2026 Conference
2026 Meeting of the Society for Comparative Literature and the Arts
OCTOBER 29-31, 2025
Embassy Suites Austin Central
Austin, TX
“Justice”
Keynote Speaker: George Yancy, Emory University
The ‘Innocence’ of Whiteness and the Failure of Justice
Justice has been central to our political and philosophical culture since antiquity. Plato’s Republic famously begins with the question, “What is justice?” Yet despite widespread belief that justice is real and that actions can be judged as just or unjust, there remains remarkably little consensus about its precise meaning. Disagreement persists not only over abstract definitions of justice but also over whether particular actions, policies, or outcomes are truly just.
What unites us more often is the experience of injustice. We feel wronged, we seek redress, and we call for justice. As a result, questions of justice occupy a central place in our stories, cultural productions, public discourse, and political debates, even as their meaning remains contested and unstable. Recognizing both the enduring importance of these questions and their heightened urgency in contemporary society, the SCLA has chosen to dedicate three consecutive conferences to the theme of justice. This year’s conference marks the third and final installment in that series.
For our coming 2026 conference in Austin, Texas, we welcome contributions that examine the notion of justice in comparative studies and literary theory. How do we mobilize the idea of justice in the face of atrocities and abuses of power? What is justice? Who can claim it? And who is or has been excluded from its appeal? When we evoke “social justice,” “economic justice,” or “racial justice,” are we really talking about the same thing? And, finally, which forms or deployments of justice do existing systems of power find less or more threatening? With an eye for justice’s multiple meanings, and the divergent circumstances under which it emerges, this conference will consider justice’s relevance and force in the world.
- Justice and the philosophical tradition
- Justice and posthumanism
- Environmental justice
- Justice and violence
- Justice and politics
- Law and justice
- Justice in Palestine
- Justice and terror
- Indigenous sovereignty
- Decolonization
- Global Black Lives Matter
- International law
- Concepts of guilt and innocence
- What is a just peace
- Solidarity and justice
- Queer justice
- Class struggle
- Prisons and justice
- Restorative justice
- Reparative justice
Panel and paper proposals related to the conference theme are especially encouraged, but all topics are welcome. Please submit panel proposals (500 words) and individual abstracts (250 words) by June 20, 2026 to 2026scla@gmail.com.
Please include in the body of the email your name, academic affiliation, status (faculty, grad student, etc.), and mailing address. For panel proposals, include the names, addresses, and affiliations for all participants.
Graduate students submitting a paper proposal may be eligible for an SCLA travel scholarship.
Hotel Information:
The conference will be held at Embassy Suites Austin Central, 5901 North Interstate HWY 45, Austin, TX. The hotel is five miles from downtown Austin. The SCLA group rate is $159 dollars per night from October 28-November 1. Rooms must be reserved by September 20, 2026
Reservation can be made here: [Hotel Reservation]
Guests can also contact Hilton Central Reservations at 1-800-HILTONS (445-8667). Refer to the Group Code “CES902” or the Group Name “SCLA Annual Conference”
The block rate is valid for the nights of 10/28-10/31
Registration
Before October 1, the pre-registration fee is $120 for faculty, $65 for graduate students, $35 for undergraduates. After October 1st, the fee is $130 for faculty, $75 for graduate students, and $40 for undergraduates; on-site registration will be available at these increased rates, payable with a credit card. In addition to the registration fees, you must be a member of SCLA. Registration and/or membership fees should be made using these secure links:
