Abstract Deadline: February 10, 2026
Conference Date: July 8, 2026
Location: University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
No Conference Fee

The International Singles Studies Association (ISSA) invites scholars, policymakers, artists, advocates and interested parties to submit abstracts for its 5th annual meeting, to be held in-person and virtually on the 8th of July 2026 10am-4pm (BST) at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland. This annual conference brings together a community of scholars and professionals who are pushing the boundaries of our understanding of singlehood in its various dimensions.

Guidelines: Abstracts should be no more than 300 words (1800 characters) and provide a clear overview of the research or artistic work that contributes to the study of singlehood. Submit your abstract here by February 10th, 2026: https://forms.gle/HaaQpFMsVxJxh6Pq5

The theme of this year’s conference is “The Single Majority: Single Studies for a Changing Society.” In many parts of the world, single adults now make up a significant and growing share of the population. This conference seeks contributions that deepen our understanding of single life in its many evolving forms and contexts, and that critically examine how rising rates of singlehood are transforming social norms, economic structures, cultural narratives, and policy landscapes. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
• Refining and Rethinking Singlehood: Concepts, Categories, Methods, and Meanings
• Social Change and Singlehood: Policy, Laws, Rights, and Reform
• Singlehood and Intersectional Identities (e.g., Age, Class, Disability, Gender, Nationality, Race, Religion, Sexual Orientation, etc.)
• Global and Decolonial Perspectives on Singlehood
• Singleness in Indigenous Communities
• Shifting Norms and Narratives about Singlehood
• Singlehood Identities, Social Networks, and Stigma
• Cultural Shifts in Representations of Singlehood in the Arts, Literature, and Media
• Work, Care, and the Economics of Singleness
• Technology, AI, and the Digital Lives of Single People
• Masculinities, Men, and Singlehood

Please send any questions to one of our conference organisers:
Kimberly Martinez Phillips, York University, Canada kphillip@yorku.ca
Alexandra Fisher, University of Edinburgh, Scotland alex.fisher@ed.ac.uk
Note: Conference takes place before the IARR conference reception in Glasgow