The Department of English and German Philology at the
University of Santiago de Compostela has the pleasure of
welcoming you to the 18th ESSE Conference, which will take place from
31st August to 4th September 2026.
As is tradition, the conference will consist of a combination of plenary
lectures, parallel lectures, roundtables, seminars, posters, and the
Doctoral Symposium. Details of each format and how to participate can
be found below.
- PLENARY LECTURES
A select group of renowned experts, representing the key disciplines of
English Language, Literatures in English, and Cultural and Area
Studies, will be invited by the Organising Committee to deliver plenary
lectures. Each of these speakers has been chosen for their significant
contributions to their respective fields. - PARALLEL LECTURES
In addition to the plenary lectures, approximately 12 parallel
lectures will be featured during the conference. These lectures will be
delivered by members of ESSE, nominated by their respective national
associations as explained below. Each presentation will be 45 minutes
in duration and those selected to present will receive a full waiver of
conference registration fees.
We invite National Associations to propose candidates for the parallel
lecture sessions. A maximum of two nominations per association will be accepted to ensure a diverse and balanced selection process. National Associations should submit a description of their nominees’ lecture topic along with a concise CV. Nominations should be submitted through the national association’s President or designated representative and forwarded to the Academic Programme Committee (APC) by 1st May 2025 at esse2026@usc.es
Depending on the number of proposals received, the APC may implement a selection process. Key criteria will include the proposal’s relevance and appeal to a broad academic audience, as well as its potential to engage with recent advances or fresh perspectives in English Studies. The APC will also prioritise achieving a balanced representation of key disciplines—English Language, Literatures in English, and Cultural and Area Studies—and striving for equitable representation of national associations wherever possible. - SEMINARS
Proposals for seminars related to the three fields mentioned above must be jointly submitted by two ESSE members from different national associations. In some cases, the APC may permit one of the convenors to be a non-ESSE member (for example, if they are based outside Europe), provided their involvement is deemed especially valuable for the seminar. Each seminar proposal must include the convenors’ names, affiliations, email addresses, and a 300-word description of the seminar’s topic (excluding bibliographical references). Please send your proposals via email to esse2026@usc.es by 1st May 2025.
The APC will consider the proposal’s international appeal and its potential to engage with recent advances in English Studies as key selection criteria, while also striving for a balanced representation across key disciplines—English Language, Literatures in English, and Cultural and Area Studies— wherever possible.
Unlike roundtables, seminars are not pre-arranged sessions and will be featured in the APC’s upcoming call for papers. However, convenors are encouraged to actively recruit potential contributors. The seminar format aims to promote interactive participation from both presenters and the audience. To foster engagement, presentations should be
delivered orally rather than read from a script. Further guidelines will be included in the corresponding call for papers.
Individual Seminar Contributions
The call for seminar contributions will be launched in September 2025, once the list of accepted seminars is finalised. Those wishing to submit a proposal must send a 300-word abstract (excluding bibliographical references) to the convenors of their chosen seminar by 31st January 2026. Information regarding the organisation of seminar sessions, including the number of papers per session, will be made available on the ESSE 2026 website in September 2025, along with the full list of seminars and contact details for the convenors.
Seminars will feature a range of academic papers and discussions. Each presentation should last 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute discussion. Exceptionally, convenors may need to request shorter presentations to accommodate more participants in their sessions.
Participants at ESSE 2026 are limited to presenting a single paper during the conference, whether it is a sole-authored or co-authored contribution. - ROUNDTABLES
The aim of roundtables is to present topics and problems currently seen as shaping the nature of the discipline. At a roundtable, a pre-constituted panel discusses issues of fairly general scholarly or professional interest in front of, and subsequently with, an audience. In other words, roundtables are not sequences of papers but should rather be approached as debate sessions. Proposals should include a 500-word description of the topic (excluding bibliographical references) and the names and affiliations of at least three participants (including the convenor), who must be drawn from more than one national association. The maximum number of speakers will be five.
Please send your proposals to esse2026@usc.es by 1st May 2025. - POSTERS
Posters will be devoted to research-in-progress and project presentations. The aim is to provide additional opportunities for feedback and personal contacts. Further details will appear on the conference website in September 2025. Proposals of not more than 300 words (excluding bibliographical references) must be sent to esse2026@usc.es by 31st January 2026. - DOCTORAL SYMPOSIUM
A key feature of the ESSE Conference is the Doctoral Symposium, which upholds a tradition established in 2012. This event offers young scholars the opportunity to present their research and receive valuable feedback.
Information regarding the Doctoral Symposium will be announced in due time.
DEADLINES
Submission of proposals for parallel lectures from national associations to esse2026@usc.es
1st May 2025
Submission of proposals for seminars and roundtables from prospective convenors to esse2026@usc.es
1st May 2025
Submission of individual papers for seminars to seminar convenors
31st January 2026
Submissions of individual posters to esse2026@usc.es
31st January 2026
Registration will begin on 1st March 2026
Please check the conference website for further updates at
https://www.esse2026.com/
NORSES 