The next Standing Committee on Humanities and Social Sciences (SC-HASS) Biennial Conference will be hosted by the Antarctic Legacy of South Africa (ALSA) at Stellenbosch University, from 7–9 September 2027 in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Bringing Antarctica Closer: Bringing Antarctica Closer invites participants to join us at the southern tip of Africa to explore the relationships that connect Antarctica and the wider Antarctic region to the rest of the world. Rather than viewing Antarctica as remote or isolated, the conference theme emphasises its importance to our shared planetary futures and the vital role of the humanities and social sciences in understanding these connections. Bringing Antarctica Closer speaks both to human engagement in Antarctica and human engagement with Antarctica—bringing the continent more fully into our spheres of knowledge, understanding, care and responsibility.
The theme also invites us to look more closely: to uncover hidden and overlooked histories, recover diverse voices and experiences, develop new theoretical perspectives, and foster interdisciplinary and international research. Speaking to ideas of compassion, community and interconnectedness, the conference will provide a forum for diverse humanities and social sciences scholarship and arts practice that recognises that Antarctica’s future is inseparable from our own.
We welcome abstracts from across the humanities and social sciences that engage with Antarctica, the sub-Antarctic regions, the Southern Ocean and related topics. We particularly encourage interdisciplinary approaches and welcome contributions involving creative and artistic research and practice, as well as relevant projects and collaborations that cross disciplinary boundaries.
Information re registration, conference programme and logistics will later be made available
We look forward to welcoming you to Stellenbosch, South Africa, for SCHASS 2027!
2027 SCAR SC-HASS Biennial Conference Organising Committee
Antarctic Legacy of South Africa (ALSA), Stellenbosch University
Ria Olivier and Dana Jellin
In collaboration with: Charne Lavery — University of Pretoria Jean Brundrit — University of Cape Town Anché Louw — South African Polar Research Infrastructure Wiida Fourie-Basson — Stellenbosch University
