The Comité International des Sciences Historiques (CISH) invites panel proposals for its Centennial Conference “The Past, the Present, and the future of History: Celebrating 100 Years of International Committee of Historical Sciences” to be held in
Leipzig, Germany
27–30 August 2026
The centennial conference celebrates 100 years of international cooperation in the historical sciences since the foundation of the CISH in Geneva on May 14, 1926. The conference will explore the developments, dynamics, and diversification the historical sciences have undergone over the past decades while also fostering inspiration for future research and innovation.
The conference will serve as an opportunity for
- a balanced reflection on the current state of historiography, taking into consideration a wide range of historiographical traditions and schools of thought;
- a mobilization of historians as broad as possible in terms of geography, gender, and age as well as the inclusion of various approaches and political orientations to contribute to such a balance; and
- a comparison of historiographical fields and their current standings, together with discussions of cross-fertilization, with the aim of deepening a broader understanding of common goals and hazards.
Recognizing that the historical sciences are embedded in diverse sociopolitical developments while upholding the freedom of thought and expression in research and addressing the misuse of history, the centennial conference invites panels that critically (self-)reflect on past and future developments in historical research. Panel proposals should address majors trends in the diverse historiographical fields represented by the member organizations of the CISH. To encourage discussions, panels should
- consider possible (counter)tendencies to transnational openings and to nationalizing closures in different fields, leading to integration and cooperation, on the one hand, as well as pillarization and fragmentation, on the other hand;
- acknowledge that history (as part of the humanities and social sciences) is often influenced by current sociopolitical trends prioritizing “useful knowledge” and infotainment over critical reflection, which requires the development of strategies for continued critical research that questions mainstream narratives and addresses the inherent complexities and multi-perspectivity of historical developments; and
- recognize that international historiography itself is characterized by many inequalities that result in different chances to be heard and, therefore, sees the conference as an opportunity to present and consider more marginal trends in the historical sciences.
Accordingly, we encourage applicants to view the CISH as the worldwide forum of historians and a shared platform for necessary discussions on possible future orientations of the historical sciences.
The conference is planned around 3 plenary sessions and the CISH General Assembly (including the elections for a new board and a president of the CISH), with approximatively 80 panels. This format ideally allows each member organization (national and thematic) the possibility to be responsible for at least 1 panel with 4–5 contributors each. At the same time, we encourage cooperation between the member organizations and wherever possible joint submissions.
Criteria for panel selections are
- a topic complementing the overall theme of the centennial conference,
- an inclusive approach in terms of geography, gender, academic age, and perspectives covered, and
- the taking into account of the number of panels organized by the submitting member organization.
Panels can be organized in hybrid mode to allow those who have not the means to travel or who would like to reduce their ecological footprint to participate. However, the success of the conference also depends on direct intellectual exchange and face-to-face contact. To balance these considerations, we suggest that at least the chair and the majority of speakers be physically present, which is a prerequisite for panel acceptance. Accordingly, up to 2 out of 5 contributors may participate remotely.
The schedule is as follows:
- Call for panels: December 2024–March 2025; deadline for submissions: 31 March 2025
- Decision by the CISH board on submitted panel proposals: May 2025; decisions communicated to convener: end of June 2025
- Deadline for early-bird rate registration: February 2026; all panelists have to be registered by that date in order to appear in the program
Please use the form here to submit your panel proposal until 31 March 2025.