submissions
The Programme Committee of the 12th World Shakespeare Congress welcomes proposals for panels, seminars, and workshops responding to the conference theme ‘Planetary Shakespeares’.
• General
The Congress welcomes proposals taking up any of the themes and approaches of interest to Shakespeareans today. In doing so, the Congress will invite us to rethink aesthetic, social, cultural and political categories beyond current Shakespearean views.
• Eco-Shakespeare
An already ‘globalized’ phenomenon, showing its adaptability and resilience, ‘Shakespeare’ is an ideal vehicle of exploration and dialogue, community and care – a way of bringing diverse people together to face the eco-crisis, whether in the theatre, in the open, or in the classroom,
• Reconfiguring ‘Global’ Shakespeare
The 2026 Congress is an opportunity to put fresh critical pressure on the uses, both pro and con, of all the vocabularies of ‘universality’ in light of a plurality of coexisting ‘Shakespeare universes’ where canons and fanons (or fan canons) are not mutually exclusive.
• Shakespeare Galaxies
The myriad forms of past and contemporary Shakespeare remediations – from print, to the moving body, to the hybrid and virtual spaces of cyberart and cyborg theatre, etc. – encourage reflection on the evolving constellations of ‘Shakespeare Galaxies’.
Proposals must be submitted online below. The deadline for all submissions is 15 September 2024.
PANELS
PANELS typically include three papers of approximately twenty minutes’ presentation time each, and may be chaired by a fourth person, who need not be specified by the proposer(s). Proposals should address the conference’s commitment to international diversity among the panelists.
Panel proposals should include:
1. The name(s) of the session organiser(s), with affiliation(s) as applicable and e-mail address(es).
2. The title of the proposed session.
3. A brief description (of 500 words) of the objectives of the proposed session, including a list of problems or questions that the session will seek to explore.
4. The names of each presenter or participant, with university affiliations as applicable, and e-mail addresses.
5. The title for and a brief description (of 100 words) of each presentation or paper.
6. Short biographical statements for the session organiser(s) and each presenter or participant.
SEMINARS
SEMINARS are convened by at least two organisers, from different national backgrounds, languages, or cultural traditions. The conveners set out the research agenda for a group of scholars who are assembled through an open-enrolment process. Each seminar member will normally contribute a written research paper of a specified length; advance work may also include assigned readings and other preparatory activities. At the conference, conveners guide the seminar discussion.
Seminar proposals should include:
1. The names of the seminar organisers, with affiliations as applicable and e-mail addresses.
2. The title of the proposed seminar.
3. A description (of 500 words) of the objectives of the proposed session, including a list of problems or questions that the session will seek to explore.
4. Short biographical statements for the session organisers, including any previous relevant experience with seminar direction.
5. An additional short summary of the research agenda or issues to be explored in the seminar (80-100 words), for the information of potential enrollees.
WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOPS are convened by at least two organisers, from different national backgrounds, languages, or cultural traditions. These sessions typically bring together a larger group of participants to explore an issue in performance, pedagogy, criticism, or creative work. Advance work may involve readings, viewings, online discussions, shared syllabi, performances, and pedagogical and practical exercises. At the conference, workshops tend to have a looser format than seminars.
Workshop proposals should include:
1. The names of the workshop organisers, with affiliations as applicable and e-mail addresses.
2. The title of the proposed workshop.
3. A description (of 500 words) of the objectives of the proposed session, including a list of problems or questions that the session will seek to explore, and the methods the workshop will pursue.
4. Short biographical statements for the session organisers, including any previous relevant experience with workshop direction.
5. An additional short summary of the research agenda or issues to be explored in the seminar (80-100 words), for the information of potential enrollees.