ASEH at 50: Exploring the Roots and Boundaries of a Field

Deadline for Submissions: August 16, 2026.

Click here to submit your proposal. 

Review all the important conference deadlines here. 

In 2027, we will gather in Richmond, Virginia to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the incorporation of the American Society for Environmental History, and to think about where we’ve been and where we are headed as a scholarly community. At the society’s inception, ASEH’s original members were animated not only by their own intellectual curiosity about and personal experiences with the natural world, but also by concerns about environmental degradation. This ethos has continued to shape our field and become even more urgent at a time when we face so many environmental challenges, many quite different from the ones with which we grappled fifty years ago. Donald Worster has noted that the field of environmental history emerged precisely as a “new openness” in the discipline of history led scholars to question what voices were and were not included in historical narratives and what had value in historical study. How do we continue to open up our field to new perspectives and voices, both human and non-human, and expand it to meet the pressing needs of our time?

As we look back at half a century of scholarship, we welcome submissions that engage with questions about the origins and futures of environmental history. In recent decades, new subfields have enriched our discipline, and environmental historians have revived older historical inquiries by showing how environmental lenses can refresh our understandings of the past. We hope this conference will offer an opportunity to engage in constructive critique of the roots and branches of our field while also giving us a chance to consider how we might push the boundaries of who we are and what we do as environmental historians. From its beginning, this society has also sought to create space for interdisciplinary research and provide an expansive and inclusive intellectual community. Thus, panels that bring in scientists, activists, interpreters, or other scholars and practitioners who have not traditionally come to our conference would be especially welcome.

Building on positive membership feedback, conference sessions will once again be set at 75 minutes and must include the requisite time for discussion (ideally at least 20 minutes).

Chairs are still required for all panels.

Submission proposal types include:

Completed Panels: four presenters and a session chair; presentations are limited to 12-13 minutes; no commentators.

Individual Papers: accepted papers will be placed in panels; presentations are limited to 12-13 minutes.

Roundtables: presentations should be limited to 55 minutes to maximize audience participation; no commentators.

Alternative Sessions: this category is open, but such sessions should involve at least four participants. Sessions must still allow 20 minutes for discussion. Examples include Open-Mic Roundtables; Living History Performance sessions; Reading Groups where participants collectively engage with a selection of pre-circulated readings; panels highlighting the  use of emerging or innovative technologies; or sessions that foreground activists or practitioners for whom a standard paper presentation is not the ideal format.

Indivisual Lightening Presentations: each presenter gets 5 minutes and up to 10 slides.

Author-Meets-Critic Sessions or Book Talks: lightning-style talks focused on recent book publications; these will be organized into sessions with 30 minutes for discussion.

Posters: those presenting posters and who attend the conference will be expected to participate in the poster session.

The Program Committee strongly encourages the submission of complete session proposals. To that end, ASEH will schedule an ASEH Connects event this summer that will provide information to assist in connecting individuals with potential co-panelists. Posting to H-Environment has also been a good way to find co-panelists. ASEH encourages panel organizers to seek out and incorporate individuals who are new to the organization.

Please note that individuals can be a primary presenter in only one panel, roundtable, or other session proposal, but can also serve as chair in a second proposal.

Proposals should take seriously issues of diversity and inclusivity, and carefully consider representation across institutions, genders, career stages, race, and geography. The Program Committee encourages those developing panels on topics focused on historically marginalized groups to build relationships with scholars of diverse backgrounds and make a space for them in these panels. We look forward to receiving panel, paper, and alternative session proposals that show commitment to the principles of disability rights, inclusivity, and universal accessibility.

ASEH travel grants exist to offer some financial support for presenters including graduate students, international presenters, and those with limited access to funds to support conference participation. The process for applying for travel grants will open in early September and close November 20, 2026. Apply through the ASEH website.

The ASEH is pleased to announce it will continue the practice of offering first-time presenters a year’s free membership in the organization. For information contact: diana.distefano@aseh.org

For questions regarding the proposal process, you may contact devon.binder@aseh.org 

Accepted panelists must register for the conference to remain on the program.

Click here to submit your proposal.