Future(s) of International and Area Studies: Challenges, Opportunities, Goals

Future(s) of International and Area Studies: Challenges, Opportunities, Goals

University of Pittsburgh, May 8-10, 2026 | Format: Hybrid

Submission Deadline: January 4

https://www.global.pitt.edu/future-international-area-studies-conference

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, College of William & Mary); William P. Rivers (Principal, WP Rivers & Associates); Siddharth Chandra (Director, Asian Studies Center, Michigan State U.), Kislaya Prasad (Academic Director, Center for Global Business, Robert H. Smith School of Business at the U. of Maryland), and Steven Witt (Head, International and Area Studies Library, U. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign). See the website for updates.

If you are interested in participating, kindly submit an Interest Form by December 4, 2025. Proposals for panels deadline has been extended to January 4, 2026.

• 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. Deadline for submissions is January 4, 2026.

If you have any questions about the conference, please contact the organizers at [email protected].