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DiscourseNet Conference 2027: Discursive Imaginaries of Change
DiscourseNet Conference 2027: Discursive Imaginaries of Change
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Call for Papers (Download)
Convocatoria de contribuciones
Submissions
All contributions must be submitted via Conftool: https://www.conftool.com/dnc2027/
About the Congress
500 years of Philipps-Universität Marburg – 500 years of intellectual transformation.
In 2027, DNC comes to Marburg to ask how we imagine, negotiate and discursively shape transformation today.
In times of polycrisis – shaped by climate change, authoritarian developments, social inequality, as well as artificial intelligence and digital media – it is not only societal change itself that is at stake. The language and discourses through which we describe these changes are also contested.
DNC 2027 understands transformation as a discursive space of power, conflict, knowledge and imagination.
We ask:
- What discursive fault lines and counter-imaginaries are emerging?
- Which futures are being articulated – and by whom
- How can new discursive and heterotopic spaces emerge?
We invite scholars from the humanities and social sciences to rethink transformation.
Thematic Focuses
Imaginary and Discourse: How are the meanings of “transformation,” “crisis,” or “future” constructed, stabilized, and contested in political, media, and everyday discourses? Which social imaginaries shape collective conceptions of the economy, democracy, society, and ecology?
Power, Knowledge, and Epistemic Struggles: What knowledge is considered legitimate, and what is marginalized? We particularly welcome contributions from the Global South, as well as from decolonial, feminist, and Indigenous perspectives that challenge Western-modern interpretive frameworks. We are also interested in analyses of how educational systems, organizations, and communicative practices normalize certain epistemic orders.
Heterotopias and Counter-Movements: Where do alternative spaces, practices, and discourses emerge? How are the commons, care, solidarity, and more-than-human interconnections articulated as alternatives to market logic? And what is the relationship between such spaces and hegemonic formations - or, rather, how might they transform them?
Methodological Reflexivity: How can discourse studies reflect on its own positions, avoid hegemonic narrowings or epistemic romanticism, and develop forms of “caring research”? What are the implications of this for engaged, transdisciplinary, or co-creative methodologies?
Topics and Proposed Panels
We invite 15–20-minute presentations (followed by a 10-minute discussion) that address the conference theme. Contributions that do not clearly fit into any of the thematic areas are expressly welcome. Proposed panels may, for example, address the following perspectives:
- Philosophical: Alternative epistemologies, ontological pluralism, and politics of knowledge.
- Political: Populism, the dismantling of democracy, postcolonial and feminist visions of democracy.
- Economic: From neoliberalism to plural economies; the discursive construction of the “Great Transformation”
- Linguistic: From grand to small narratives, regimes of truth, post-truth orders
- Social and Spatial: Social fragmentation, commoning, urban heterotopias such as commons/public partnerships, and community-based change
- Ecological: Discourses on climate change, more-than-human interconnections, Buen Vivir, and degrowth
- Education and organization: onto-epistemological perspectives, e.g., on commoning in education, institutional discourses, discursive perspectives on organizational learning and education, and pedagogical imaginaries
- Methodology: Reflexive, Caring, and Transdisciplinary Research Approaches
- Media and Digital Imaginaries: AI Safety and Alignment, Digital Platforms, and the Co-Production of Societal Futures
- Gender, Minorities, and Postcolonialism: Anti-feminist and Anti-LGBTQ+ Discourses, In-Group/Out-Group Constructions, and Decolonial Imaginaries
And many more...
Presentation Formats
DNC 2027 welcomes submissions in three formats:
- Individual Papers
Individual presentations of research findings, theoretical work or other contributions related to the congress theme.
20-minute presentation + 10-minute discussion
Submission with title, abstract (max. 250 words) and references (APA 7) - Symposia
Three thematically connected contributions addressing a common topic, question or research problem.
90 minutes total
Joint submission
Introduction: max. 400 words
Abstracts: max. 200 words per contribution
References according to APA 7 - Research Workshops
Interactive formats for methodological exchange, research practice and collaborative practical work.
90 minutes
Possible formats include discussions, practical exercises and other interactive activities
Introduction: max. 600 words
Methodology: max. 400 words
References: max. 300 words - Unconferencing
The “UnConferencing” format offers a participatory and collaboratively designed space for discussions, networking, and exchange. Participants can suggest topics, such as book projects, research initiatives, conferences, current issues, or other topics they would like to discuss. It also offers the opportunity to establish contacts with the University of Marburg and regional partners, including the Gender Center and the Democracy Center. The unconference sessions will take place on Tuesday afternoon and will last 90 minutes. Everyone is invited to suggest a topic for a session. Proposals for networking and collaborative activities should be submitted via Conftool.
Venue
The conference will take place in person at Philipps University of Marburg. Further information on travel, accommodations, and the program will be posted at https://discourseanalysis.net/DNC2027. Online participation is not planned.
The conference is being organized in cooperation with the Center for Gender Studies and the Center for Democracy at Philipps University of Marburg. The local organizing team is led by Prof. Dr. Susanne Maria Weber.
Conference Languages
Please select the language in which you would like to present your paper in Conftool (English, French, Spanish, or German).
Registration Fees and Registration
Participants must sign up for an active DiscourseNet membership (€60 for 2 years) and pay a conference fee. In the spirit of solidarity, we differentiate as follows:
Early-Bird-Rate (through March 31, 2027)
- Professors/ researchers affiliated with an institution: €168
- Doctoral students: €83
- Colleagues from the Global South / students: €43
Standard Rate (through June 15, 2027):
- Professors and researchers affiliated with an institution: €253
- Docotral students: €153
- Colleagues from the Global South: €83
Payment instructions will be sent with the confirmation of acceptance and can be accessed via Conftool. The conference is also open to non-presenting participants with active DN membership.
Non-presenting participants from the host institution (Philipps University of Marburg) are exempt from the DiscourseNet membership fee.
Contact
For more information about the conference, registration, accommodations, or the program, please contact: DNC 2027 Organizing Team: dncongress2027@gmail.com