Welcome to the Literature, Politics, and Society community! We’re so happy you’re here and we want you take full advantage of the opportunities our new platform provides. Please read over the  code of conduct  so we can continue to ensure a safe and supportive space for all. Thank you for your dedication to the Popular Culture Association!

Call for Papers

Call for papers on any topic dealing with literature, politics, and society.

This area explores the many intersections of literature and politics. The following general areas are suggested as examples for paper or session proposals: the political contexts for period works, the politics of authorship, political aspects of literary renderings, politics in specific literary works, the politics of specific authors, politics of theory (such as new historicism, psychoanalytic perspectives, deconstruction, in addition to those suggested above), the politics of ethnicity; representation of political figures and topics in literature; hidden political agendas; political assumptions of a work or an oeuvre or literary movement; political satire; the rhetoric of revolution; the revolutionary as heroine or hero; political ideology; political climate of a period as reflected in its literature; the politics of war and peace in literature; character choice as political choice; apolitical evasions; political vs. aesthetic approaches; regionalism; the political assumptions of readers, etc.

For those of you familiar with the Literature and Politics sessions, I invite you to return this year, and would encourage those who attend regularly to consider putting together session proposals. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this process at MJBlouin@milligan.edu.

Submissions must include the following to be considered:

• Submit 250 word proposals to this site. Include your Paper title (please keep these concise, they may be trimmed for economy)
• Complete name and academic title (academic rank, grad. student, etc.) and Academic affiliation and address, that is complete dept. and institution, with city, state, and zip code. Make sure you include Phone numbers: office and home numbers if possible (if I cannot reach you, you may be dropped from the proposed session)
• Email address for each participant; I need at least one working email address for everyone. Please make sure your email address is correct. If your email address changes, you are responsible for notifying the area chair immediately.

For Session Proposals include (3-4 papers)

• a) titles and abstracts of papers for EACH MEMBER of your session,
• b) chair’s name and session title
• c) All required information for each participant as listed below. Organizers of sessions are responsible for each member’s complete information and panels will not be considered without it.

Important Dates to Remember:

• Database opens for Submissions - Sept. 1, 2025
• Early Bird Registration Begins - Sept. 1, 2025
• Deadline for Paper Proposals - Nov. 30, 2025
• Travel Grant Applications Due - Dec. 15, 2025
• Early Bird Registration Ends for Presenters - Dec. 31, 2025
• Regular Registration Begins for Presenters - Jan. 1, 2026 
• Travel Grant Decisions / Notifications - Jan. 31, 2026
• Regular Registration Ends for Presenters - Jan. 31, 2026
• Late Registration Starts for Presenters - Feb. 1, 2026
• Preliminary Program draft available - Feb. 6, 2026

Those Presenters Not Registered by Feb. 15 Will be Dropped from the Program

CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA, GA - April 8-11, 2026