AAIS 2026 CONFERENCE

SASSARI, ITALY

JUNE 3-5

AAIS 2026: 

University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy

June 3-5, 2026

Call for Conference Sessions

The American Association for Italian Studies invites members to help shape the intellectual trajectory of the next annual conference by proposing panels and roundtables for AAIS 2026.

AAIS Theme: Precarity/Care/Liberation


Against the backdrop of an island with a rich history of resilience, migration, and cultural negotiation, the conference invites scholars to reflect on how Italian literature, cinema, art, politics, and history engage with conditions of vulnerability and instability, the ethics and practices of care, and the possibilities of collective and individual liberation. By gathering voices from across disciplines, the conference aims to foster dialogue about how these themes shape both Italy’s past and present, and how they resonate globally in times of uncertainty, inequality, and transformation.

Keynote Presentation, Performances, and Addresses: TBD

 

AAIS 2026: Deadlines at a glance

  • November 15, 2025: open call for panels and roundtables (not pre-constituted panels or roundtables) must be posted DIRECTLY to the dedicated page on the AAIS website: please go to the Member Center and click on the Listings tab to start posting. Weekly reminders about CFPs will be sent to all members.

  • January 03, 2026: All proposals due to panel and roundtable organizers with title, brief abstract (150-200 words), and short bio.  

  • February 1, 2026: All completed panels and roundtables due at conference.aais@gmail.com.

  • February 1, 2026: All proposed Conference participants must have renewed and current, active membership (with paid membership dues). 

  • March 1, 2026: Organizers will receive notification of panel acceptances 

  • Registration Deadlines TBD

 

In order for panels, roundtable and individual proposals to be considered, your AAIS membership must be current and active. 

  • You must renew your AAIS membership by February 1, 2026. 

  • Your Association membership will be valid until January 31, 2027. 

  • No panels will be accepted with participants who do not have active membership. 

  • All participants must register for the conference, and pay registration fees (different from membership dues). 

Please consult the Conference Guidelines for complete norms for organizers, chairs, and speaker. 

 

Conference Directors:

Lucia Cardone, Università di Sassari

Giulia Simi, Università di Sassari

 

AAIS 2026 Conference Planning Committee

Emanuele Carlenzi (Queer Studies Caucus; IMT, Lucca)

Cosetta Gaudenzi (Vice President, AAIS; University of Memphis)

Alessandro Giammei (Queer Studies Caucus, Yale University)

Claudia Karagoz (Women’s Studies Caucus, Saint Louis University)

Nicoletta Marini Maio (Film and Media Studies Caucus; Dickinson College)

Ellen Nerenberg (Past President, AAIS; Wesleyan University) 

Alessio Ponzio (Queer Studies Caucus; University of Birmingham)

Jacqueline Reich (President, AAIS; Marist University)

Giulia Riccò (Critical Race Diasporas Migrations Caucus; 

Tania Rispoli (Women’s Studies Caucus; Duke University)

Robert Rushing (Executive Secretary, AAIS; UCLA)

Giulia Sbaffi (Queer Studies Caucus, New York University) 

Carmela Scala (Treasurer, AAIS; Rutgers University)

Cristian Uva (Film and Media Studies Caucus; Roma Tre)