Co-organisers Elizabeth J. Petcu and Maurice Saß
Confirmed double session for the Association for Art History Conference
8-10 April 2026
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Ecocriticism—that is, critical approaches to understanding the interconnection of terrestrial beings, elements, forces, and systems—has become a significant dynamic in art history over the past decades. This development has progressed in different ways within various areas of art history, and rarely as a cohesive—much less communal—field-wide conversation. In addition, art history’s ecological impact beyond the academy still has much unrealised potential. This session explores how art history could become ecologically allied to realise that impact.
The first half of the day-long session will pose questions about ecological orientations within art history as a discipline, for instance: How can disparate subfields of art history learn from each other in developing ecocritical ways of working? How does ecocritical art history connect with other critical art histories (e.g. queer/postcolonial/Marxist)? What can ecocritical art history gain from dialogue with other disciplines?
The second half of the session will ask how ecocritical art history can engage and shape conversations beyond the academy, for example: How can art history better serve its many publics in exploring the ecological dimensions of art? What forms of inquiry and dialogues can have ecologically meaningful “impact”?
We seek 20-minute papers that focus on either line of inquiry, as well as responses for each. The goal of the session is to empower art historians to connect across our discipline to realise a more publicly and ecologically engaged version of the field.
Please email Elizabeth J. Petcu and Maurice Saß with a brief proposal (maximum 200 words) and 2-page CV at epetcu@ed.ac.uk and Maurice.sass@alanus.edu by Friday, 14 November 2025 at 5 PM GMT.