Public History Graduate Conference 2026: Call for Papers

Dear all,

We’re pleased to announce that in collaboration with the Institute for the Public Understanding of the Past (IPUP), the University of York will be hosting our fifth annual Public History Postgraduate Student Conference!

Taking place on Friday 11th September, the Public History Grad Con is an excellent opportunity for postgraduate students (Masters and PhD), as well as early career researchers and practitioners, to discuss and make a contribution to the wider field of Public History today.

How you can get involved:

As well as attending, there is an opportunity to present your research. All we ask for is an abstract proposal of your presentation. We have two ways in which you can showcase your work, please see below for further details. All proposals must be compatible with our official theme for the conference, which this year is…

“Embodied histories, performed memory.”

We’re looking for projects that explore the intersections of memory, embodiment, and forgotten pasts. How is the past performed, staged, or inhabited through
different media, heritage spaces, and living history practices? In what ways do bodies act as archives that carry, transmit, and reshape historical knowledge in public settings?

We particularly welcome contributions engaging with gendered and queer memory: feminist retellings, women’s histories, and gendered politics. Papers might consider how public history institutions negotiate silence and erasures, how performance might reshape historical authority, or how marginalized communities utilise memory as a form of resistance. Interdisciplinary approaches grounded in gender studies, performance studies, film and media studies are especially encouraged. Example proposals may include, but are not limited to, original research, case studies and experience reflections. These can be related to a range of topics within the heritage sector, history in the media, memory and commemoration, etc. We are pleased to announce that proposal submissions are now open! You have two options for showcasing your research at the conference, one more formal and one more casual. Both will require your attendance at the conference.

These options are:

A 15-minute presentation, delivered during an allocated time slot. For this, we’ll need a 250-word abstract, and a brief speaker biography of no more than 100 words.

A research poster, summarising the key elements of your work. This will be printed to feature alongside other projects, and we ask that you make yourself available to accompany it during an allocated time slot. You will answer questions from attendees, and have fascinating conversations with your fellow Public Historians! For this, we’ll need a 250-word abstract, and a brief speaker biography of no more than 100 words.

All proposals must be submitted by June 26th, 2026, by using our Google form, the link to which is here: https://bit.ly/3QXehAI

You are welcome to propose more than one abstract if you have multiple topics you are enthusiastic to present. However, only one presentation or poster may be selected by the organising committee.

Speakers will be notified on July 10th, 2026, and the programme of the conference will be released by July 17th.

Please keep an eye on our social media and website for updates and helpful workshops leading up to the date of the conference!