New England Regional Conference on Holocaust and Genocide Studies
2026 Call for Proposals
The Cohen Institute invites proposals for its inaugural bi-annual regional conference in the field of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, to be held in person on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Keene State College (Keene, New Hampshire). This year’s theme will be “Everyday Life in Nazi Germany.” An evening keynote address will be delivered by Prof. Marion Kaplan, who will be speaking on the gendered experiences of Kristallnacht, November 1938. The keynote address will be accessible to the public.
The Institute invites students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as educators from across New England to submit either individual paper or panel proposals. Additional details about each type of submission are noted below. Regardless of the type of proposal, all submissions should relate in some way to the conference themes: life in Nazi Germany broadly conceived and/or Kristallnacht. Student submissions should focus on research, while educators may focus on pedagogical approaches to teaching these topics.
-
Individual Proposals: An individual proposal is a paper that is authored by one person. If your paper is accepted for the conference, organizers will assign your paper to a session as they see fit and you will be given 15 minutes to offer your presentation during the session. For a proposal of this type, please submit one document, not to exceed one page (single spaced).
-
Panel Proposals: A panel proposal is a proposal for a complete one-hour session at the conference. Each session will last 60 minutes, and proposals should consist of three presenters and a moderator (if the moderator is known) who will all present on a common theme. Please submit one copy of the panel proposal per panel, not to exceed two pages (single spaced).
The deadline for proposal submissions is Monday, September 14, 2026, at 5:00pm ET via the form below. The conference organizers will select proposals and inform applicants by the end of September.
For further information or questions, please reach out to Cohen Institute Assistant Director of Research, Prof. Dana Smith. This conference and keynote lecture are hosted by the Cohen Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies with support from partners at Salem State University’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.
Additional Details and FAQ
-
Is there a cost to attend this conference? Presenters who have a paper or panel accepted for the conference will be able to register to attend for free. If additional spots remain after all presenters have been registered, those will be made available to other (non-presenting) attendees at a low cost. Please check back in early October for additional information about registration.
-
What makes for a strong proposal? A strong paper or panel proposal is one with clear relevance to the conference’s theme for the year. Since this is a research conference, proposals should also include at least a few citations of scholarship relevant to the proposal – these could be peer-reviewed books/articles or scholarship on teaching and learning, depending whether the proposal is being written by a student researcher or an educator. Strong proposals are also clear, well organized, and carefully edited.
-
Will I be able to use slides or other visual aids during a presentation? Yes. The conference will take place in spaces that are equipped with computers and a projection system. You will be able to bring any visual aids on a USB flash drive to display in the room. Please note that the conference does not supply computers and we cannot hook individual laptops up in the rooms.
-
Is there Wi-Fi access at the conference? Keene State College has an eduroam network and there is also complimentary wi-fi available on campus for guests. Network connections can sometimes be slow or unreliable, though, so please ensure that your presentation notes are printed or downloaded for offline use.
-
Policy on the Use of Artificial Intelligence: At the time of submission, authors must fully indicate in the proposal their use of all content (whether text, images, data, or other) created by an AI tool. AI tools used for editing do not need to be cited. Authors are responsible for ensuring their work is their own, is accurate, and does not use the work of others without permission when needed and without attribution in all cases. Acceptance or rejection of proposals that use AI tools for content creation is at the discretion of conference organizers.
-
Where is Keene State College located? Keene State College is located in the scenic Monadnock region of southwestern New Hampshire. Driving directions are available here.
