The 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Comparative Literature Association will be held in person at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, February 26 - March 1, 2026.
Important Dates
| Accepting seminar proposals: | July 1 - August 8, 2025 |
| Accepting paper proposals: | August 26 - October 2, 2025 |
| Seminar organizer paper review period: | October 6 - October 20, 2025 |
| Secretariat sends status notifications: | December 1, 2025 |
| Accepting travel grant applications: | Information coming soon! |
| Conference: | February 26 - March 1, 2026 |
The seminar proposal portal is open through August 8!
The portal for proposing a seminar for ACLA's 2026 Annual Meeting opened on July 1, 2025. You are invited to submit a seminar proposal by August 8, 2025. A portal through which to submit paper proposals to seminar organizers will open on August 26, 2025.
Each seminar meets multiple times (usually three) to allow for continuous and substantive engagement among participants. This emphasis on long-form collaboration is a hallmark of the ACLA conference. For instance, a seminar meeting over three days may include up to twelve panelists, with three to four participants presenting twenty-minute papers in each session, followed by discussion. We welcome seminars on all topics and areas within Comparative Literature, broadly construed. We especially welcome seminars in areas historically underrepresented in the humanities. The conference is open to participants from both within and beyond the Americas.
Seminar & Paper Proposal Information Sessions
We will run information sessions over Zoom for anyone unfamiliar with ACLA's conference and seminar/paper submission process. Recordings of these information sessions will be available here after they have occurred. If you have other questions, please check our graphic explaining how ACLA's conference works here and our FAQ page here.
Information Session: Submitting a Seminar Proposal
July 2, 2025, 3 PM CDT
Click here to view the recorded session
Information Session: Submitting a Paper Proposal
August 26, 2025, 12:30 PM CDT
Click to join
Meeting ID: 861 1532 8309
Passcode: 124607
2026 Registration Rates
Registration rates will be available soon.
About ACLA
The American Comparative Literature Association, founded in 1960, is the principal learned society in the United States for scholars whose work involves several literatures and cultures as well as the premises of cross-cultural literary study itself.
In its largest sense, comparative literature promotes the study of intercultural relations that cross national boundaries, multicultural relations within a particular society, and the interactions between literature and other forms of human activity, including the arts, the sciences, philosophy, and cultural artifacts of all kinds.
The members of the ACLA are thus joined not by a national, linguistic, or methodological investment held in common, but by the shared condition of teaching and writing across nations, languages, and cultures—and hence by their lively interest in comparison as both a theoretical and a practical matter.
At the ACLA’s Annual Meeting, each seminar meets multiple times (usually three) to allow for continuous and substantive engagement among participants. This emphasis on long-form collaboration is a hallmark of the ACLA conference. For instance, a seminar meeting over three days may include up to twelve panelists, with three to four participants presenting twenty-minute papers in each session, followed by discussion. We welcome seminars on all topics and areas within Comparative Literature, broadly construed. We especially welcome seminars in areas historically underrepresented in the humanities. The conference is open to participants from both within and beyond the Americas.
All ACLA members must adhere to the Code of Conduct in online interactions leading up to the conference as well as at the Palais. You can review the Code of Conduct here.
About Montreal & the Palais des congrès
This section will be updated with additional resources, including information on ACLA's hotel block, as the conference approaches. For now, you can take a virtual tour of the space, check on Canadian entry & visa requirements, and begin planning your free time in Montreal.
Please note that ACLA staff are unable to provide legal advice or procure visas or other documents on your behalf. If you have questions about traveling to Canada, please contact the IRCC/Border Services. If you need documentation of your acceptance to the conference beyond your acceptance letter, contact us at [email protected] after December 1, 2025.
Accessibility
All conference locations are wheelchair accessible. Entrances to the Palais des congrès de Montréal are equipped with access ramps and automatic doors, and every room is equipped with listening systems for the hearing impaired. Reserved parking spaces for permit holders are available at the Viger parking lot, accessible by Rue Chenneville. Complimentary wheelchairs for use in the conference site can be reserved on the Palais website.
In Case of Emergency
For any safety concerns during the conference, dial 911 for emergencies or locate an ACLA or Palais staff member for non-emergencies. For minor medical concerns, first aid services are available upon request.
Parking
There are several parking lots on site and near the Palais, including:
Indoor Parking Palais des congrès
1025 Rue Chenneville, accessible by Avenue Viger
$25 daily rate
400 spots
If you plan to drive, you can find road conditions and additional information on the Quebec 511 website. If you need a charging station for your vehicle, you'll find an interactive map from Hydro-Quebec.
Taxis and Ridesharing
Taxis are available throughout the downtown area and can be requested online. Ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft can be requested through mobile applications, and taxi sharing services are also available. Bicycle rental services are available, with docking stations next to the Palais. The address for the conference site is Palais des congrès de Montréal, 1001 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montréal, QC H2Z 1M2, Canada.
Public Transportation
The Société de transport de Montréal website provides schedules and route maps of trains and buses. The Palais is a few minutes’ walk from the Place-d’Armes stop on Line 2/Orange, with an entrance with elevator access available at Accès St-Urbain, 960 Rue St-Urbain, H2Z 1K4. You can purchase 1-trip tickets and OPUS cards in the metro from fare vending machines or at the ticket booth from a station officer. Please note you must keep your proof of payment for the duration of your trip.
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] or visit the following links:
We look forward to welcoming you to the 2026 Annual Meeting of the American Comparative Literature Association!