#AAIHS2026
The African American Intellectual History Society’s
Eleventh Annual Conference
March 27-28, 2026
Pittsburgh, PA
Conference Theme:
Preserving Histories and Legacies in the 21st Century
Call for Papers
Submission Deadline: September 30, 2025
In a 1992 article entitled “What Has Happened Here,” historian Elsa Barkley Brown defines history, in part, as “everybody talking at once, multiple rhythms being played simultaneously.” Developments during the early twenty-first century prove her words apply to how we preserve knowledge of our past. Debates on school curricula and the function and impact of difference in societies over time, have unfolded in the academy and beyond. Technological advancements like ChatGPT and social media have shaped these conversations in unanticipated ways and give the impression of an increasing number of individuals “talking at once” and, often, in discordant tones.
Where in this altered terrain of historical discourse does the scholar of Black histories belong? The theme for the 2026 AAIHS conference opens an opportunity to consider this question collectively. Together, we hope to address a range of questions such as: How might contemporary difficulties facing us today parallel or diverge from earlier efforts to keep account of Black histories? How does geographic location and the positionalities of both scholar and subject further affect this work? How different, if at all, are the stakes in preserving histories and legacies in the current century? Through the theme, “Preserving Histories and Legacies in the 21st Century,” AAIHS encourages conference participants to reflect on how we have historicized African and African-descended peoples from slavery to the present and how we might do so still. We hope this invitation prompts scholars, activists, artists, curators, archivists, and other intellectuals to interrogate notions of change; continuity; and progress–all key elements of historical inquiry. As always, we are eager to engage these questions through multiple research fields, methods, and methodologies.
To that end, we enthusiastically welcome individual and panel proposals for short presentations (12-15 minutes) that engage the conference theme from a range of topical and temporal perspectives. AAIHS is similarly eager to receive submissions exploring the conference theme in art, popular culture, and literature. Papers that explore the global historical context and international dimensions of the theme are also encouraged.
All panel sessions will run for 75 minutes with 15 minutes devoted to audience participation. All paper proposals should include a title and an abstract of approximately 300 words. The proposal should clearly explain the paper’s argument; methods and methodologies; interventions; and engagement with the conference theme (if applicable). Submissions should also include a short CV (1-2 pages in length), highlighting previous publications and presentations, if applicable. Full panel proposals with a chair and up to 4 presenters should include all the above information for each individual panelist as well as an overall abstract (less than 300 words) articulating the key questions and themes of the papers collectively and how the totality of the papers relate to the conference theme. We strongly encourage experimental formats, workshops, art displays, film screenings, roundtables, musical performances, and any other presentations beyond traditional academic papers and panels.
Proposals will be considered for inclusion in one of the featured conference sessions, which will be held IN-PERSON at the Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh University Center in Pittsburgh, PA. A select number of travel grants are available by application only for graduate students, contingent faculty, independent scholars, and junior (untenured) scholars. AAIHS invites scholars at various ranks and affiliations (from graduate students to senior faculty and independent scholars) to submit proposals for consideration. The best papers selected from conference proceedings will be considered for inclusion in a forthcoming special issue of Global Black Thought, the official journal of AAIHS.
Submit a Proposal
Conference Committee:
- Chairs: Jeannette Eileen Jones, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, & Félix Germain, University of Pittsburgh
- Angela T. Tate, Museum of African American History, Boston and Nantucket
- Rhae Lynn Barnes, Princeton University
- Derrais Carter, University of Massachusetts, Boston
- Kalenda Eaton, University of Oklahoma
**To communicate with the conference committee or obtain more information, contact us.