Call for Proposals

Call for Abstracts: Deadline April 17, 2026

Indigenous Relationality Workshop

At the annual meeting of the Prairie Political Science Association (PPSA)

September 18-20, 2026

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Treaty Seven Territory

We invite scholars, students, artists, activists and community leaders to submit proposals for the Indigenous Relationality Workshop (IRW) held during the annual meeting of the Prairie Political Science Assocation (PPSA). The IRW is a gathering place for people to come together and discuss the complexities and lived realities of Indigenous relationality. Our aim is to encourage people to ground their discussions in a wide range of research and community contexts.

We encourage abstracts from anyone speaking to the general theme of relationships and Indigeneity within and beyond the prairies. Examples include abstracts focused on Indigenous kinship relations, gender and sexuality, artistic practices, land based practices, Indigenous politics, governance, community-engaged research, community leadership, self-determination, and sovereignty.

We hope to create a gathering place that encourages good relations among participants. To this end, we seek to build a workshop that fosters networks of trust and a culture of collegiality. This gathering is a training ground for emerging scholars and community leaders. A focus of the workshop is providing a supportive environment for graduate students and non-academics. We hope participants will create new connections between people and ideas while fostering relationships that spur creativity and strengthen the resolve of our cohort.

The workshop will be held at the stunning Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. We hope our eighth annual Indigenous Relationality Workshop builds upon the success of last year that included 64 presenters and many more attendees. 

Submission Procedures

Please submit directly through the PPSA portal. After listing your contact details, select “IRW” for your submission topic. The IRW is the first row on of the submission topic dropdown. https://www.prairiepsa.com/call-for-papers/

All panel and roundtable proposals must include a minimum of five people. Any person on a proposed panel or roundtable cannot be a part of another submission. A panel can be composed of either five papers or four papers and a discussant. There are two submission options for panels. 

Option One: single submission

• Page one: list each panelist as an author. Author one will be appointed chair for the panel. Author five will be appointed the discussant if only four papers are being presented.

• Page two: In the 150 word proposal, list the title of each paper. The entry labeled “Title” will be your panel title. 

Option Two: separate submissions

• The benefit of separate submission is each presenter can provide a 150 proposal for their paper.

• In the “Panel” entry, every panelist must list the same panel title. 

• The chair should indicate their role in their 150 word proposal. They can also list the discussant as author 2. 

For roundtables provide the following:

• Page one: list five panelists. 

• Page two: provide a title and a 150 word description of the roundtable. The IRW organizing committee will appoint a chair to your roundtable. 

For workshops (Research Visiting Space):

We will also accept 2-3 workshop proposals in our Research Visiting space in the Elder Tom Crane Bear Room. These proposals should outline a 90 minute workshop. 

If you have a registration limit we will collect registrations through a google form in September. 

Please be aware that during your workshop the room will also be open to other attendees who are looking for a space to visit or decompress. 

Please submit abstracts to the PPSA portal no later than Friday April 17, 2026.

All workshop presenters and attendees will be required to register for PPSA, through the PPSA website (www.prairiepsa.com) at a later date. PPSA registration includes conference fees, five meals on-site, on-site child care and parking at the Banff Centre. Student rates are available. The PPSA holds a room block on a first come first serve basis.