SASS 2026 : Brooklyn
April 23-25, 2026 | New York, New York
# sass2026
Brooklyn
April 21-25, 2026
DEADLINES
Call for Papers | January 15, 2026 Book your Room | April 1, 2026 Registration | April 1, 2026
ORGANIZERS
Joe Gonzalez | California State University, Fullerton
Joan Templeton | Long Island University
Colin Levin | Long Island University Brooklyn
Brad Harmon | Johns Hopkins University
Rachel Bott | University of Wisconsin, Madison
Kelsey Fuller-Shafer | Fairfield University
Todd Michelson-Ambelang | University of Wisconsin, Madison
Marcus Cederström | University of Wisconsin, Madison
CONTACT THE ORGANIZERS – sass2026@scandinavianstudy.org
Venue
New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge
Single $289 | Double $289
SASS rates available for stays during the period of April 21-25, 2025
Sign-up for the grad student rooming list (COMING SOON)
Theme
BRIDGES
The 2026 SASS conference will take place in Brooklyn, New York at the Marriott Brooklyn Bridge Hotel. This year’s presidential theme is BRIDGES.
As metaphor and monument, a bridge establishes a link that would otherwise not exist. As physical structures, both natural and constructed, bridges appear all across the world, in the smallest of villages and in bustling metropolises. They can represent progress and development as well as regress and deterioration. They have been sites of joy and protest, tragedy and celebration. Some exist hidden or unnoticed, where others have become iconic symbols – the Brooklyn Bridge, for instance, has been exalted in poems by the likes of Walt Whitman and Hart Crane. Bridges appear in phrases such as “building bridges” and “burning bridges”; in concepts such “bridge translation” and “bridging visa”; in slogans such as “build bridges, not walls”; and in idioms like “a bridge too far,” “bridge the gap,” “water under the bridge,” “to sell the Brooklyn Bridge,” and more. Even the very word metaphor is a bridge, etymologically meaning “carrying over.” Bridges are also essential to artistic creation, formally (as in the bridge of a song) or thematically (for instance, Faroese musician Eivør’s 2015 album Bridges or the Danish-Swedish crime show Bron). Suffice it to say, bridges are everywhere.
The organizing committee encourages submissions that explore bridges of all sorts—and, by extension, other forms of transit, traffic, movement, and dis/connection—in Nordic culture, film, history, language, and/or literature. Other topics and approaches are also welcome.
Streams
Coming Soon!
Keynote
Keynote Speaker
This year’s keynote speech will be given by Dr Monica Miller (Barnard College) and held at Scandivia House, followed by the opening reception.
About Dr Miller:
Monica L. Miller is Chair and Professor of Africana Studies at Barnard College, Columbia University. A specialist in contemporary African American and Afro-diasporic literature and cultural studies, she is the author of the book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, which inspired Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, the 2025 Costume Institute exhibition at The Met. A frequent commentator in the media and arts worlds, she teaches and writes about Black literature, art, and performance, fashion cultures, and contemporary Black European culture and politics. She is currently at work on a book project, Blackness Swedish Style: Race and the Rhizomatics of Being which considers cultural production by the emerging black community in Sweden and its connection to Black European identity formation and cultural/political movements.
Pre-conference Events
Private SASS Tour of the Morgan Library
Join SASS Executive Council Member Troy Wellington Smith and other SASS members on a private visit to the Morgan Library. SASS attendees will be given a preview of the Morgan’s upcoming exhibit on Johan Tobias Sergel as well as a special look at their collection of Norwegian and Danish Golden Age art. Space will be limited to 25 attendees. Pre-registration will open in January.
Date: Thursday April 23, 2026
Time: 10:00-11:00am
Location: The Morgan Library
225 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10016
Learn more about the Morgan here:
https://www.themorgan.org
Professional Development Drop-in at Scandinavia House
Graduate students and early-career scholars – visit with professionals who have followed a non-traditional path post-graduate school as well as meeting with SASS academic career mentors for tips and tricks for pursuing your post-graduate plans. More details to come!
Date: Thursday April 23, 2026
Time: TBA
Location: Scandinavia House
58 Park Ave
New York, NY 10016
Conference Hotel | New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge
333 Adams Street, Brooklyn, New York 11201 USA
Overview
Minutes from amazing attractions, the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is one of the most exciting hotels in Brooklyn, New York. Situated close to Prospect Park, our hotel near the Brooklyn Bridge provides guests with an inspired vantage point to work, play and relax. Thoughtfully designed, our guest rooms and suites boast amenities like plush bedding, flat-panel TVs and high-speed Wi-Fi; some of our accommodations feature private terraces with stunning views of the downtown skyline.
SASS Rates: $289/night plus local taxes and fees
Rooms must be booked through the link below BEFORE 5pm EST on April 1, 2026 to qualify for the SASS rate.
Book Here:
Call for Streams
Call for Stream Proposals
In preparation for the 114th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Advancement of Scandinavian Study, the conference program committee invites proposals for thematic streams.
While proposals related to the overall conference theme, “Bridges”, are especially encouraged, submissions from across the broad field of Scandinavian Studies are welcome.
Please submit your stream proposals via the link below no later than October 15, 2025. Approved streams will be communicated to organizers, published on the SASS website, and shared via the SASS mailing list in advance of the opening of the abstract submission portal on October 20, 2025.
Questions related to streams and stream proposals may be directed to: sass2026@scandinavianstudy.org.
What is a thematic stream?
A thematic stream consists of a series of panels, tied together by a common topic, offered sequentially within the overall conference framework. Streams provide greater cohesion than a single panel and have offered many participants a more sustained and rewarding conference experience. They are particularly well suited for connecting international colleagues working on similar topics and can serve as the foundation for joint publications (e.g., in Scandinavian Studies or other venues).
Proposal Requirements
All proposals must include:
An abstract of no more than 250 words
The name(s) of the stream organizer(s)
Stream organizer(s) are responsible for:
Reviewing submissions to their stream
Scheduling panels within the stream
Sourcing chairs for stream panels
Communicating with presenters
Coordinating with the program committee
Key Information
Stream Submissions Open: September 22, 2025
Stream Submission Deadline: October 15, 2025
Stream Submission Portal: app.oxfordabstracts.com/events/74957/symposia/create
Abstract Submissions Open: October 20, 2025
Abstract Submission Deadline: January 15, 2026
Abstract Submission Portal: https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/78059/submitter
Call for Papers
Call for Papers – SASS 2026: Brooklyn
While the semantic reach of bridges spans as far as bridges themselves extend across the globe, SASS 2026 focuses on their essential function: connection. As Scandinavian Studies grows increasingly interdisciplinary, we encourage papers that consider both the core connections at the heart of the field as well as the new directions it expands into across disciplines.
We also welcome papers that highlight the international dimensions of Scandinavian Studies—both diachronically and synchronically—whether as a geographical region, a cultural context, or a discipline shaped by diverse historical, institutional, political, and cultural traditions. In short: bridges abound!
Roundtables at SASS 2026
This year’s meeting will place special emphasis on roundtables. In keeping with the conference theme, we encourage roundtable proposals that reach across subfields or national traditions—those that trace meaningful through-lines across seemingly disparate case studies, methods, or contexts.
Please note: attendees may present one paper and participate in one roundtable.
Streams
Individuals or groups interested in organizing thematic streams may submit a stream proposal via the link below by October 15, 2025. Individuals wishing to submit their individual abstract to a particular stream may do so by selecting that stream on the submission form.
Stream organizers must also submit their own individual paper proposal.
General Submissions
As always at SASS, papers and panels that do not explicitly engage with the presidential theme are also warmly welcomed.
Key Information
Stream Submissions Open: September 22, 2025
Stream Submission Deadline: October 15, 2025
Stream Submission Portal: app.oxfordabstracts.com/events/74957/symposia/create
Abstract Submissions Open: October 20, 2025
Abstract Submission Deadline: January 15, 2026
Abstract Submission Portal: https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/78059/submitter
For assistance, please contact the program committee at sass2025@scandinavianstudy.org.
Register (Coming January 2026)
Info coming March 2026
Schedule (Coming March 2026)
Info coming March 2026
Getting Around New York (Coming January 2026)
Info coming soon