Proposal PortalThe Southern Historical Association is now accepting proposals for its 92nd Annual Meeting, which will take place at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia on November 5-8, 2026. Call for ProposalsThe 2026 Program Committee invites proposals for the best work in southern history and by historians of the South across a range of topics and time periods. We welcome submissions from long-term members and first-timers, college professors, graduate students, independent scholars, museum professionals, public history practitioners, and K-12 teachers. The 2026 annual meeting will be in Atlanta. With its rich history, dynamic arts scene, and role as a transportation and business hub, Atlanta continues to shape the American South and beyond. The program committee hopes the city’s vibrancy and accessibility will encourage historians from both near and far to submit proposals for the conference. In recognition of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, some of the programming for the 2026 conference will center on telling a fuller history of the American Revolution and its many legacies. Participants are welcome to tie their work to this theme but are not required or expected to do so. The program committee looks forward to reviewing proposals for traditional panels and roundtables, as well as sessions on the state-of-the-field, significant intellectual and book anniversaries, pedagogy, public history, and professional development. The proposal deadline follows the 2025 conference in St. Pete Beach, and we encourage attendees to treat panels, the “Public Square,” the First Time Attendees Reception, and other events this fall as opportunities to generate ideas and network to create sessions for next year’s conference. All proposals for the 2026 program must be submitted online before December 19, 2025. FormatsFor any multi-person submission, one member acts as the organizer, who submits a session overview of no more than 250 words, brief abstracts/descriptions for each contribution, and the participants’ vitas or resumes. Traditional panels are composed of three 15-minute papers, a chair, and a commentator. (One panel member, designated the organizer, will submit a 250-word panel overview, abstracts for each paper, and the participants’ vitas.) To submit a traditional session proposal, click here. Single paper submissions are accepted and, where possible, will be matched into panels by the Program Committee. However, complete panels have priority. (You may find H-South helpful in connecting with scholars to build panels.) To submit a single paper proposal, click here. Roundtables are organized discussions including three to four discussants and a moderator, who responds and asks questions of the participants, one of whom is designated the organizer. Discussants focus on a specific field or topic in informal 8-minute remarks, but do not read a formal paper. The moderator asks questions to which they respond, leaving ample time for questions from the audience. (The organizer submits a 250-word statement on the main question under discussion and each participant’s vita.) To submit a roundtable proposal, click here. The SHA is open to Alternative Session Proposals. Viable formats for alternative sessions include, but are not limited to, workshops, 'lightning' presentations, history slams, single-book panels, movie screenings, or other artist, performance, or activist presentations. To submit an alternative session proposal, click here. The SHA also invites a new format, "Meet My Book" sessions, in which authors give a 3-5 minute pitch for their recent book (published 2023 or after) and then participate in a discussion with fellow panelists and the audience about the state of their fields. The Program Committee will organize Meet My Book sessions around fields/topics/themes based on received submissions. To submit a meet-my-book proposal, click here. SHA ParticipationThe SHA's participation rules, adopted in 2019, specify that while chairs and commentators do not need to take a year off between program appearances, traditional paper-givers and roundtable participants must sit-out one year before again appearing on the program as a paper-giver or roundtable participant. 2026 Program Committee Chairs Need Help Forming a Panel?SHA's Graduate Student Council has created an easy-to-use, easy-to-search google form for folks looking to find chairs, commentators, and panelists with similar interests. |