CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Future(s) of International and Area Studies: Challenges, Opportunities, Goals
University of Pittsburgh, May 8-10, 2026
Format: Hybrid
The University of Pittsburgh’s University Center for International Studies (UCIS) is delighted to host the conference Future(s) of International and Area Studies in May 2026. We invite leading scholars and practitioners for a series of timely conversations aimed at reimagining area and global studies for the next generations. Join us to think beyond enduring paradigms, inherited structures, and established practices as we create new horizons for interdisciplinary research & learning, engagement, coalition-building, and more. Please find important information about the scope and charges of the conference HERE.
Confirmed keynote and plenary speakers include Hilary Kahn (Vice provost for International Affairs at Indiana University Indianapolis and Associate Vice President of International Affairs at Indiana University Bloomington); Stephen E. Hanson (Lettie Pate Evans Professor of Government at the College of William & Mary); William P. Rivers (Principal, WP Rivers & Associates); and Kislaya Prasad (Academic Director, Center for Global Business at the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland). The website will be updated as more speakers confirm participation.
If you are interested in participating, kindly submit an Interest Form OR Proposal by December 4, 2025.
- Interest Form: To assess the need for hotel and meeting space, meals, and staff and technical support, the conference organizers request prospective conference attendees to indicate their interest in participating, in person or remotely, HERE. Note: if you intend to submit a proposal to the call below, there is no need to complete this interest form.
- Call for Proposals: The conference organizers welcome proposals for breakout sessions (format: panels, roundtables, or workshops; 75 min per session) addressing the themes of the conference HERE.* Sessions can be focused on specific, defined regions (traditional or novel) or transnational/thematic issues.
If you have any questions about the conference, please contact the organizers at ucisconference@pitt.edu.