Revolution, Revelation, Reconciliation / Revolución, Revelación, Reconciliación

The International Nineteenth Century Studies Association (INCSA)—in collaboration with the Nineteenth Century Studies Association (NCSA), Interdisciplinary Nineteenth Century Studies (INCS), and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History welcomes you to the 2026 conference

(in-person and online; presentations in English or Spanish, translation service through WorldyAI).

Join us to explore 19th century research and what it means to conduct this research across time, geography, languages, and cultures.

Conference Theme
In Thinking About History, Sarah Maza reminds us that historical scholarship thrives on debate, reexamination, and innovative inquiry: “Commemoration is crucially important, so is keeping the past alive by constantly reframing and rewriting history: This means disputation and disagreement, but also research, new questions, and new ways of looking at old problems.” Similarly, historian Trevor Getz describes the nineteenth century as “an age of revolution and industry, oppression and resistance,” a period of profound transformation whose legacies continue to shape our present.

The words Revolution, Revelation, Reconciliation invite broad interpretation. Revolution can signify political upheaval, industrial or technological transformation, or the cyclical nature of historical change. Revelation may encompass ideological shifts, scientific discoveries, artistic innovations, or spiritual awakenings. Reconciliation addresses repair, restoration, and negotiation—whether between individuals, communities, or historical narratives.

Revolution, revelation, and reconciliation may be applied to historical topics and themes such as period film, adaptation studies, neo-Gothic literature, and cultural memory studies; community relationships; institutional histories and practices; scientific studies and digital humanities projects that use contemporary tools to mine and make visible historical data and experiences; scholarly and pedagogical strategies, including experimental approaches in classrooms and exhibitions; historiographical reflection; visual and material culture preservation; reenactment and performance research; and other ways in which nineteenth-century research is centered.