The 2027 Annual Meeting of the American Comparative Literature Association will be held in person at the University of Houston, May 20-23, 2027, and online, May 15 & 16, 2027.
Submission for seminars and papers is closed. All paper proposals were due by September 22,2026.
You can still browse the seminars submitted until decisions are released. If you have any questions, check the FAQ or email us at [email protected].
The 2027 Annual Meeting marks a long-awaited return to a campus setting at the University of Houston, just in time to celebrate the university's centennial with our hosts. For the first time since 2019, when we gathered at Georgetown University, we will meet on campus to connect with each other and our shared work.
Our current moment necessitates flexibility and creativity as we commit ourselves to the study of comparative literature and to cross-cultural exchange. As part of that commitment, we are thrilled to launch a new two-track conference model at the 2027 meeting. This format combines the global accessibility of our recent virtual conferences and the rich in-person collaboration of our traditional meetings.
The dual conference builds on previous experiments at our 2007 Annual Meeting in Puebla, Mexico, which was also sponsored by the University of Houston, and the 2022 Annual Meeting co-sponsored by National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei. The Puebla meeting decentralized the physical locations of seminars, embedding streams into spaces throughout the city center and bringing together lines of inquiry in plenary sessions, while the Taipei meeting paired lively on-campus programming and professional workshops with global virtual seminar streams.
In 2027, we are combining these approaches into a two-track conference model split across consecutive weekends:
- Weekend 1 (Virtual): Saturday, May 15 - Sunday, May 16, 2027. This weekend is reserved entirely for online seminar streams, allowing colleagues to collaborate across borders without travel barriers while reducing the environmental cost of travel.
- Weekend 2 (In-Person): Thursday, May 20 - Sunday, May 23, 2027. Hosted at the University of Houston, this block will bring us together on campus for traditional face-to-face seminars, workshops, and plenary events.
Undergraduate Seminar: Toward a Liberatory Cultural Politics of Consumption
What does it mean to consume–things, energy, experiences–on a planet teetering on the edge of climate catastrophe and in a world aflame with genocidal wars? What are the consequences of the thorough commodification of everything we consume? Can there be consumption beyond the commodity? Should there be consumption beyond the commodity? Do we live amidst crises created by the overconsumption (of some) and underconsumption (of others)? How do the young (versus the old) consume? Are there different cultures of consumption, within nation-states and across them? How is consumption linked to poverty? What is its link to employment and careers, especially for the young? Is there such a thing as queer consumption? How do Indigenous cultures consume and think of consumption? How do you frame a biopolitics of consumption?
To read the full CFP and apply for the 2027 Undergraduate Seminar, click here. Applications due December 12.
Important Dates
June 15: Seminar portal opens
July 31: Seminar portal closes
August 4: Paper portal opens
September 22: Paper portal closes
September 24 - October 9: Seminar Organizer Review (organizers review all paper submissions and submit their slates to the committee)
December 1: The Secretariat sends decision letters to everyone who has proposed a seminar and/or a paper
Looking for more information about ACLA's proposal process? Take a look at this graphic and the conference FAQ, and don't hesitate to email [email protected] with questions.
Announcing ACLA 2027
Announcing the 2027 ACLA Conference: May 20-23, 2027, University of Houston
Dear Colleagues:
I am delighted to announce that the next annual conference of the American Comparative Literature Association will take place May 20-23, 2027, at the University of Houston. This marks a particularly meaningful moment for our association, as we return to a university campus setting for the first time since 2018—an opportunity to reconnect more closely with the academic environments that sustain our shared work.
We are especially honored to be hosted by the University of Houston as part of its centennial celebration. The occasion promises not only a vibrant intellectual gathering but also a chance to participate in a historic milestone for our host institution. We are grateful for the enthusiastic support of the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, whose commitment to promoting and reaffirming the value of comparative literature and cross-cultural exchange feels especially vital in our current moment. Thanks are also due to the Local Planning Committee at UH, led by Bhavya Tiwari, for making this collaboration possible.
Houston itself offers an ideal setting for our meeting. One of the most ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse cities in the United States, it is known for its dynamic economy, exceptional culinary scene, and world-class higher education institutions. The city is also home to a thriving arts scene, renowned museums and festivals, and expansive green spaces, offering something for every interest.
I would also take a moment to celebrate and reflect on the success of our most recent conference, held in Montreal from February 26 to March 1. The richness of the program, the energy of the discussions, and the collegial spirit that animated our gatherings was truly remarkable. We also recognize that the conference coincided with the onset of a global crisis, which brought distress and uncertainty to many in our community. We are grateful for the care, intellectual solidarity, and mutual support that participants extended to one another during that time. I'd like to express my sincere thanks to President Karyn Ball and all the ACLA committees who organized outstanding special events, as well as to the Program Committee chaired by Jini Kim Watson, whose dedication in reviewing hundreds of seminar proposals made this achievement possible.
We look forward to sharing more details about the 2027 conference call for papers and registration in the coming months. Please note that the portal for submitting seminar proposals will open on June 15, 2026. I look forward to working with President Hosam Aboul-Ela, the UH Local Program Committee, and you all on the 2027 conference.
In the meantime, please mark your calendars—we hope to see you in Houston for what promises to be an engaging and memorable gathering.
With best wishes,Tze-lan Deborah SangChair, Conference Committee 2024–2027
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.
Looking for materials from ACLA 2026? Click the buttons below to access the program PDF or web schedule.
ACLA 2026 Schedule ACLA 2026 Program
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] or visit the following links:
We look forward to welcoming you to the 2027 Annual Meeting of the American Comparative Literature Association!