Call for Papers
The European Culture Research Network (ECRN) of the Council for European Studies invites submissions for papers for the 33rd International Conference of Europeanists
The ECRN invites submissions for a mini-symposium on: “Securing Europe? Cultural framing of power, prosperity and connection in a troubled world”
This mini-symposium aims to address the general topic of the conference highlighting its cultural dimensions. How is culture deployed to generate and promote projects of care, belonging, trust and security in a world facing many challenges? What does ‘securing’ Europe mean in cultural terms and how do we address persisting asymmetries and recognize diverse epistemologies and knowledge systems that determine what ‘securing Europe’ means?
With your contributions, we hope to establish a series of panels that look into how culture connects to the reimagination of power and prosperity in a world marked by geopolitical fragmentation, democratic backsliding, digital disruption, social polarization and growing uncertainty. We approach culture in its broadest sense here: from cultural practices, mechanisms of production, collective identities, to objects and texts and their reception. Papers are welcome that attend to how concerns about Europe’s security are expressed in film, literature and arts, exposing pertinent debates on Europe’s changing position in the world in relation to different themes, timeframes, and contexts. Moreover, we are interested in the role played by cultural policies and cultural institutions as agents of reimagination and in the ways in which culture has been mobilized by different actors to respond to questions of power, prosperity and connection.
We encourage critical approaches that acknowledge the dual potential of culture which can reinforce exclusionary nationalisms, mnemonic conflicts, and ethno-symbolic boundaries, while also enabling cosmopolitan imaginaries, critical engagements with the past, and spaces of intercultural dialogue. Additionally, we value papers that address the global entanglements of Europe, the impact of de-colonizing practices and knowledges, the effects of migration and the construction of notions of integrity, solidarity, unity, and security in the cultural realm.
Please send proposals for the mini-symposium by October 1 to: Berna Gueneli Berna.Gueneli@uga.edu; Randall N Halle rhalle@pitt.edu; Claske Vos C.Vos@uva.nl; John Davidson davidson.92@osu.edu
You will submit proposals directly to the Council for European Studies by Oct 9, 2026.
Open Call for panels, roundtables, and mini-symposia:
The CES welcomes paper and session submissions on all aspects of European Culture
We encourage you to inform us of any panel or paper proposals that are related to culture and of direct interest to the research network but that fall outside of the specific themes selected for the symposium. This will allow the network to promote related panels.
Sessions involve a moderator and discussants, and can take four forms:
• Paper panels consist of 4 papers organized around a common theme with comments provided by a discussant.
• Book panels (also known as “Author Meets Critics”) bring together 4-6 scholars to debate a recent publication in the field and are moderated by a chair.
• Roundtables assemble 4-6 scholars to discuss a common theme, idea, or topic with moderation provided by a chair.
• Mini-Symposia are thematic clusters of 3-5 sessions of any of the above types grouped together.
Notes on CES conference format
The ECRN welcomes contributions on local, regional, national, transnational topics. Please do consider your topic in its specificity as having a relation to Europe as term, history, discourse, place, etc.
CES is an interdisciplinary conference. People used to humanist conferences please note that our network strives to participate in the CES format. This means longer papers shared in advance and 10-12 minute presentations at the conference. This does require more advance planning but results in a livelier and more interactive panel and symposium-wide discussion
Some guidelines to keep in mind:
• Think of the goal as something closer to a seminar conversation that all can participate in. Think of the conference as fostering edited volumes, special issues, and working group formation.
• Plan to share longer papers, chapters in draft mode 2 weeks before the conference.
• Commit to reading the papers on your panel and to papers across panels.
• Commit to communicating to an interdisciplinary audience and promotes engagement with others beyond our immediate fields and disciplines.
EUROPEAN CULTURE is a new Research Network at the Council for European Studies.
For membership information, see https://councilforeuropeanstudies.org/membership/research-networks/european-culture