies and historical approaches

Alternative Edens: “Whole Earth” Imagination and the Politics of Hospitality

Panel at the 2026 SAMLA Conference (Nov. 5-7, 2026 Atlanta, GA)

Due date for paper proposals: September 1, 2026

Submission link: https://samla.ballastacademic.com/Home/S/19711

YOUTH AND CULTURE IN NORTHEAST INDIA: INTERSECTIONS AND  PERSPECTIVES  

Introduction  

Youth represent a powerful social force shaping contemporary societies through their  engagement with identity, creativity, social transformation, and cultural negotiation. In India’s  Northeast—a region distinguished by rich ethnic diversity, complex histories, and evolving  socio-political realities—youth culture offers a critical lens to understand how societies adapt  to rapid change while preserving cultural continuity. Young people in the region occupy a  dynamic space where tradition, globalization, technological transformation, and regional  aspirations intersect.  

Call for Proposals

Special Issue of Philosophy, Politics and Critique

A quarter century has elapsed since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, both the successful ones targeting the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and the unsuccessful one targeting the Capitol.

Religion, Morality, and the American Presidency: The West Wing at 30
Edited by Ilaria W. Biano

Deadline: September 30, 2026

Premiering in 1999, The West Wing quickly became one of the most influential television portrayals of American political life. Through its depiction of the Bartlet administration, the series offered a powerful narrative of the presidency as a site of moral deliberation, civic responsibility, and public leadership. The show remains a significant reference point in discussions of political authority, democratic institutions, and the ethical responsibilities of governance.

Special Issue: ‘Cowboy Carter: Reimagining the American West through Fashion, Music and Performance’

Guest editors:

Elizabeth Kealy-Morris, Manchester Fashion Institute, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK

Sonya Abrego, Fordham University, USA

Robb Hernández, Fordham University, USA

Embodied Ecologies and Sacred Landscapes: Interpreting Indian Knowledge Tradition on Island Spaces (ISOIS 2026)

December 14-15, 2026

Concept Note:

Indian knowledge traditions have long imagined land, water, and life-worlds as sacred, relational, and more-than-human, weaving together rituals, narratives, cosmologies, and practices of care that exceed modern disciplinary boundaries. Island spaces—whether riverine sandbars, coastal archipelagos, sacred groves on hill-islands, or temple-tanks experienced as spiritual islands—offer particularly rich terrains for exploring embodied ecologies, ritualised forms of dwelling, and ecological memory.

The E. E. Cummings Society and the Society’s journal, Spring, invite abstracts for 20-minute papers for the 54th annual Louisville Conference on Literature and Culture since 1900, Feb. 18-20, 2027, at the University of Louisville (https://events.louisville.edu/conferences/list-conferences/louisville-conference-literature-and-culture).

Panel: Ecocriticism (standing session) co-sponsored by ASLE

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Sat July 25, 2026

Submission link: https://pamla.ballastacademic.com/Home/S/20212.

Conference: Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association (PAMLA)

Conference Theme: "Our Ruling Classes: Culture, Power, Conflict”

Location and Date: Seattle, Washington (USA), Nov 12-15

The IX edition of the Congress will take place on 17, 18, 19 and 20 November 2026. Sessions on 17 and 18 November will be held online, while sessions on 19 and 20 November will take place in person at the Auditorium of the Congress Centre "Ciutat d'Elx" (Elche, Spain). There are 3 participation options:

> Option 1: In this modality, the proposals submitted will follow the main thematic line of the new edition of the Congress: The origins of the fantastic genre in audiovisual culture.

Verschwinden: Disappearing into Providence

Rhode Island as a Literary Constellation

Call for papers: Panel at the 2027 NeMLA conference (March 6 - 9, Newport, RI)

Due date for paper proposals: September 30, 2027

Submission link: https://cfplist.com/nemla/Home/S/22479

In the hope of connecting our academic endeavors more closely to the places and times we find ourselves in, this panel proposes Rhode Island, and close by Providence in particular, as a nodal point for a constellation of German, American, and European literatures, histories, and cultural memories.

Tattooing, a form of bodily modification, has existed as a global phenomenon for centuries, persevering within the distant and near past alike. Yet, only recently have these images embedded in flesh been subjected to thorough scholarly inquiry. This panel invites papers that examine a wide range of issues pertaining to medieval tattoos, including practices of tattooing during the global Middle Ages, recent advances in tattoo archaeology, and modern tattoos portraying medieval themes. Scholars exploring the misuse (and abuse) of medieval images and symbols for contemporary tattoos are especially encouraged to apply. This session allows for both in-person and virtual presentations. 

This CfP contains two individual sessions grouped under the rubric 'Rethinking Ecotheory' for the 62nd International Congress on Medieval Studies. Please see information for both sessions and separate links to apply below! Both sessions are sponsored by Medieval Ecocriticisms. Abstracts for both sessions are due by September 15th, 2026. Please contact the organizers Hunter (hap48@cornell.edu) and Basil (basil.price@oneonta.edu) with any questions.

Overview

In the summer of 2026, Elizabeth and Ines Soto were sentenced to fifty years in prison for their participation in the anti-ICE protests at Prairieland, including a charge of “providing material support to terrorists.” In the trial that led to these exorbitant sentences, the Sotos’ production and distribution of zines, including literature on protest strategy, anti-ICE arguments, gay and trans issues, and plant propagation, were used as evidence in their conviction. Their printing press (a home office printer) was confiscated by the FBI. At the same time, Daniel Sanchez Estrada, who was not present at the protest, was sentenced to thirty years for “concealing documents,” including zines labeled as “political literature.”