• New York, NY
• August 6-8, 2026

Submitters for all types of presentations must be registered for the conference by July 6, 2026, or your name will be removed from the final program.

Bulungu Paper panels (Individual, Undergraduate, and Complete Session Panels)

Paper Submission Requirements

Submitters should send the title of their presentation and a 250 word or less abstract and should incorporate the annual theme, “We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Using Sociological Thought as a Tool for Liberation.” All submitters must be registered for the conference to present. Submissions should be the author’s original research and should not be published prior to the conference. Submitters can submit abstracts that have new related research built from previous research. Abstracts accepted at or previously presented at any professional or academic conference will not be accepted.

Presenters are strongly encouraged to be current ABS members but it is not required to submit an abstract or register. Presenters are required to register for the conference. If registration is not paid by July 6, 2026, your name will be removed from the final program.

During submission, all presenters must be clearly identified, including names, and University or professional affiliation.  

Roundtable discussions 

Roundtable sessions invite scholars, practitioners, and graduate students to engage in an interactive discussion on emerging, contested, and innovative issues within sociology. Rather than formal paper presentations, the roundtable format emphasizes dialogue, critical exchange, and collective reflection across diverse sociological perspectives.

We welcome proposals that address theoretical developments, empirical findings, methodological challenges, pedagogical innovations, or applied sociological work. 

Roundtable participants will offer brief remarks to frame their contributions, followed by guided discussion among presenters and active engagement with the audience. Proposals should clearly articulate the central theme or question of the roundtable, its relevance to contemporary sociological debates, and the goals of the discussion.

Submissions should include: A roundtable title, an abstract (250 word or less) outlining the topic, key issues, and significance and names and affiliations of participants (3–6 preferred), including a designated moderator. Submissions that align with the conference theme and demonstrate a clear plan for audience engagement are strongly encouraged.

Book talks 

Provide the name of your book, and a 250 word or less description of your session. Describe how your book advances Sociological thought, methodology, or practical knowledge. Include where members and non-members may purchase your book and/or adopt for their classrooms. Please include if you are interested in having your book be a part of a small book exhibit at the conference and how many books you may be able to bring to the conference for purchase.

Interactive Workshops 

Proposal Requirements

Include the title and description (250 words or less) of your workshop including the specific learning goals/objectives for the workshop and the material that will be covered. Workshops can include themes centering activism, wellness, higher education advice, and additional Sociological themes related to the annual theme.

Teaching symposiums 

Submitters should include a Title and 250 word description of their teaching symposium. This teaching symposium centers Black sociological traditions, pedagogies of liberation, and the lived experiences of Black students and faculty within higher education. Submissions can address any topic related to the experience and practice of teaching, including pedagogical strategies, community-based learning, student and faculty evaluation, innovative assignments, strategies to address classroom challenges, and best practices for student engagement.  The session brings together sociologists committed to advancing teaching practices that challenge structural racism, affirm Black epistemologies, and cultivate critical consciousness in sociology classrooms across institutional contexts. Submissions that address teaching practices and applications of the Annual Meeting theme are strongly encouraged.

Participants will share brief, practice-based presentations highlighting innovative approaches to teaching sociology through Black, Africana, and decolonial frameworks. Contributions may address topics such as culturally responsive and critical pedagogy; teaching race, racism, and inequality amid political backlash; centering Black feminist and diasporic perspectives; addressing how faculty may support Black students at PWIs, HBCUs, and community colleges. Additional topics may include mentoring and advising as pedagogical practice; and navigating the emotional labor of teaching while Black.

Submitters are encouraged to share relevant resources, strategies, and institutional survival tools, while reflecting on how teaching can function as a site of resistance, healing, and community accountability. Presenters should leave room for collective dialogue related to best practices in Sociology. Names, affiliations, and contact information for each presenter should be included.

Posterboard presentations

Include the title of your posterboard presentation and 250 words or less description of how your posterboard presentation aligns with the Annual meeting theme.

Decisions for all presentation formats will be sent at the end of April.