Since 2007 every year we organize the international Critical Theory conference in different academic venues. These conferences usually gather between 110 and 150 speakers from all over the world from prestigious academic and non-academic institutions. Among the past keynoters we had the pleasure of hosting major scholars such as Deborah Cook, Peter Dews, Andrew Feenberg, Rahel Jaeggi, Martin Jay, Stephan Lessenich, Max Pensky, Stefano Petrucciani and many others.
The organization of these conference has traditionally been coordinated by Stefano Giacchetti Ludovisi, and currently by Bahar Tahsily. The committee supervising the academic standards includes: Andrew Cutrofello (Acting Chair), Alessandro Ferrara, Bahar Tahsily, Colby Dickinson, David Ingram, Dianne Rothleder, Hille Haker, Hugh Miller, Stefano Giacchetti (Acting Coordinator)
The 2026 Conference will be hosted by Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna – Department of the Arts (DAR) , located in Via Barberia 4, Bologna, Italy.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
18th INTERNATIONAL CRITICAL THEORY CONFERENCE
JUNE 17-18-19, 2026
Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna
Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna is hosting the 18th international conference on Critical Theory, which will be held at its Department of the Arts (DAR) in Bologna, Italy – Via Barberia 4.
The conference will examine the importance and the developments of the Frankfurt School by addressing both the philosophical tradition of the early stages of Critical Theory – and in particular the works of Walter Benjamin, Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer and Herbert Marcuse – as well as the application of their theories to our contemporary society. The conference will also address the second and third generation of critical theorists, welcoming, among others, papers on Habermas and Honneth, as well as key influential figures for Critical Theory, such as Lukács and Bloch. In order to reflect the wide range of topics addressed by Critical Theory, the conference will cover different aspects of philosophical reflection on justice, politics, aesthetics, sociology, theology, technology, literature and any other field of study related to the Frankfurt School.
The conference will be held at the Department of the Arts (DAR) of the University of Bologna on June 17-18-19, 2026. It will begin on Wednesday morning and end on Friday evening (after 6pm). During the sessions, each speaker will have 30 minutes (20 minutes for the presentation and 10 for discussion). All presentations will be made in English.
Keynote speakers:
Marina Calloni, Università di Milano – Bicocca
Alessandro Ferrara, University of Rome, Tor Vergata
David Ingram, Loyola University Chicago
Stefano Marino, University of Bologna
Giovanni Matteucci, University of Bologna
Stefano Petrucciani, University of Rome, La Sapienza
David Posner, Loyola University Chicago
Surti Singh, Villanova University
(The list of keynoters might be modified on a later date)
If you are interested in presenting a paper or organizing a panel (of up to 6 speakers), please submit a 1 page abstract by April 4, 2026 (including name, eventual institutional affiliation and email address). Abstracts should be submitted by email. Decisions regarding the program will be made by mid-April 2026.
To submit an abstract, or for more information, contact:
Prof. Bahar Tahsily: criticaltheoryinrome@gmail.com
Conference fees:
Unwaged (unemployed and/or graduate students): 150 Euro
Waged (employed and/or sponsored speakers): 200 Euro
Check this website for any update
Co-sponsored by: Loyola University Chicago, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and Quinlan Business School
Co-organized by: University of Bologna – Department of the Arts (DAR) and Società Italiana di Teoria Critica (SITC)
(The spaces for the event have been requested from the University of Bologna and we are awaiting the relevant authorization for their use, which should happen in a few days)