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.
Confirmed speakers
- Dr Chih-Ming Wang, Research Fellow (Professor) and Deputy Director, Institute of European and American Studies, Academia Sinica
- More to come
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, editors, and recently published authors on transforming dissertations into books, publishing journal articles, and navigating academic publishing
3-minute thesis competition
Showcase your research in three minutes or less. Prizes of $1000 and $500 will be awarded for the best presentations.
Call for proposals
We welcome proposals that engage with the conference theme from any disciplinary perspective, historical period, or methodological approach. Possible topics include but are not limited to:
- Transnational and comparative approaches to American Studies
- Indigenous perspectives on US empire and settler colonialism
- Asia-Pacific engagements with American culture, politics, and power
- Hemispheric and Studies of Americas frameworks
- Teaching American Studies in non-US contexts
- Archives, access, and research methodologies across borders
- Popular culture, media, and global American imaginaries
- US foreign policy and international relations from regional and global perspectives
- Migration, diaspora, and transnational communities
- Environmental humanities and climate crisis
- Race, gender, and sexuality in transnational frame
- Digital humanities and new methodologies
- The institutional politics of American Studies globally
Submission guidelines
Organised panels
Submit panel title, 250-word rationale, and individual abstracts for 3-4 presenters, plus 100-word bios.
Individual presentations (20 minutes)
Submit a 250-300-word abstract and 100-word bio.
Pre-circulated paper workshops
Submit a 250-300-word abstract and 100-word bio. Full papers (max 8,000 words) will be due June 15 and circulated to workshop participants in advance.
Roundtable participation
Submit topic/subject and relevant experience (250 words)
3-minute thesis competition
Submit title and 100-word abstract
Important dates
Submission deadline: March 31
Notification of acceptance: April 15
Pre-circulated papers due: June 15
Conference dates: July 16–18
Registration opens: May 1
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.
Submissions
Please submit proposals via email: americanstudiesnow2026@gmail.com
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
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.
