he political, economic and cultural changes of the nineteenth century redrew geographical and mental maps across the globe. New lines—in the form of national borders, colonial frontiers, racial hierarchies, social classes, gender codes, and sexual classifications—divided people, framing their relationships to each other, and the rapidly changing world around them. These new lines of engagement, however, also structured new forms of community, to be embraced, rejected or strategically mobilised by people around the world. Navigating their way through shifting political and cultural landscapes, historical actors built new alliances and cultivated new solidarities, along or across the lines of the nineteenth century map.
Against a contemporary backdrop of shifting alliances and the search for new solidarities and modes of resistance, the Society for Global Nineteenth Century Studies international symposium invites participants to reflect on the political, social and cultural reconfigurations of the period between 1750 and 1914. How did the changing political alliances of the period constitute or provoke new solidarities? How did people come together and support each other within or across increasingly marked borders of nation, empire, race, class and gender? How was solidarity expressed, and to what extent did it disrupt and shape the global order? We welcome individual paper and panel proposals from researchers at any career stage. Topics may include (but are not limited to):
- co-imperialism and transimperial solidarities
- labour internationalism
- humanitarianism and its limits
- friendship and family relations in globalizing contexts
- solidarities within and across marginalised groups
- intellectual movements
- colonial and anticolonial networks
- conferences, federations, and fairs
- international copyright arrangements, reciprocity treaties, and literary piracy
- globally interconnected artistic alliances and exchanges vs. national art academies
- literary influences and rivalries across borders
- strategic political, personal, or cultural alliances
- partnerships between state and private actors
Individual paper proposals should consist of a title, abstract (200-250 words), brief biography (80- 100 words), and full contact information in a single pdf document or Word file. Panel proposals should include titles and abstracts for 3-4 papers, a brief rationale that connects the papers (100-200 words), a title for the panel, and biographies of and contact information for each participant (80-100 words) in a single pdf or Word file. Successful panel proposals will include participants from more than one institution, and, ideally, represent a mix of disciplines/fields and career stages. All proposals should include 3 to 5 keywords. Papers should be deliverable within 20 minutes.
SGNCS symposia bring together researchers who are actively working on a given topic for intellectual interchange and enhanced networking. Presenters, panel chairs, and workshop participants must therefore be current members of the Society for Global Nineteenth-Century Studies at the time of the symposium. For more information on membership as well as the most up-to-date information about the symposium, visit our website. Proposals and questions should be directed to the Programme Committee. The deadline is 1 November 2025.
The University of London Institute in Paris is in the heart of the city in the 7th arrondissement. The Champs Elysées, the Musée d’Orsay and the Latin Quarter, and Les Invalides are just a few minutes away by foot, while the Eiffel Tower is just slightly farther.
Created 23 October 2025