Deadline: Tuesday 31st March 2026
The British Association for Romantic Studies is pleased to invite Expressions of Interest in hosting its 2028 International Biennial Conference. This conference will follow the upcoming ‘Romantic Retrospection’ conference at the University of Birmingham (29-31 July 2026), which builds on successful BARS conferences in Glasgow (2024), at Edge Hill (with the North American Society for the Study of Romanticism; 2022), online (2021), in Nottingham (2019), in York (2017) and in Cardiff (2015). BARS membership and conference attendance have grown and diversified over the past decade, and delegate feedback from recent events has been very positive.
Drawing on this momentum, we are very much looking forward to working with institutions to build on and further diversify the successful BARS model.
To make BARS accessible, we generally run the conference across three full days during the working week, usually in late July or early August. Further details about the usual shape of conference are given below, and a full set of programmes for past conferences can be seen here.
Expressions of Interest should include a description of the host institution (or institutions – we’re open to partnerships), including the proposed venue(s); details of a potential conference theme; and an outline budget to give a sense of the likely cost for delegates (an example budget template can be provided on request). Expressions of Interest should be sent to the BARS Secretary, Andrew McInnes (bars.secretary@gmail.com), by Tuesday 31st March 2026.
We are happy to answer questions from potential conference hosts; these can be addressed to Andy and the BARS President, Matthew Sangster (bars.secretary@gmail.com and matthew.sangster@glasgow.ac.uk).
Potential host institutions are expected to take account of the following details in preparing their Expressions of Interest:
Venue Location, Capacity and Accessibility
BARS International Conference generally have over 200 delegates, and numbers interested could range as high as 250 or 300. Please bear this figure in mind when bidding. Hosts will need a plenary lecture hall large enough to accommodate these numbers, plus a sufficient number of breakout rooms for parallel sessions (BARS conferences normally have seven to ten), as well as appropriate catering facilities.
The conference venue should be accessible via public transport. A range of accommodation options should be available in the vicinity. Sufficient cheap accommodation to facilitate postgraduate participation must be available (student halls are ideal): such accommodation should ideally be within reasonable walking distance of the conference venue.
The venue should meet the usual requirements for facilities for academic meetings, including Wi-Fi and PowerPoint/projection facilities in all rooms. It is desirable that the breakout rooms are in reasonable proximity to each other, and that there is a communal meeting area or foyer so that delegates can socialise and browse publisher stands between panels.
In order to comply with BARS’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, conference organisers should ensure that the venue, accommodation and transportation are accessible.
Conference Theme
The theme should be of sufficient scope and significance to allow all the Association’s members to participate, and should avoid repeating the themes of previous BARS conferences. Recent themes have included ‘Romantic Imprints’ (2015), ‘Romantic Improvement’ (2017), ‘Romantic Facts and Fantasies’ (2019), ‘Romantic Disconnections/Reconnections’ (2021 online), ‘New Romanticisms’ (2022), ‘Romantic Making and Unmaking’ (2024) and ‘Romantic Retrospection’ (2026). A full list of previous conferences can be found on the BARS website.
Timetable
The conference typically takes place over three full days in the second half of July or in early August. A confirmed date is not needed for the Expression of Interest, but organisers of the conference will be expected to check which Romantic-period-related conferences are already scheduled and liaise with conference and society chairs in order to avoid clashes wherever possible.
The BARS Call for Papers is usually circulated in September or October of the year preceding the conference, closing at the end of November. Decisions are usually sent out early in the conference year.
The host institution’s conference committee is responsible for vetting proposals, but the BARS Executive can provide support with this if requested.
Hybrid and/or Digital Aspects
We ask that BARS’ major conferences provide means for those unable to attend physically to present and take part in the programme. How this is done is up to the proposers – there could be separate digital and campus-based components, as with BARS 2024 and BARS 2026, or hybrid delivery could be employed, as for BARS/NASSR 2022. BARS appreciates that institutions will have differing levels of support in this area, and we will work closely with the conference organisers in developing digital programming, drawing on experience from BARS’ past conferences, Digital Events and Digital Symposia.
Programme
The bulk of the BARS conference programme usually takes the form of parallel sessions consisting of panels in which delegates deliver 20-minute papers. BARS welcomes convened and themed panels that reflect cutting-edge projects and collaborative research, and other formats such as roundtables and workshops. Panels at BARS International Conferences should incorporate postgraduates, early career researchers and independent scholars on an equal basis alongside more established academics.
There are usually three or four plenary sessions, one of which is designated the Stephen Copley Lecture and another the Marilyn Butler Lecture, in memory of much-loved scholars. It is common for the conference to open and close with plenary sessions in order to bring the whole conference together. Plenaries are chosen by the local organising committee, though BARS expects the list of speakers to balance genders and include scholars from a range of places and at different career stages.
Refreshments and Lunches
BARS generally expects the conference registration fee to include refreshments (in regular 30-minute coffee breaks), lunches on all three days and buffet food at receptions. Pleasebuild this into your costs.
Other Conference Components
The BARS conference includes
- a welcome reception (normally on the first night)
- a slot for awarding the BARS First Book Prize (this can be done at the welcome reception or can be separate)
- a banquet (usually on the penultimate evening); the banquet is an optional extra that can be booked alongside registration
- a slot for a reception aimed specifically at postgraduate and early career researchers
- the BARS Biennial General Meeting (usually scheduled on the middle day of the conference in a long lunch break or the early evening)
Conference Excursion
It is usual to arrange an excursion or choice of excursions with laid-on transport to a Romantic-period-relevant location or locations. These now normally take place on the day after the conference. An excursion is always an optional extra in terms of costings and can be purchased during registration.
Costs
Organisers are asked to keep costs as low as possible without compromising the quality of the event. Please provide as much information as you can about the predicted registration fees. As well as a full rate, there should be a discounted rate for PGRs, ECRs, retired and unwaged delegates. Discounted ‘early bird’ rates may be offered at organisers’ discretion. In order to maximise inclusion, day rates must feature as part of the package offered to delegates, but do not need to be competitively priced against the full package (the day fee is often around half the full fee).
BARS is willing to provide financial support to its international conference in the form of a subvention, payments for particular elements and/or bursaries; this will be negotiated with organisers based on needs.
Conference organisers will also be expected to liaise with publishers and societies about involvement with and support for the conference; guidance will be provided for this based on past experience.
The conference should be budgeted on a break-even basis, not to make a significant profit. Institutions hosting the conference are normally expected to sign an agreement that any profits from the conference will be shared 50/50 with BARS.
Liaison
Organisers will maintain contact with the BARS Executive throughout the planning process. This is usually managed by the co-option of a local organiser onto the BARS Executive for a period of two or more years. Executive members will be available to advise in meetings and over email. If feasible, a delegation from the Executive will make a site visit to check through logistics, run through the programme and offer general advice.