We warmly invite Utrecht University PhD candidates and (R)MA students from The Graduate School of Humanities to submit abstracts of their (future) research regarding The Human Body within the Humanities.

Submission Guidelines 

• The length of the abstract should be between 250 and 300 words. 
• Format: Abstracts should include a title, an introduction to the topic and research question, and a methodology. 
• Additional Information: Submissions should include the full name and program of the applicant, and 4-5 keywords related to the submission. 
• All submissions should be submitted to hgsc@uu.nl. Please include “Graduate Conference Submission” in the subject line. 
• In the submission email, you may indicate whether you wish your abstract to be considered for a paper presentation (10 minutes followed by Q&A at the end of the session) or a poster presentation (a poster and a short pitch). Submissions indicating a preference for a paper presentation which are rejected will be automatically considered for a poster presentation instead. 
• A selection committee comprised of PhD and RMA students will review all submissions. 
• Submissions are open to MA, RMA and PhD students within the Humanities faculty at UU, as well as recent graduates of one year.
• Interdisciplinary groups which include students from other UU faculties are welcome to apply as long as at least one member is from the Graduate School of Humanities and the topic significantly covers the conference theme.
• Notifications of acceptance/rejection will be sent out by early March 2025. 

EXTENDED Submission Deadline for Abstracts: February 16th, 2025. 

Please note: A selection of abstracts may be invited to submit their full paper to Junctions, the journal of the Utrecht Graduate School of Humanities. The deadline for Junctions Call for Papers is July 11th, 2025.  

Need some inspiration? See below for a number of examples of possible topics.

• Identity, intersectionality, and diversity studies 

• Sign language and body language studies 

• Embodied knowledge, affect, and technologies of the body  

• The body in art and performance 

• Reader-response theory 

• The human economy 

• Bodily autonomy and the body politic 

• Social reproduction, labor, and the body 

• The hybrid posthuman body and its relation to non-human bodies 

• Colonial and postcolonial bodies 

We look forward to your contributions to this year’s conference, where we will explore the vital and evolving role of the human body from all perspectives within the humanities!