The United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Australian and New Zealand American Studies Association invite scholars, especially postgraduate students and early career researchers, to participate in an international conference exploring the practice, pedagogy, and politics of American Studies beyond US borders. As the United States experiences profound challenges to academic freedom, attacks on diversity and inclusion initiatives, and intensifying pressures on higher education, this conference asks: What does it mean to study America now, and elsewhere — from a geographic or analytical perspective? How do distance, positionality, and local contexts shape our scholarly questions, methods, and interventions? What particular perspectives emerge from the Australasian and Indo-Pacific regions?
This conference centres scholars working in and on the Australasian/Indo-Pacific region, recognising both the geographic location of participants and the regional focus of scholarly work. We especially welcome research that examines the history, society, culture, and politics of US-Pacific relations, American power in the Indo-Pacific, transpacific cultural flows, Asian American studies, Indigenous Pacific perspectives, and comparative approaches that position the United States within broader regional frameworks. We also aim to support emerging scholars to share work-in-progress, receive mentorship, build international networks, and engage with critical conversations about the future of American Studies as a genuinely global enterprise.
Registrations close 15 June
Register nowConfirmed speakers
- Dr Christopher Capozzola, Professor of History, MacVicar Faculty Fellow and Senior Associate Dean for Open Learning at MIT
- Dr Chih-Ming Wang, Research Fellow (Professor) and Deputy Director, Institute of European and American Studies, Academia Sinica
- Dr Lily Wong, Associate Professor in the Departments of Literature and Critical Race, Gender and Culture Studies at American University
Conference format
This conference offers multiple formats for participation. It will be held in person.
Panels and keynotes
Traditional conference presentations alongside keynote addresses
Pre-circulated paper workshops
Small-group feedback sessions where postgraduate and early career researchers receive detailed commentary on work-in-progress from peers and senior scholars.
Roundtables
Discussion forums on practical topics including pursuing PhDs and academic positions within and outside the region, navigating job markets, writing grant applications, and building transnational scholarly networks.
Book talks and publishing guidance
Sessions with publishers and recently published authors on transforming dissertations into books, publishing journal articles, and navigating academic publishing
Important dates
Submission deadline: March 31
Notification of acceptance: April 15
Pre-circulated papers due: June 15
Conference dates: July 16–18
Registrations close: June 15
Funding
This conference is open to all researchers, and encourages postgraduate students (Masters and PhD candidates) and early career researchers (within five years of PhD completion) to submit proposals. We also encourage postgraduate students and early career researchers to participate in the pre-circulated paper workshops and, for postgraduate students, the 3-minute thesis competition. We welcome participants from all countries and institutional contexts.
To this end, ten travel bursaries of up to $1000 are available for participants travelling from outside Sydney. Please include a brief travel budget with your submission, should you wish to be considered for a travel bursary.
Register now
Cost
16-18 July: Conference attendance is free
16 July: Welcome reception attendance is free
17 July: Dinner attendance is AU$110 per person
Kindly note registrations are essential and dinner attendance must be prepaid.
Register nowInquiries
For inquiries, contact: americanstudiesnow2026@gmail.com
Organising committee
Kate Rivington | Monash University
Kathryn Schumaker | United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney
Paul Michel Taillon, Waipapa Taumata Rau | University of Auckland
Rodney Taveira | United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney
Submit to the Australasian Journal of American Studies
The Australasian Journal of American Studies or AJAS (ISSN 0705-7113) is the official journal of the Australian and New Zealand American Studies Association. It aims to publish the best submissions from around the world on all themes and all periods relating to United States history, culture, politics, film, literature, and society.
AJAS is published twice a year, in Summer and Winter. All submissions are peer-reviewed by anonymous experts selected by the editors. Articles appearing in this journal are indexed in Historical Abstracts; America: History and Life; and the MLA. The journal is part of both JSTOR and EBSCO Australian/New Zealand Reference Centre database, with content appearing immediately on these platforms upon publication. All work published in AJAS becomes the property of the Editors on behalf of the Australian and New Zealand American Studies Association.
Biennially, the Australasian Journal of American Studies awards $250 to the winner of the Peter Coleman Prize. The Peter Coleman Prize recognizes the best article by a postgraduate student published in the journal. Submissions should be between 7,000 to 14,000 words long and be based on original research. They should include the student’s name and contact details and be formatted according to our submissions guidelines.
Submissions
- Manuscripts should follow the rules of Chicago Manual of Style 18 and the AJAS Style Guide, available on our website.
- Double-spaced text in MS Word.
- Using Times New Roman 12 point font.
- Footnotes following the conventions of the latest version of the Chicago Manual of Style.
- We have no limitation on the number of images that can be included. However, authors are responsible for obtaining permissions to use images under copyright restrictions, and must provide documentation showing that permission has been granted.
- Contributors should include their institutional affiliation, brief biographical details, and an abstract of 50-200 words.
- Authors are encouraged to review previous issues of AJAS, available on JSTOR.
- The Editorial Board is responsible for the selection and acceptance of all contributions, but the opinions expressed and the accuracy of statements made therein remain the responsibility of individual authors. Papers are considered with the understanding that they have not been published and are not under consideration elsewhere.
Submit to ajas.anzasa@gmail.com
USSC, ANZASA, and the University of Sydney acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which this conference will take place.
