13th IASA World Congress 2027

SENSE, SENSES, SENSUALITY: EMBODIED EXPERIENCES in the AMERICAS
13th World Congress of the International American Studies Association
Faculty of Anthropological Sciences, Autonomous University of Yucatán
Mérida, Yucatán, México, February 17-19, 2027

Abstract Submission Deadline: 31 May 2026 to congress@iasa-world.org

Call for Papers

The Americas have long been part of cultural traditions invoking the sensorial world. Henry David Thoreau admonished us that “we need pray for no higher heaven than the pure senses can furnish, a purely sensuous life” (A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, 1839: 324). More recently, poets, novelists, anthropologists, communication specialists, cultural studies scholars, linguists, historians, literary critics, philosophers, and sociologists, among others, have appealed to the sensorial in worlds past and present, and of the future fantastic (or the future dreadful, we may say). Through these various disciplinary approaches, there has been an explosion of explorations of the embodiment, through sensorial and sensual experiences, of knowledges, and desires of and in the world. While acknowledging the trans-continental dialogues and conversations behind this new focus on sensuality and the senses, the 13^th World Congress of the International American Studies Association (IASA) will center on the Americas’ contributions to this important field of knowledge, research, and imagination. The choice of Merida, a Mexican city known worldwide for its gastronomy, music, beauty, and its people’s joie de vivre, is the perfect context for this multidisciplinary exploration of the sensual and the sensorial.

Congress Themes

The history of the Americas, from Pre-Columbian to contemporary peoples, has been continuously defined by the senses. The life-worlds of the Americas, like those elsewhere, are experienced and acted upon through the senses, a fact that, thus far, has received relatively little scholarly attention. Peoples of and in the Americas have always made sense of their existence through their physical interaction with their immensely diverse geographies and ever-changing ethnoscapes. The examination, understanding, and analysis of this vast history require collaboration among Americanists across all our disciplines. The 13^th World Congress of the International American Studies Association will provide specialists from across the Humanities and the Social Sciences with a propitious occasion for this critical endeavor.

Key Questions

• How have different disciplines in the humanities and social sciences addressed the representation of embodied sensual experiences?
• How have the senses been embodied in past and contemporary societies, and through which bodies and through which identity narratives?
• How can we study and write about the politics of the sensorial and the sensuous in the Americas today?
• How have different cultures in the Americas attributed meaning to sensory experience, and what new sensory imaginaries are emerging in the present and near future?
• What methodological and theoretical approaches can be useful in understanding the sociocultural importance of the senses and sensuality?
• How does the embodiment of the senses illustrate intersectional dimensions?
• How is sensuality understood and managed in past and contemporary societies?
• What are the ethical and aesthetic consequences of recognizing the multisensorial and sensual experience of the social and natural world?

Suggested topics (Not Limiting)

• History and archaeology of the human senses and sensual experience.
• Cultural studies and analyses of embodiment and the senses in the contemporary Americas.
• Power relations and the sensorial and sensual.
• Embodiment and performance in their multitude of forms and meanings.
• The senses in food, music, visual arts, and film and media studies.
• Literary, artistic, cultural and popular representations of the body and sensuality.
• The politics of the senses and sensuality.
• The senses of embodiment in past and contemporary Americas.
• The senses of the senses in the humanities.
• Extra senses/cognition/sensations beyond the human five.
• Sensing, sentience, and sensuality beyond the human (including animal, spiritual, and mechanical/artificial/quantum studies and sciences).
• Indigenous and Afro-diasporic epistemologies of sensing, including decolonial perspectives.
• Disability studies, neurodiversity, and alternative sensory orders.
• Digital, algorithmic, and AI-mediated sensoria.
• Ecologies of sensing: climate, multispecies, and more-than-human worlds.

Requirements for Participation

1. Participants will pay the Congress registration fees once their abstracts are accepted for on-site presentation.
2. The abstract for each proposed presentation must be 250 words long. The authorship can be individual or collaborative.
3. Only one proposal per participant will be accepted. This includes participation in a collaborative presentation.
4. Acceptance will prioritize abstracts that address the themes of the 13^th IASA World Congress.
5. The abstract will include in sequence:

Title of the Paper, a 250-word summary of the proposed paper, five keywords, name and last name(s) of the author/s, designation and affiliation, a 150-word bio, email ID, ORCID ID, and Applying for the Emory Elliott Award: Yes/No.

Timeline

1. Deadline for the submission of abstracts: May 31, 2026
2. Notice of acceptance: July 10, 2026
3. Deadline for registration: October 1, 2026
4. Online publication of the program: Nov. 20, 2026
5. Congress dates: Feb. 17-19, 2027

Congress Fee

1. IASA Members
   Tenured Faculty Members – 120 Euros
   Non–tenured Faculty Members and Post-Doctoral Fellows – 80 Euros
   Graduate students (Masters & PhD) – 60 Euros
2. IASA Non-Members
   Tenured Faculty – 160 Euros
   Non–tenured Faculty Members and Post-doctoral fellows (Non-IASA Members) – 110 Euros
   Graduate students (Masters & PhD) – 80 Euros
3. Fee Exclusive for IASA Fellowship Recipients: Previous and Current, and for IASA 2027 Merida Congress Fellows, IASA Fellows and Merida Congress Fellows – 50 Euros

The Congress Fee covers:
Congress materials
Coffee breaks
Congress Participation Certificates
Administrative costs (including the usage of conference halls, multimedia, and invoicing)

The Congress Fee does NOT include:
Transportation, Accommodation and meals, Insurance, Visas, Gala dinner, Tours

The Emory Elliott Award

Call for Submissions
Emory Elliott Award for Outstanding Paper
Presented at the 13th IASA World Congress
Autonomous University of Yucatán, Mérida, Yucatán, México
February 17-19, 2027

The Emory Elliott Award Deadlines/Rules:

• A declaration of intention to apply for the Emory Elliott Award must be made during the submission of proposals to the congress (please check eligibility requirements). Proposal deadline: May 31, 2026.
• November 15, 2026 – Full paper submission deadline
• Winner notification will take place during the congress

The International American Studies Association (IASA) announces a special award to honor the memory of Professor Emory Elliott (1942–2009) in recognition of his contributions to American Studies. He championed an international outlook and encouraged young scholars and professionals both in North America and around the world, and he served for many years on the IASA Executive Council.

As in previous years, the award will be granted to an outstanding paper submitted for an IASA congress. It will include a special citation and an honorarium intended to help partially offset travel expenses to the congress. The award recipient will present their paper in a special session. The winning paper, along with up to two other highly commended papers, will be published in the congress proceedings or in other resulting publications, including RIAS: Review of International American Studies, IASA’s refereed journal.

Eligibility: In keeping with Professor Elliott’s commitment to supporting early- and mid-career scholars, eligibility is restricted to junior or mid-level professionals (within 10 years of obtaining their terminal degree), regardless of nationality, academic affiliation, or discipline.

Selection Rules

1. A panel of judges appointed by the IASA Executive Committee will evaluate the submissions. Their decision will be final.
2. The award winner will be announced during the congress.
3. IASA officers, Executive Committee members, and officially designated conference organizers are not eligible to compete.

Application Procedure

1. To apply for prize consideration, applicants should send their name, contact information, abstract, and the date and place of their terminal degree to secretary@iasa-world.org by November 15, 2026. It is strongly recommended that applicants also submit their abstract through the regular congress submission process to ensure inclusion in the program. All competitors must be members of IASA by the time of the congress.
2. The evaluation will consider both the abstract and the full paper, with particular attention to subject, structure, and content. Papers may be written in any of the four official languages of IASA congresses: English, Spanish, French, or Portuguese.
3. The final paper should be between 3,000 and 3,500 words and must be submitted along with a short CV (no more than two pages) and a statement confirming that the work is original and unpublished. The submission deadline is November 15, 2026.
4. The Prize Committee will evaluate all submitted papers, rank them, and select one winner. At its discretion, the Committee may also designate up to two additional papers as highly commended and recommend them for publication in an IASA venue, as noted above. The winner will be notified during the congress.

The monetary component of the award will vary from year to year depending on available funds, but it is expected to be at least the equivalent of 300 euros. Applicants are responsible for complying with all requirements outlined above. The decision of the judges is final.

Click here to visit the dedicated Award Webpage.

Congress Organizers

International Organizing Committee

Please address any questions and comments to congress@iasa-world.org