ABOUT THE SSHA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The SSHA conference meets annually, usually in November. The location changes according to the following logic: once every three years in Chicago, once every three years somewhere on the ‘East Coast’ and once every three years somewhere else. Since 2010, the Association has extended its reach to include Canadian cities as possible locations. The conference involves over a thousand scholars from around the world, although graduate students and faculty from the leading American universities predominate.

THE 2025 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Our 2025 conference will be held in Chicago, Illinoi from November 20 - November 23, 2025 at the Palmer House Hotel. This year’s theme is “Complexity and its Consequences.” The Call for Papers and conference submission system is now open. You can submit a paper or panel proposal, or you can volunteer to be a discussant or chair here: CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE SUBMISSION SYSTEM. There you can find the full CFP and instructions on how to use the conference submission system. We will also use this system for the online program this year, as Whova has been discontinued.

NOTE: In order to facilitate valuable discussion of new research, the SSHA conference is an in-person only event, and there will be no ability to participate virtually (via Zoom or otherwise). If you are submitting to present at the conference, it is expected that you will attend and participate in person. We recognize that not everyone can participate in person, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience..

Registration

SSHA requires that all session participants register for the annual meeting and be (or become) members of the SSHA. If your membership is not current, you will not be able to register for the conference as a member. Please sign up for membership, or renew your membership prior to filling out the conference registration form. Additionally, to be included in the final program, one MUST be registered for the conference by August 31st. After that date, papers without at least one author will be removed from the program. To sign up for an SSHA membership, please visit the SSHA membership registration website.

Registration fees include admittance to all paper sessions, as well as Thursday and Saturday receptions. All session participants must register for the conference and be (or become) a member of SSHA. Registration for SSHA 2025 will open in April

           2024 Conference Registration Pricing (member rate)

              Non-Session Participant (non-member rate)

Visa Information

For additional information regarding travel visas to the United States, please consult the following sites:

• U.S. Travel Tips
• Visa Determination for U.S. Travel
• Entry Requirements by Country or Territory

Wait times vary by point of origin. Please plan accordingly.

Visa Letters

If you require a confirmation letter for your visa application, please send proof of paid registration, your name as it appears on your passport, and your current address to: iuconfs@iu.edu

Please DO NOT send birthdate or passport numbers.

Please Note: If your membership is not current, you will not be able to register for the conference as a member.  Please sign up for membership, or renew your membership prior to filling out the conference registration form. Membership information is below.

Membership

SSHA Membership is on a rolling basis—good for 12 months from the date of your joining/renewal—and includes a subscription to the Social Science History journal. If you have not yet signed up or renewed your membership, please do so before registering for the conference, in order to receive the discounted member registration fee.

Senior Scholars: $90
Early Mid-Career: $60
Students: $30

To sign up for an SSHA membership, please visit the SSHA membership registration website.

For questions about registration please contact:

Melissa Kocias
iuconfs@iu.edu
812.855.4224 * 800.933.9330

Cancellations

Cancellation requests must be received in writing to the Conference Registrar at iuconfs@indiana.edu no later than October 31st, to be eligible for a refund (less a $50 cancellation fee). No refunds will be issued after that date.

Hotel Information & Reservations

SSHA 2025 will be held at the Palmer House Hotel in downtown Chicago, a usual stop for the SSHA. Click here to make a reservation at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel

SSHA recognizes that you have a number of options when securing hotel accommodations for the annual meeting. It is important to keep in mind that SSHA has made a major commitment to the conference hotel in order to secure a large block of quality hotel rooms at competitive prices in a convenient location. SSHA is legally bound to fill these rooms. Not doing so has severe financial implications for SSHA, both in the current year and in years to come, and will almost certainly raise your costs of attending future annual meetings.

Awards and Grants

The Association promotes high quality scholarship through its awards program, which recognizes the best work by a younger scholar and the best work by any scholar in our many fields. We also facilitate the participation of graduate students through a travel grant. Please note that students applying for these funds need to fill out the appropriate form and submit it along with their proposed to the network representatives.

Richard Sutch Student Travel Awards

The Social Science History Association is pleased to offer a limited number of student travel grants to help offset the cost to graduate students (and the occasional exceptional undergraduate) attending our annual conference.

Applications will open April 15, 2025. Please be patient as the notification process can take several weeks to complete.

FUTURE CONFERENCES

• Chicago, Illinois, USA, November 16-19, 2028

Past Conference Programs» https://ssha.org/programs/