Call for Papers, I.M.S. at the Renaissance Society of America, San Francisco 2026
The International Machiavelli Society (I.M.S.) warmly invites member submissions for the Renaissance Society of America’s 2026 Annual Conference, taking place at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco, February 19–21, 2026.
We welcome abstracts that explore any facet of Machiavelli’s thought, sources, and legacy —whether from historical, philosophical, political, literary, or interdisciplinary perspectives.
As we mark the 10th anniversary of the Society’s founding, we are especially excited to encourage proposals for collaborative sessions co-sponsored with other RSA Associate Organizations, including the Dante Society of America, the American Boccaccio Society and the newly re-established Philosophy Discipline. We look forward to celebrating this milestone by fostering new dialogues across fields and traditions.
In collaboration with the Dante Society of America: Body & Soul Politics from Dante to Machiavelli explores the political sides and implications of pre-modern philosophical and theological discussions of the human person as entanglement of body and soul, and particularly political eschatology (see attached CFP).
In collaboration with the American Boccaccio Society: Renaissance literature explores the intersections of religion and deception from a variety of perspectives and across diverse literary genres. To foster a comparative dialogue, this panel invites papers that explore how Renaissance authors engaged with the nexus of religion and deception. We welcome submissions focusing on one or more texts by Boccaccio, Machiavelli, and/or other Renaissance writers (see attached CFP).
In collaboration with the re-established Philosophy Discipline the I.M.S. invites members to consider representing Machiavelli on the roundtable, “Who is the Most Significantly Underappreciated Renaissance Philosopher?” The theme for this roundtable explores how the Renaissance gave rise to many foundational disciplines of the modern humanities yet remains relatively overlooked by professional philosophers. Participants will offer brief opening remarks (5–7 minutes), followed by a moderated discussion and audience Q&A. Note: Roundtable participants are *not* precluded from presenting a paper in another session at the RSA. (The deadline for proposals for this roundtable is July 15th) For a full description of this roundtable topic, please see Underappreciated Renaissance Philosopher.
To submit a proposal for either the DSA or ABS co-sponsored sessions, or to propose another Machiavelli-themed panel or presentation, please complete the online proposal form at I.M.S. at the RSA 2026 by Friday, August 1st, 2025.
Proposals may be for individual presentations or full panels, and individual presentations cannot exceed 20 minute presentation time. The RSA Submission Platform places the following constraints on submissions
· Presentation abstracts cannot exceed 200 words.
· Presentation titles must be less than 15 words.
· Panel abstracts cannot exceed 300 words.
· Link to c.v. (preferred) or c.v. as a Word doc.
