Barcelona will host the 78th Conference of the International Commission for the History of Representative and Parliamentary Institutions (ICHRPI) from 1 to 4 September 2026, bringing together scholars from around the world. The call for papers is open until April 31.
The conference will be hosted by the Department of Humanities of Pompeu Fabra University in collaboration with the Parliament of Catalonia, the European Observatory on Memories (EUROM) of the Fundació Solidaritat UB, the Jaume Vicens Vives Institute of History (IUHJVV), and the Catalan Society for Historical Studies (SCEH/IEC).
This international meeting will bring together scholars working on the history of parliamentary and representative institutions across different periods and geographical contexts. Researchers are warmly invited to submit paper proposals related to the themes outlined below.
Conference Themes
- Parliamentary and representative institutions: From the peace and truce assemblies to the cortes of the Crown of Aragon.
- Parliamentary and representative institutions: From the Middle Ages to the present day—cities, states, nations, empires, colonies, and supranational organizations.
- Extraordinary contexts: Parliamentary and representative institutions in times of crises, wars, revolts, and revolutions.
- Actors of parliamentary life: Biography, prosopography, sociology, political parties, groupings, and convergences.
- Procedures and parliamentary work: Functioning of assemblies, external projection, transparency, and corruption.
- Relations with other powers: Interactions with executive, judicial, economic, religious, and media powers.
- Memory policies and narratives: Parliamentary and representative institutions in relation to memory policies, conflicting contemporary narratives, and (dis)memories.
- Parliamentarism and anti-parliamentarism: Parliamentary speeches and hate speech.
Languages
The official languages of the conference are Catalan, Spanish, English, French, and German.
Submission of Abstracts
Researchers interested in participating are invited to submit an abstract of no more than 200 words, referring to one of the conference themes.
- Submission deadline: 30 April 2026
- Notification of acceptance: 31 May 2026
- Publication of the conference programme: 7 June 2026
- Submission email: [email protected]
Conference Fees
- €100 – Members of the ICHRPI, Pompeu Fabra University affiliates, and undergraduate or postgraduate students
- €150 – Other scholars
- €80 – Accompanying partners
Travel Grants
Participants are encouraged to explore the Helen Maud Cam Travel Grant programme, which supports scholars wishing to attend the conference.
About the Conference
The ICHRPI conference represents a leading international forum for the exchange of research on the evolution, functioning, and societal impact of parliamentary and representative institutions. The 2026 edition in Barcelona will provide a unique opportunity to engage with interdisciplinary perspectives and to reflect on the historical and contemporary relevance of parliamentarism, including its intersections with memory policies—an area of particular interest to EUROM.