2026 Conference

“Shifting the Narrative: Change Across Margins and Centers”

April 10, 2026

Tallahassee, Florida

The History Graduate Student Association at Florida State University is thrilled to announce the sixteenth annual Southeast Regional Graduate Student Conference. This event is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 2026, and will take place in person on Florida State’s campus.

In recent decades, historical scholarship has increasingly moved beyond the confines of traditional “Great Man” narratives to foreground the voices and experiences of the marginalized, the subaltern, and the oppressed. This shift reflects both a vertical re-examination of hierarchies within groups and a horizontal rethinking across communities, classifications, and boundaries.  

As historians, we recognize our responsibility to continue building upon these inclusive frameworks that seek to recover, amplify, and reframe perspectives long silenced in conventional narratives. This year’s conference invites submissions that challenge interpretations of the past. We encourage proposals that employ innovative approaches, frameworks, and practices that subvert the conventional and elevate voices from the margins.  Topics may include, but are not limited to, political and/or social movements, cultural shifts, military conflict, and resistance strategies. For this year’s conference, we are accepting proposals for individual papers, complete panels, and posters.

Graduate students at all levels in a humanities or social science program are strongly encouraged to participate. This conference serves as an inclusive platform for new graduate students to present their research, while also providing a valuable opportunity for advanced students to test ideas and receive constructive feedback from peers and senior academics.

Key Information:
● Submissions Due: 12/19/2025
● Conference Decisions Sent: As received (no later than 12/31/2025)
● Conference Date: 4/10/2026
● Location: Florida State University, Student Services Building

Submission Guidelines:
● Please submit abstracts of no more than 300 words and a CV to our Google form.
● We accept both individual papers and complete panels. Panel proposals should include a 200-word description of the panel’s topic as well as individual abstracts and CVs.
● Applicants wishing to present a poster rather than as an individual paper or part of a panel should submit an abstract of no more than 300 words and a CV to our Google form.

Conference Highlights:
● Engage with themes of narrative shift and elevating voices from the marginalized.”.
● Network with fellow graduate students and senior scholars in a collegial environment.
● Receive detailed feedback from both audience members and panel commentators

We look forward to an intellectually stimulating and inclusive conference that fosters dialogue and collaboration across disciplines. Join us in exploring the myriad ways in which conflict and compromise shape our understanding of history and society.

For any additional questions or concerns, please contact hgsafsu@gmail.com.