Annual Conference 

5th Annual International Singles Studies Association Conference

July 8, 2026 in Edinburgh, Scotland

The Single Majority: Single Studies for a Changing Society

Call for Abstracts

The International Singles Studies Association (ISSA) invites scholars, policymakers, artists, advocates and interested parties to submit abstracts for its 5th annual meeting, to be held in-person and virtually on the 8th of July 2026, 10am-4pm (BST) at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland. This annual conference brings together a community of scholars and professionals who are pushing the boundaries of our understanding of singlehood in its various dimensions. 

Guidelines: 

Fill out this form for submission by February 10th, 2026: https://forms.gle/HaaQpFMsVxJxh6Pq5

Abstracts should be no more than 300 words (1800 characters) and provide a clear overview of the research or artistic work that contributes to the study of singlehood. 

Important dates

Abstract submission deadline: February 10th, 2026

Notification of Acceptance: Late March, 2026

Final Agenda: June 8th, 2026

Conference: July 8th, 2026

The theme of this year’s conference is “The Single Majority: Single Studies for a Changing Society.” In many parts of the world, single adults now make up a significant and growing share of the population. As singlehood becomes increasingly common, longstanding assumptions about relationships, family, identity, care, and citizenship are being challenged and need to be reimagined. This conference seeks contributions that deepen our understanding of single life in its many evolving forms and contexts, and that critically examine how rising rates of singlehood are transforming social norms, economic structures, cultural narratives, and policy landscapes. We welcome interdisciplinary, global, and intersectional work that advances Singlehood Studies as a field and engages with the opportunities and inequalities emerging in this new era.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Refining and Rethinking Singlehood Studies: Concepts, Categories, Methods, and Meanings

• Social Change and Singlehood: Policy, Laws, Rights, and Reform

• Singlehood and Intersectional Identities (e.g., Age, Class, Disability, Gender, Nationality, Race, Religion, Sexual Orientation, etc.)

• Global and Decolonial Perspectives on Singlehood

• Singleness in Indigenous Communities

• Shifting Norms and Narratives Around Singlehood

• Singlehood Identities, Social Networks, and Stigma

• Cultural Shifts in Representations of Singlehood in the Arts, Literature, and Media

• Work, Care, and the Economics of Singleness

• Technology, AI, and the Digital Lives of Single People

• Masculinities, Men, and Singlehood

Date: July 8, 2026

Location: University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland

No Conference Fee

Please send any questions to one of our conference organisers: 

Alexandra Fisher, University of Edinburgh, Scotland alex.fisher@ed.ac.uk

Kimberly Martinez Phillips, York University, Canada kphillip@yorku.ca

Note: Conference takes place before the IARR conference reception in Glasgow