12th South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference 2026
Conference dates: January 29-30, 2026
Theme: “Resilience & Renewal: Tradition, Innovation, and Media Futures in South Asia”
Location: Florida State University (hybrid format)
Conference website: bit.ly/samcs26
Contact: samcs@cci.fsu.edu
The 12th Annual South Asian Media and Cultural Studies (SAMCS) Conference will be held on January 29-30, 2026. This will be a hybrid event, hosted both online and in person at the Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA. Proposals were due by 11:59 pm EDT on October 1, 2025.
The 2026 conference theme, “Resilience & Renewal: Tradition, Innovation, and Media Futures in South Asia,” explores how media and communication are shaping, and are shaped by, the region’s cultural, political, and social transformations. The theme encourages reflection on how local, Indigenous, and urban communities across South Asia and South East Asia engage with media to preserve identity, share knowledge, and respond to change. From journalism and cinema to digital storytelling, strategic communication, and grassroots media, the conference welcomes a wide range of perspectives on how tradition and innovation intersect in everyday practice. It offers space to explore how media contributes to more resilient, and culturally grounded futures in the region.
The conference opening keynote speaker is Dr. Michael R. Ogden, Dean Emeritus, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Zayed University, focusing on Indigenous documentary, climate resilience, and the role of South Asian and Southeast Asian perspectives in shaping global media futures. This will be in person in the early evening of Thursday January 29, 2026.
We welcome proposals for individual presentations, panels, posters, creative projects, and works-in-progress from scholars, students, artists, and practitioners. Submissions from interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspectives are especially encouraged. The SAMCS Conference fosters interdisciplinary dialogue, collaboration, and exchange among scholars, students, policymakers, artists, and community leaders from across the globe. We are committed to supporting work that engages critically with both local and global dynamics shaping media and cultural expression in South Asia, and globally.
The registration form will be posted below.
Please direct any questions to the organizing team at samcs@cci.fsu.edu.
Feel free to share this announcement with colleagues and networks who may be interested.
Warm regards,
The SAMCS Organizing Team
Email: samcs@cci.fsu.edu
Registration (to come)