The annual in-person meeting of the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies is Europe’s largest and most prestigious annual conference dealing with all aspects of the history, culture, and literature of the long eighteenth century. We invite proposals for papers and sessions dealing with any aspect of the long eighteenth century, not only in Britain, but also throughout Europe, North America, and the wider world. Proposals are invited for fully comprised panels of three papers, for roundtable sessions of up to five speakers, for individual papers of twenty minutes duration, and for ‘alternative format’ sessions of your devising. The submission portal for proposals will open 1st June 2026 and close 15th September 2026.

While proposals on all and any eighteenth-century topics are very welcome, this year our plenary speakers will be addressing the topic of ‘Artifice and Authenticity’, and proposals are also invited which address any aspect of this theme.

Authenticity was a key concern of the eighteenth century. As traditional means of assessing rank gave way to new understandings of social distinction, the question of who you really were became ever more important. Social standing could now be judged by manners and appearance, but that meant that anybody with a modicum of money and effort could gain admittance to polite society. This created new anxieties about artifice, which often focused on the falsity of fashion. Considerable attention was paid to whether your buckles were made of gold or pinchbeck, and whether they were adorned with precious stones or cheap alternatives.

As the century wore on, concern grew about the falsity of polite manners. This was witnessed by the controversy over the publication of Chesterfield’s letters to his illegitimate son, which appeared to encourage artifice in the interests of social climbing. Later Georgians admired values such as sincerity and candour, and the cult of sensibility lent itself to the outward expression of ‘true’ inner emotion. The Romantic movement celebrated authenticity, and the perspective of the common people was valued as never before. Even the common soldier found a ready market for his autobiographical writings, as readers sought vicariously to experience the profound reality of war.

As it does today, artificiality preoccupied eighteenth-century thinkers. The many innovations of the period sparked concern about how far humanity was diverging from the natural world. Mechanical inventions put artisans out of work or promised to do things that had formerly been done by a human. Automata played the flute, or played chess, like the famous Mechanical Turk that only later turned out to be a hoax. This has parallels with concerns in our own time about artificial intelligence and the threats that it poses to our intellectual and artistic labour.

The questions of artifice and authenticity therefore add to our understanding of the century in a myriad of ways. And given that the eighteenth century was foundational to the modern world in so many respects, it also sheds light on current attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. Papers, panels and alternative sessions that address any of these aspects are welcome.

Some time will be reserved for hybrid panels, allowing scholars to present remotely. Please indicate if you would like to be considered for remote presentation in your proposal. NOTE: this is not a guarantee of remote participation as there are limited spaces available.

Proposals are subject to our terms and conditions: https://www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/terms-and-conditions/

Webpage: https://www.bsecs.org.uk/conferences/annual-conference/

Enquiries: Any enquiries regarding the conference programme that are not answered on our website should be addressed to Dr Meg Kobza via the BSECS email address conference.academic@bsecs.org.uk

Proposal decisions: Decisions about conference proposals will be communicated via email by 15 October.

Bursaries: Application detail