As is tradition, the conference will consist of a combination of plenary lectures, parallel lectures, roundtables, seminars, posters, and the Doctoral Symposium. Details of each format and how to participate can be found below.
1. Plenary Lectures
A select group of renowned experts, representing the key disciplines of English Language, Literatures in English, and Cultural and Area Studies, will be invited by the Organising Committee to deliver plenary lectures. Each of these speakers has been chosen for their significant contributions to their respective fields.
2. Parallel Lectures
In addition to the plenary lectures, approximately 12 parallel lectures will be featured during the conference. These lectures will be delivered by members of ESSE, nominated by their respective national associations as explained below. Each presentation will be 45 minutes in duration and those selected to present will receive a full waiver of conference registration fees.
The University invites National Associations to propose candidates for the parallel lecture sessions. A maximum of two nominations per association will be accepted to ensure a diverse and balanced selection process. National Associations should submit a description of their nominees’ lecture topic along with a concise CV. Nominations should be submitted through the national association’s President or designated representative and forwarded to the Academic Programme Committee (APC) by 1st May 2025 at
Depending on the number of proposals received, the APC may implement a selection process. Key criteria will include the proposal’s relevance and appeal to a broad academic audience, as well as its potential to engage with recent advances or fresh perspectives in English Studies. The APC will also prioritise achieving a balanced representation of key disciplines -English Language, Literatures in English, and Cultural and Area Studies- and striving for equitable representation of national associations wherever possible.
3. Seminars
Proposals for seminars related to the three fields mentioned above must be jointly submitted by two ESSE members from different national associations. In some cases, the APC may permit one of the convenors to be a non-ESSE member (for example, if they are based outside Europe), provided their involvement is deemed especially valuable for the seminar. Each seminar proposal must include the convenors’ names, affiliations, email addresses, and a 300-word description of the seminar’s topic (excluding bibliographical references). Please send your proposals via email to
The APC will consider the proposal’s international appeal and its potential to engage with recent advances in English Studies as key selection criteria, while also striving for a balanced representation across key disciplines -English Language, Literatures in English, and Cultural and Area Studies- wherever possible.
Unlike roundtables, seminars are not pre-arranged sessions and will be featured in the APC’s upcoming call for papers. However, convenors are encouraged to actively recruit potential contributors. The seminar format aims to promote interactive participation from both presenters and the audience. To foster engagement, presentations should be delivered orally rather than read from a script. Further guidelines will be included in the corresponding call for papers.
Individual Seminar Contributions
Scholars wishing to participate in one of the seminars listed below are invited to submit a 300-word abstract (excluding bibliographical references) to the convenors of their chosen seminar by 31st January 2026.
Seminars will include a range of academic papers and discussions. Each presentation should last 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute discussion. As the number of seminar slots is limited, convenors may request shorter presentations to accommodate more participants in their sessions.
Please note that participants at ESSE 2026 are permitted to present only one paper during the conference, whether as sole authors or co-authors.
4. Roundtables
The aim of roundtables is to present topics and problems currently seen as shaping the nature of the discipline. At a roundtable, a pre-constituted panel discusses issues of fairly general scholarly or professional interest in front of, and subsequently with, an audience. In other words, roundtables are not sequences of papers but should rather be approached as debate sessions. Proposals should include a 500-word description of the topic (excluding bibliographical references) and the names and affiliations of at least three participants (including the convenor), who must be drawn from more than one national association. The maximum number of speakers will be five. Please send your proposals to
5. Posters
Posters will be devoted to research-in-progress and project presentations. The aim is to provide additional opportunities for feedback and personal contacts. The conference will include a dedicated poster session.
Proposals of not more than 300 words (excluding bibliographical references) must be sent to
6. Doctoral Symposium
A key feature of the ESSE Conference is the Doctoral Symposium, which upholds a tradition established in 2012. This event offers young scholars the opportunity to present their research and receive valuable feedback.
Academic programme committee
Zeltia Blanco Suárez (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
Vladimir Ž. Jovanović (University of Niš, Serbia)
Ludmilla Konstantinova Kostova (University of Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria)
Alberto Lázaro Lafuente (University of Alcalá, Spain)
Paloma Núñez Pertejo (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
Noemí Pereira Ares (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
Denis Renevey (University of Lausanne, Switzerland)
Jorge Sacido Romero (University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
Please view the ESSE conference website here for the full proposal.
[Quelle: Pressemitteilung]