The Southern Humanities Conference, 2026

Call for Papers

Conference Theme: Tides and Time, Ebbs and Flows

Annapolis, MD, January 29- February 1, 2026

Historic Inns of Annapolis

The Southern Humanities Conference offers an opportunity for scholars, artists, writers, musicians, performers, and humanists of all kinds to share their knowledge, research, work, and experiences in an interdisciplinary, welcoming, and engaging intellectual space.

For 2026 our conference theme will be “Tides and Time, Ebbs and Flows.”  Hoping to draw inspiration from our oceanside locale, we seek contributions on a wide range of topics that explore any aspect of the theme, however it may draw you in.  Though each age undergoes its share of political, economic, and cultural change, our lived experiences of the contemporary certainly “feel” dynamically powerful, even historical.  The social texture of our present age stretches with each controversy, unprecedented political shift, and energetic social trend.  And yet, the continuities and communal connections to the past often remind us to keep our presentism in check and be precise in our assessments of what exactly has altered and how deeply the alterations have impacted the world around us.  Every tide embodies a consistent rhythm amidst the starkness of change.  Our planet is also subject to a wide range of ecological and environmental shifts that bear upon the livelihoods, undertakings, and labors of various social groups.    Climate change can be felt at the local and the global levels, reorganizing geographies and inspiring efforts that aim to restore familiar patterns of humanity’s interaction with its environs.  How do the environments we inhabit both allow and limit the designs of human endeavor, and how do our repetitions arrange our environments?  How do time, change, and tides wreak damage?  How can scholars of the humanities query the problem of change and continuity while honoring the subjects of our studies?  How can we reveal human agency in society, history, and the environment? 

The Southern Humanities Conference invites proposals for papers on any aspect of the theme “Time and Tides, Ebbs and Flows” broadly conceived. Our conference themes are meant to be inspiring and prompt reflection, not limiting.  The topic is interdisciplinary and invites proposals from all areas of study, as well as creative pieces including but not limited to performance, music, art, and literature. Customary paper and full panel proposals are invited, as are ones for creative presentation formats like roundtables and demonstrations.  Moreover, the Southern Humanities Conference welcomes proposals from teachers and professionals outside the academy, as well as from scholars in the early stages of their academic careers.  Please note that the name of our organization simply reflects its having been founded in the U.S. South; no presenter is expected to present anything “southern,” though southern topics are also welcomed. Conference attendees come from all over the United States, Canada, and overseas.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Please submit proposals of 300-500 words through our website at www.southernhumanities.org (preferred), or by email sent to Brett Bebber at southernhumanities@gmail.com. Proposals are due by December 1, 2025, but are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.   

We are currently planning to meet for an in-person conference at the Historic Inns of Annapolis, MD.  Conference registration fees for the 2026 Conference will be $150 for students and retirees, and $195 for academic faculty and other professionals.

CONFERENCE AWARDS:

Two awards of up to $300 are available to help mitigate the costs of travel to the conference.  The Kathryn M. Reynolds award is for first- or second-time presenters, and Bennie D. Ussery award is for the best proposed paper from a graduate student. A third award, the Mark Ledbetter and Susan Cumings Award, offers registration remission for up to four graduate students.  If you would like to be considered for one of these awards, please indicate which award(s) in your proposal.  Those interested in being considered for either award should submit their proposals by October 31, 2025.