March 27-29, 2026
Columbus, OH
The Midwest Slavic Association and The Ohio State University’s (OSU) Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (CSEEES) are pleased to announce the 2026 Midwest Slavic Conference to be held in-person in Columbus, OH, on March 27-29, 2026. The conference committee invites proposals for papers on all topics related to the Slavic, East European and Eurasian world, particularly those related to the theme of crisis and trauma.
This year’s theme will delve into the lasting impact of trauma and the multifaceted and complex responses across Eastern Europe and Eurasia; examining how war, displacement, authoritarianism and cultural erasure have shaped collective memory, rebuilding and resilience. By highlighting voices from the post-Soviet space, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia, the conference invites scholars, artists and practitioners to explore how crisis and trauma are processed and transformed through community and social practices, literature and the arts, oral and material history, policy and more. Through interdisciplinary dialogue, this theme aims to foster critical reflection and creative inquiry into the politics, poetics, and lived experience of personal and communal damage that may forge a path toward recovery and fortitude or, alternatively, may resist such tidy narrative resolutions.
The conference will commence at 5:30PM on Friday with a keynote address by Dr. Jehanne Gheith (Duke U.). Building on the keynote address, a plenary panel will follow on Saturday morning. Panels by conference participants will then be held on Saturday from 10:30AM-4:45PM and Sunday from 8:30AM-11:45AM.
Please submit a one-paragraph abstract and C.V. in a combined, SINGLE PDF file using our submission portal by 11:59 PM EST January 23rd, 2026. Undergraduate and graduate students are strongly encouraged to participate. Interdisciplinary work and pre-formed panels are encouraged. Proposals for individual papers are also welcome. Have questions? Please send all inquiries to cseees@osu.edu.
Deadlines
Abstract and C.V. Deadline: January 23, 2026
Notification of Acceptance: February 16, 2026
Scheduling Conflicts Due: February 19, 2026
Panels Announced: February 20, 2026
Final Papers to Chair: March 20, 2026
Presenter Registration Deadline: March 24, 2026
REGISTRATION AND FEES
Presenters Students: $50*Faculty/Independent Scholars: $75
General Attendees Student Attendees: $25*Non-Student Attendees: $35
Keynote Reception Fee $30 per person (attendance at the keynote is not included with registration and must be purchased separately)
*Donated Registrations for Young Scholars of Slavic Studies
Want to support up and coming scholars in our field? We have created an option for faculty and independent scholars to donate conference registration(s) for undergraduate and graduate students who are participating as presenters or general attendees. This will allow students to enjoy the conference to the fullest extent. More details will be available when registration opens in 2026.