Calls for Papers, Conferences, and Events

If you wish to have a conference announcement posted, please send an email to ssspgra@utk.edu (Microsoft Word files and PDFs preferred). Please include a URL for more information, if available.

There is no charge to place an announcement on this website. Calls for papers will be posted until the submission deadline. Conference announcements will be posted until the date of the conference has passed.   

Calls for Papers and Articles
Ongoing Calls
Conferences and Events
Virtual Events
Other Opportunities
Fellowships and Scholarships

Calls for Papers and Articles

Special Issue: Moral Panics and Gender Studies

Submission Deadline: 15 September 2026

The Journal of Gender Studies invites abstract submissions for a special issue on Moral Panics and Gender Studies, edited by Morena Tartari and Anita Lavorgna. This issue explores how gender, sexuality, identity, and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion debates become central to moral panic discourses in contemporary society.

Abstracts of up to 500 words, plus a short biographical note of up to 100 words, should be sent to both guest editors:

Morena Tartari: morena.tartari@northumbria.ac.uk
Anita Lavorgna: anita.lavorgna@unibo.it

For inquiries, contact both guest editors.

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17th Annual Conference on Stigma
Howard University, 18-20 November 2026

Submission Deadline: 21 September 2026

This hybrid conference aims to increase awareness of the stigma associated with HIV and other health conditions as well as explore interventions to eradicate this stigma. This conference also serves to educate healthcare providers and the general public about stigma as both a major barrier to the prevention and treatment of illnesses and as well as a human rights violation. We are looking for original research that addresses HIV stigma or other mental or physical health-related stigma to be presented as a VIRTUAL POSTER during the conference virtual poster sessions on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 and Thursday, November 19, 2026. During the virtual poster sessions, each presenter will have the opportunity to give a live or pre-recorded presentation of their work with a live Q & A session to follow. Abstracts that focus on this year’s theme of, “Shattering Stigma: Let Your Light Shine. Break the Stigma” are particularly encouraged. A limited number of non-research, community-based project posters may be accepted for presentation during the virtual poster sessions. Learn more.

Conference Theme—Shattering Stigma: Let Your Light Shine. Break the Stigma

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87th Annual Society for Applied Anthropology Annual Meeting
Norfolk, Virginia, 23-27 March 2027

Submission Deadline: 1 October 2026

The Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) invites abstracts (sessions, papers, posters, and videos) for the Program of the 87th Annual Meeting in Norfolk, VA, March 23-27, 2027. The theme of the Program is “Futures, Fractures, and Fixes.”

The 2027 SfAA Annual Meeting offers researchers, practitioners, and students from diverse disciplines and organizations the opportunity to discuss their work and consider how it can contribute to a better future. SfAA members come from a host of disciplines — anthropology, geography, sociology, economics, business, planning, medicine, nursing, law, and more. The annual meeting provides a fertile venue in which to trade ideas, methods, and practical solutions, as well as an opportunity to enter the lifeworlds of other professionals. 

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Twenty-Third International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability
University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, 20-22 January 2027

Submission Deadline: 19 October 2026

The special focus of the Twenty-Third International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability examines how societies imagine, design, and enact transitions toward more just and resilient futures. Across environmental governance, social movements, circular economies, climate adaptation, public policy, technological innovation, and cultural change, new forms of sustainability work are emerging—some promising, others precarious, all deeply consequential.

We invite proposals that reflect on these transformations: how communities respond to ecological disruption; how technologies reshape systems of production and care; how cultural knowledge, indigenous practices, and local priorities inform sustainable action; and how equity, justice, and participation must frame any move toward sustainable futures.

Proposals may also address the Network’s ongoing themes: Ecological Realities; Participatory Process; Economic, Social, and Cultural Context; and Education, Assessment, and Policy. Contributions can be theoretical, empirical, methodological, practice-based, or community-engaged. We welcome interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches that confront real-world challenges and complexities. Read more and submit a proposal.

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2027 Global Meeting on Law and Society
University of Hong Kong + Virtual, 22-26 June 2027

Submission Deadline: 27 October 2026

The conference theme, Law in Motion: Reimagining Mobility, Boundaries, and Belonging, directly confronts this tension. Emblematic of law and society scholarship, the conference urges researchers to examine law as a dynamic force that is both constituted by and constitutive of movement and to question the concepts that underpin our legal world. What constitutes a “boundary” in the 21st century, when digital borders and biometric databases are as formidable as physical walls? How is “mobility” itself stratified, creating hierarchies of travelers and migrants? And how does law construct “belonging”—not just through formal citizenship, but in the interstitial spaces of temporary visas, precarious statuses, and transnational communities?

We invite scholars from law, sociology, anthropology, political science, geography, history, and beyond to investigate the intricate interplays among official law, social norms, and the mobile human experience. At the same time, we welcome submissions that do not speak to the conference theme but nevertheless forge interdisciplinary dialogues about law from all corners of the world. We look forward to welcoming you to Hong Kong! Learn more.

Conference Theme—Law in Motion: Reimagining Mobility, Boundaries, and Belonging

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Critical Sociology
An Attack on Academic Freedom and the Racial Politics Challenging DEI: The Case of Jason Arday

Submission Deadline: 8 December 2026

We are now experiencing a period of increasing challenges to academic freedom and the assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The recent efforts to mobilize sustained public and institutional attacks against Jason Arday, culminating in his untimely death, demand critical examination not simply as an isolated controversy, but as part of a broader political and epistemic struggle over race, knowledge, and power in higher education. The circumstances and discourse surrounding these attacks raise difficult questions about contemporary forms through which anti-Black racism and anti-Black male racism operates within and beyond the academy.

To facilitate sustained and meaningful scholarly engagement with what has thus far been dominated by opinion, commentary, and polarized public debate, we invite a range of theoretically informed contributions examining the events surrounding the Arday Affair, contributions that bring forward the broader dynamics of global anti-Black racism in general, and anti-Black male racism more specifically.

Read the full call for contributions. Submit articles and informed commentaries, designated as contributing to the “Jason Arday Affair” to Critical Sociology. For questions and clarification, contact the Editor at critical.sociology@gmail.com.

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Ongoing Calls

Spark Magazine

Spark Magazine is now accepting pitches for essay ideas on a rolling basis. Spark offers essays grounded in research that can inform readers to make decisions for themselves, their families, and communities. The essays are meant to spark curiosity — whether by encouraging deeper questions about society, challenging taken-for-granted ideas, or inspiring greater empathy and support for marginalized communities. Submit a pitch.

Bedside Books Column in Sociological Review

Editor Emma Craddock is seeking contributions to our Bedside Books column, which offers readers’ short takes on books of all kinds: old and new, fiction and non-fiction, academic and general interest. Read the latest Bedside Books column. Contribute your own short review.

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Sociological Fiction in Sociological Review

Editor Ash Watson is currently inviting submissions of creative short fiction that is sociological in style, scope and sensibility. Read our new short stories by John D. Boy and Lara Monticelli. Learn more about what we publish.

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Sociology of Race and Ethnicity

The Sociology of Race and Ethnicity series provides a venue for international, pioneering scholarship that moves our understanding of race, racism, ethnicity, and ethnic oppression forward. The series features books that engage in contemporary social issues in a meaningful way, advocating intervention and action in social justice and social transformation.  

While theoretically and empirically grounded in sociology, books in this series intersect a wide array of social sciences (geography, history, political science, anthropology, philosophy). Aimed at both academics and practitioners through thought-provoking and teachable manuscripts, we are particularly interested in “engaged scholarship.” We encourage theoretical perspectives (and methods and methodologies) that are intellectually engaged, rigorous, and critical. Such perspectives include, but are not limited to, Du Boisian analysis, Afrocentrist/-futurist, and Latinx critical theory, as well as other intersectional epistemologies.  

We seek book proposals that accomplish the dual goals of speaking to the public square and pushing the intellectual conversation forward. To inquire about publishing in the series, please contact Mick Gusinde-Duffy at mickgd@uga.edu.

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Conferences and Events 

Criminal Justice Association of Georgia (CJAG) Annual Conference
Albany State University, Albany, Georgia, 25-26 September 2026

We welcome proposals for research presentations, roundtables, panels, workshops, and student-led sessions.
Submit your abstract here. CJAG’s official peer-reviewed journal, The Pursuit, is currently accepting manuscript submissions. Presenters and non-presenters alike are encouraged to submit original research, practice-based articles, and scholarly essays related to criminal justice, criminology, or public safety. More information found on the website.

2026 Special Focus—The Future of Criminal Justice: Navigating the New Normal

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Seventeenth International Conference on the Image
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore + Online, 1-2 October 2026

This year’s special focus examines how visual media serve as agents of cultural dialogue, activism, and change, particularly within complex and pluralistic societies. Images do more than reflect the world; they intervene in it. Whether mobilised to document injustice, amplify marginalised voices, reframe dominant narratives, or inspire solidarity, images hold or possess the capacity to advocate. As technologies evolve and the circulation of images intensifies, so too does the need to critically assess how they shape public consciousness and cultural meaning. This conference invites an exploration of how visual forms, across analogue, digital, and emerging mediums, operate as tools of advocacy within their own cultural contexts and in dialogue with others, placing an emphasis on practices that are situated, responsive, and ethically engaged. We ask: What are the possibilities and limits of the image as advocate? How does visual advocacy operate across linguistic, societal and cultural thresholds? And what pedagogies, platforms, or ethics are needed to support such work? In gathering diverse voices, we aim to cultivate a conversation on how images not only represent but also actively shape the cultures from which they emerge. More information can be found at the conference website.

2026 Special Focus—The Image as Advocate: Shaping Cultural Conversations

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SVRI Forum 2026
Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre, Centralworld, Bangkok, Thailand, 5-9 October 2026 

The SVRI Forum 2026 will be held at the Centara Grand and Bangkok Convention Centre, Bangkok, Thailand from 5 – 9 October 2026

The SVRI Forum is the Sexual Violence Research Initiative’s flagship event and the world’s leading conference on research, evidence, and solutions to prevent and respond to violence against women (VAW), violence against children (VAC), and other forms of gender-based violence (GBV). 

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The 28th Canadian Ethnic Studies Association (CESA) Biennial Conference
Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity, Banff, Alberta, 9-10 October 2026

The Canadian Ethnic Studies Association (CESA) invites panel and/or paper proposals for its upcoming 28th conference on the theme of “Ethnic Dynamics and Immigration in a World in Flux”. There is little doubt that the world we are living in is going through a major transformation, driven by powerful economic, political, cultural, and social forces, and reflected through many unprecedented developments at global, regional, national, and local levels. This includes new wars, economic rivalry, cyber-attacks, redrawn political maps, electoral surprises, the rise of populism, new resistance movements, new technology, and so on. Some have begun suggesting new names for this emerging world, from ‘new world order’, to ‘cyber world order’, to the ‘post-liberal era’, and so on. This transformation has had undeniable implications for international Immigration, as well as race and ethnic relations, in many different countries, including Canada; and it calls for new theorizing efforts to understand it and to ameliorate the serious problems that come with it. Learn more on the English and French sites.

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Sixteenth International Conference on Food Studies
University of Osaka, Osaka, Japan, 10-12 October 2026 and Online 

The Sixteenth International Conference on Food Studies will be held in Osaka, Japan—a city whose identity, culture, and cuisine have been shaped by water for centuries. Known historically as the “Kitchen of the Nation,” Osaka flourished as a hub of trade and food distribution, made possible by its extensive river and canal networks. Today, this rich heritage offers a powerful context for exploring the conference’s special theme: Living with Water: Food and Life.

In Osaka, water is more than a resource—it is a foundation for food culture, daily life, and ecological understanding. From the soft water used to make dashi, to the thriving markets that once received goods from across Japan, the city embodies a deep connection between water systems and sustainable food traditions. As global food and water crises intensify, Osaka offers a compelling site to examine how local knowledge, urban infrastructure, and culinary heritage can inform more resilient and equitable food futures.

Along with our papers that speak to our annual themes, we invite proposals that explore food sustainability, water security, health and nutrition, and the politics of food systems, especially about urban ecologies and historic foodways. Join us in Osaka to reflect on the past and reimagine the future of food in a world increasingly defined by its relationship to water. Learn more about registration.

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Aging & Social Change: Sixteenth Interdisciplinary Conference
Akdeniz University in Antalya, Turkey, 15-16 October 2026

Care environments for aging populations must move toward more individualized, person-centered models. Yet across diverse national contexts, many systems remain fragmented or under-resourced, with gaps at the intersections of medical, social, and familial care arrangements. At the same time, promising new approaches are emerging around the world—ranging from dementia care innovations and age-friendly community programs to lifelong learning institutions for older adults.

This international dialogue will be hosted in Turkey, a country that both reflects these global challenges and serves as a site of experimentation in gerontological practice and policy. The conference offers an opportunity to exchange cross-national insights, share institutional innovations, and collaboratively reimagine the social contract across generations. Learn more about registration. 

2026 Special Focus—Demographic Futures: Political and Social Transformations

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Queer Ecologies Across Socialisms
University of Regensburg, 15-16 October 2026

We invite academic and artistic contributions from Environmental Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Life Sciences, Literary Studies, Visual and Performance Studies, Cultural Studies, and related fields for Queer Ecologies Across Socialisms. We especially welcome interventions from Indigenous Studies and work grounded in environmental justice. Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

  • queer ecological readings of literature, visual art, and performance created under state socialisms
  • trans* ecologies and trans-corporealities: embodied transitions, technoscience, and queer materialisms
  • reproduction, health, disability in their environmental entanglements
  • anti-queer mobilizations and backlash politics
  • housing, labor, leisure, and their more-than-human ecologies
  • archives, institutions, popular science, education
  • ecosocialist, proto-degrowth imaginaries: utopian/dystopian imaginaries and alternative models of planetary care, including transnational solidarities and activism
  • comparative, transnational, and decolonial approaches to “state socialism” as a global formation

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Save the Date: 2026 SAR US General Assembly
November 13-14, 2026

Scholars at Risk, the University of Chicago, and The College of Wooster are pleased to announce the 2026 SAR US General Assembly, taking place November 13–14, 2026, at the Ida Noyes Building at the University of Chicago.

The General Assembly will bring together SAR network members, higher education leaders, scholars, practitioners, and partners to share experiences, strengthen collaboration, and discuss collective strategies for supporting threatened scholars and defending academic freedom in the United States and around the world.

The program will begin on Friday, November 13, with a full day of sessions and discussions, and conclude midday on Saturday, November 14.

Registration for the event will open on June 15, 2026.

We encourage interested participants to save the date, add the event and registration opening to their calendars, and complete the brief interest form available on the event page to receive future updates and announcements.

Questions may be directed to Reed Couvillon at rc6175@nyu.edu

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Save the Date: 2027 SAR Global Congress
Thessaloniki, Greece | June 15–17, 2027

Scholars at Risk (SAR), in partnership with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, invites you to Greece for the 2027 SAR Global Congress.

In an era marked by democratic backsliding and increasing threats to free inquiry, the global higher education community will gather in the cradle of the Academy to explore the essential role of academic freedom in democratic society. The Congress will bring together hundreds of higher education leaders, scholars, professionals, advocates, and partners from around the world to exchange ideas, strengthen solidarity, and advance collective efforts to protect scholars and institutions under threat.

The SAR Global Congress is the organization’s largest international convening and is held only once every two to three years. The event serves as a unique forum for network members and partners to share experiences, discuss emerging challenges, highlight innovative initiatives, and help shape SAR’s agenda and global academic freedom priorities for the years ahead.

Participants can expect engaging discussions, collaborative sessions, and opportunities to build meaningful international partnerships focused on defending academic freedom, supporting vulnerable scholars, and strengthening democratic values through higher education.

2027 Special Focus
Academic Freedom and Democratic Resilience in a Changing World

Mark your calendars and join SAR in Greece in 2027 as the global academic community comes together to learn, collaborate, and help shape the future of academic freedom worldwide.

Learn more

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Virtual Events

2026 Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research
5 November 2026

Join AERA for the 2026 Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research, featuring Daniel Solorzano, professor of social science and comparative education and Chicana/o and Central American studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, and director of UCLA’s Center for Critical Race Studies in Education. The lecture will be presented before a small, invited in-person audience and livestreamed for the public. Registration information for the free livestream is coming soon. In the meantime, mark your calendar and plan to join us for this timely and important event! Learn more.

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Virtual Writing Retreats
The Diversity Scholars Network is hosting monthly writing retreats via Zoom. These events are co-sponsored by the Anti-Racism Collaborative and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Writing retreats are scheduled throughout each month on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. We are offering writing sessions designed for faculty, staff, and graduate students. We hope you drop in for silent writing with optional breakout rooms for discussion and feedback.
 

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Other Opportunites 

Generative AI in Academic Publishing: Perceptions and AI Hesitancy

Christopher Miller, a doctoral researcher in Information Science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, is conducting an IRB-approved study examining how graduate students, faculty, researchers, and publishing professionals perceive and use generative AI tools in scholarly research, writing, peer review, and publication workflows. Topics include AI use in academic writing, AI hesitancy and trust, journal and institutional AI policies, and disciplinary differences.

The survey is anonymous, open to adults 18+, and intended for graduate students, faculty, researchers, and publishing professionals. It takes approximately 5–25 minutes to complete.

Take the survey

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