Universidad Torcuato Di Tella, Buenos Aires, Argentina
27 July – 2 August, 2026

https://www.memorystudiesassociation.org/cfp-10th-msa-conference-buenos-aires-2026/

2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état establishing a military dictatorship in Argentina whose social and political consequences – as in many other countries in Latin America – are still felt today. Since the transition to democracy in 1983 commemorations of the coup have worked in conjunction with a widespread condemnation of the military government, as well as of its expansion of state violence with the help of international allies. In 2006, the Día Nacional de la Memoria por la Verdad y la Justicia (National Day of Memory for Truth and Justice) was officially established.

Today, democratic systems around the world are facing unprecedented challenges. On a global scale, we are witnessing alarming shifts that threaten the very foundations of democratic governance. Against this background, this conference seeks to examine the role of memory in democratic resilience. Under which conditions does collective remembrance reinforce democratic structures? What role has memory played in transitions from authoritarian or dictatorial regimes to democratic ones? And what role has memory played in transitions from democracy to authoritarianism? When does memory promote pluralism, effective communication, and mutual understanding within societies and when does it fail to do so? What role do institutional, political, and cultural actors play in shaping collective memory as a tool for governance? In what ways is collective memory open to manipulation for anti-democratic purposes? How has social media impacted on these processes? What role do popular culture, and the arts play in producing or counteracting oversimplified narratives?

The 10th MSA Conference will provide a forum for scholars to explore the role of memory in relation to foundational democratic values (pluralism, inclusivity, participation, open debate, consensus). While we have identified several central thematic streams below, the conference is open to all fields of interest of MSA members. We encourage interested scholars to treat these themes as guidelines for core areas of work within the broader conference theme of “Memory and Democracy.” The thematic strands may thus be interpreted widely and are intended to have a wide historical, geographical, social, and cultural range.

We invite scholars from across disciplines to contribute to this critical dialogue. The 10th MSA Conference aims to foster interdisciplinary and methodologically diverse discussions that address the evolving relationship between memory and democracy in contemporary societies.

We invite various types of contribution: Individual presentations and full panels, but also roundtables and special events such as performances, screenings, exhibitions, workshops, etc.

To embed the conference in the beautiful city of Buenos Aires, we will also feature a cultural program by cooperating closely with local memory activists, cultural partners, and heritage sites.

Program Committee:

Javier Burdman
Hendrikje Grunow
Emmanuel Kahan
Maria Kobielska
Olivier Luminet
Camila Perochena
Victoria Grace Richardson-Walden
Ann Rigney
Valentina Salvi
Aline Sierp
Tea Sindbæk Andersen
Barbara Törnquist-Plewa
Maria Eugenia Ulfe Young
Johanna Vollmeyer

Submission Guidelines:

The submission platform will be open from September 1 until October 15, 2025. The submission will take place through the conference website. Abstracts must be submitted in English to ensure a fair and efficient review process.

Language: The MSA is committed to transdisciplinarity, cross-regional understanding, and inclusivity. To enable academic exchange across disciplines and regions, this conference will be bilingual (in English and Spanish), including panels that use both languages. All plenary sessions will be interpreted by professional translators. To ensure that all other sessions are as inclusive as possible we are working on strategies to facilitate bilingualism.

There will be detailed information on our website soon.

In Buenos Aires, the conference will also host the MSA Forward postgraduate workshop, which will take place on July 28, 2026. MSA Forward allows junior researchers to engage with other scholars in their field and receive feedback from established academics. As in previous years, we aim to provide a safe space for engaging in constructive discussions and an opportunity for networking and building lasting connections across disciplines. More information on the theme and the application process will be published soon.

A limited number of travel grants and fee waivers will be available for the conference. More information will be published in the coming weeks in the travel grants section.