Young Americanist Day – Call for Papers
24 02 2026
In 2026, the American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw celebrates its 50th anniversary. To mark this occasion, the Center is hosting a year-long series of events that reflect on its history, examine its present, and imagine its future(s). As part of the Anniversary International Symposium “American Studies: Past, Presents, Futures” (11–13 May 2026), we invite MA and PhD students of American Studies to participate in Young Americanists’ Day. The event is open to students working within American Studies at the University of Warsaw, both at the ASC and other departments.
We welcome proposals that reflect on studying and researching the United States today – its culture, history, politics, and society – particularly from a Central and Eastern European perspective. Possible themes and guiding questions include:
- How do you view the United States after several years of studying American Studies? How has your perspective shifted and why?
- How has your research evolved over time?
- How do you design your research projects while conducting American Studies from Europe (e.g. access to sources, methodologies, research logistics)?
- How do you approach the US as a country in crisis, not in triumph?
- What topics, ideas, and problems currently attract you most as a student of American Studies? What do you find most pressing to study and why?
- Which theories resonate with you today? Which American Studies theories remain relevant and which no longer hold value?
- Which theoretical frameworks developed outside the USA help you think about the United States and its contemporary crises?
- How does your position as a young Eastern European scholar help you in navigating American Studies?
- What is the purpose of a PhD in American Studies today? Why pursue it and why pursue it in Eastern Europe?
- How does the geopolitical location of Eastern Europe inform your study of the United States?
- Why study American Studies in the present moment?
- We particularly encourage pre-formed panels rather than individual paper proposals. In addition to traditional paper panels, we also welcome proposals for thematic roundtables, panel discussions, workshops, and other innovative forms of academic participation that foster discussion and collective reflection.
The deadline for submission: 20 March, 2026
Each submission should include:
- a title
- a list of participants with short bios and their affiliations
- a short description of the panel (up to 350 words)
More information at: youngamericanistday@gmail.com