Call for Papers: CSDH/SCHN Congress 2026 (extended deadline)

CFP Deadline: February 2nd, 2026
June 3rd-5th, 2026 | Université de Montréal, Montréal (Québec

ConfTool URL: https://conftool.net/csdh-schn-2026/
(Appel en français ici)

The Canadian Society for Digital Humanities (CSDH/SCHN) invites proposals for papers, panels, and digital demonstrations for its annual meeting, which will be held at Université de Montréal between June 3rd and 5th, that coincides with the INKE Partnership annual meeting and the Digital Humanities Summer Institute (DHSI). The Society encourages submissions on all topics relating to theory and practice in the evolving field of Digital Humanities. Research-creation approaches that engage with digital methods as both scholarly and artistic practice are welcome. We invite researchers, students, librarians, archivists, artists, designers, and public intellectuals to present their research and work.

This year, we are particularly interested in exploring the notion of “Untranslatable.” Digital Humanities explore and mobilize cultural objects that undergo digitization, modelling, or editorialization. These digital representations result from translation or remediation processes that can introduce biases, reductions, and simplifications. Drawing on the notion of the “untranslatable” proposed by the French philosopher Barbara Cassin, the conference will examine the things that either resist translation, or cannot be translated, due to their materiality and/or cultural specificity.

Each translation opens a problem of meaning-making, context, and conceptual association. For Digital Humanities, “untranslatable” emphasizes that computing implies not only the impossibility of one-to-one equivalence but also layered, modelled, and often probabilistic relations. In particular, when large language models marketed as “artificial intelligence” seem to encompass the entire human knowledge and even generate new ones, it is necessary to discuss how those models could be appropriate for humanistic investigation.

The conference theme also considers the Canadian context, in which French–English bilingualism shapes scholarly communication, culture and politics, and the urgency of Indigenous matter. When Digital Humanities projects engage with knowledge practices and systems of representations, they imply reflexivity and responsibilities for distinct values, selfdetermination, and stewardship.

Does the untranslatable in Digital Humanities arise from its inherent qualities or from the technology itself? Are there any advantages or disadvantages to being untranslatable or translatable? Finally, what are the stakes of translation in contemporary Digital Humanities?

Themes (not exhaustive)

We welcome proposals in Digital Humanities that critically and creatively address the 2026 theme, focusing on, but not limited to, the following topics:

  • AI, LLMs and Machine learning
  • Digital critical editions
  • Digital historiography
  • Environmental approaches
  • Virtual and augmented reality
  • History of DH
  • Indigenous knowledges and technologies
  • Law, ethics and activism
  • Libraries, archives and museums
  • Data visualization, sonification and embodiment
  • Multilinguality and/or Francophonie
  • Multimodality
  • Pedagogy, teaching and learning
  • Research creation
  • Sustainability
  • Surveillance and censorship
  • Synthetic data
  • Translation and accessibility
  • World models and artificial sensing

Submission

Proposals for papers (20 minutes), digital demonstrations (posters), and panels (2-6 speakers for a 90-minute session) will be accepted until Monday, February 2nd, 2026 (11:59 pm EST) and should be submitted through https://conftool.net/csdh-schn-2026/

If you are a graduate student and want to be considered for a travel grant, you must apply through the submission system and fill out this form https://forms.gle/3ARtG7cu65hfw87R8 by Friday the 23rd (11:59 pm EST).

  • Paper abstracts should be not more than 500 words and should typically specify your thesis, methodology, and conclusions, and any other original ideas and practices.
  • Panel proposals should include a brief introduction to the topic, a list of presenters, and a 250-500-word abstract for each paper.
  • Proposals for digital demonstrations of innovative projects or tools should be around 300 words and introduce the tool or project, the intended audience, and the project’s stage of development. These demonstrations will receive table space and a backdrop, allowing them to set up a poster and a computer for a two-hour session. We encourage software-based projects to apply for this venue.

Our conference may offer limited opportunities for remote presentations. If circumstances make in-person attendance challenging, please indicate this in your submission.

Please note that all presenters and instructors must be members of CSDH/SCHN at the time of the conference. A limited amount of funding is available to support graduate student travel. Please indicate in the submission system that you’ve made an application.

CSDH/SCHN welcomes proposals from all communities and disciplines and encourages applications from women, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) , 2SLGBTQ+, people with disabilities, or other underrepresented groups.

The conference’s working languages are French and English. Engagements with other languages and issues of multilingualism in Digital Humanities are welcome and encouraged as topics and components of presentations.

Selected papers from the conference will appear in special collections published in the CSDH/SCHN society journal, Digital Studies/Le champ numérique

You are welcome to contact the Program Co-Chairs:

  • Noa Yaari (noa.yaari@utoronto.ca)
  • Emmanuel Chateau-Dutier (emmanuel.chateau.dutier@umontreal.ca)

Registration

Registration for the CSDH/SCHN annual conference will open March 15, 2026. 

This year, all the costs of running the annual conference are supported by CSDH/SCHN. Registration fees will cover the conference submission management software, the rental of the spaces, conference platform for videoconferencing, honoraria for keynote speakers, coffee, light refreshments, and a community lunch for all participants. We have worked to keep the registration costs as low as possible while ensuring we are providing attendees with a positive conference experience.  

Bursaries

CSDH/SCHN will offer a limited number of bursaries to support graduate students’ attendance (members only). Details are forthcoming from CSDH/SCHN.

Registration Fees

We encourage non-members to register with CSDH/SCDH to receive member rates. Please register for the CSDH/SCDH annual meeting using the member categories below. 

Regular (non-member)CAD 250
CSDH/SCHN memberCAD 180
Student (non-member)CAD 100
Student CSDH/SCHN (member)CAD 60
Contingent / underemployed / unemployed / retired (member)CAD 60
Please let us know if we can support further your participation*CAD 30

* Email the Co-Chairs with your request.

CSDH/SCHN’s annual conference organizers

Local Organizer

Dominic Forest, Université de Montréal

Program Committee Co-Chairs

Program Committee Members

  • Paul Barrett, Guelph University
  • John Bessai, independent researcher
  • Chelsea Miya, Guelph University
  • Abhik Hasnain, University of Alberta
  • Ray Siemens, UVIC, INKE

The 2026 CSDH/SCHN Annual Conference is organized in Université de Montréal with the support of the Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur les humanités numériques (CRIHN).