The theme for the 2025 conference is "Community Memory in Times of Transnational Crisis." We define community memory as a modality of memory that is determined by the group, transmitted among individuals and generations. It is further activated through engagement with the public. Community memory remained alive for long periods of time in the private realm, but after the 18th century, community memory occupied more space in the public sphere. Community memory can also be prescribed by governmental bodies and privately-funded initiatives. Crisis in history occurred alongside mass migrations, trade routes, conquests, and the movement of bodies and goods. In times of transnationally connected crises, community memory is reexamined and redefined by conditions of uncertainty or insecurity, grief, and resilience in communities.

Submissions may engage with a variety of related topics including: Diaspora and migration, colonialism, political and cultural studies, archives, memorialization, resistance and futurity. The methods we encourage include but are not limited to: Critical race studies, ethnic studies, intersectional feminism, digital humanities, archival studies and sciences, transnational and world history, ethnic studies, language studies, disability studies, colonialism and postcolonial studies, subaltern studies, trauma studies, LGBTQIA+ studies, memory and affect studies, anthropology, media studies, law, museum studies, and environmental history.