CFP: Southern Forum on Agricultural, Rural, and Environmental History 2026 (SFARE)

The Southern Forum on Agricultural, Rural, and Environmental History (SFARE) is now accepting proposals for its annual conference, to be held at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC, March 20-21, 2026.

Since 2008, SFARE has provided a collegial setting for established scholars and advanced graduate students to present material that pushes the boundaries of agricultural, rural, and environmental history. In keeping with SFARE’s tradition of fostering a welcoming and constructive atmosphere, participants should plan to attend allpanels (there are no concurrent sessions) in order to provide quality feedback for each presenter. This year’s event is supported by the Department of History at Western Carolina University, the Center for the History of Agriculture, Science, and the Environment of the South (CHASES) at Mississippi State University, as well as by the Agricultural History Society.

Dr. Alison Collis Greene, Associate Professor of American Religious History at Emory University and the author of No Depression in Heaven: The Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Transformation of Religion in the Delta (Oxford, 2016), will deliver this years’ keynote address.

Work on all geographic locations and time periods is welcome. Faculty and students are invited to submit panel, roundtable, or single-paper proposals on any topic dealing with rural, agricultural, or environmental history. Please submit a 250-word paper proposal or a 500-word panel proposal, along with a one-page CV for each person involved, to Luke Manget at tmanget@wcu.edu. 

The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2026. Responses will be sent by February 1.