Annual Anthropology Conference 2026
The annual conference of the Australian Anthropological Society (AAS) brings together anthropologists from across Australia and beyond to present research, run panels, and participate in discussions, workshops, and plenaries.
In 2026, the conference will be held in Mparntwe / Alice Springs for the first time.
Dates: 10–12 June 2026 (+pre-conference day for students and ECRs on 9 June).
Location: Mparntwe / Alice Springs
Theme:Lines, Layers, Depth
The theme invites participants to think with Mparntwe as a place and to interpret “lines, layers, depth” as widely and creatively as they wish.
ANSA will organise a panel (Becoming Anthropologists) during the conference, and an afternoon of workshops and social events aimed specifically at honours & postgraduate students, and early career researchers on Tuesday, June 9th (Agenda TBD).
ANSA panel: Becoming Anthropologists
Submissions closed!
ANSA Panel: Becoming Anthropologists (panel description)
This panel provides space for any student anthropologist to engage with and reflect upon their own research. Postgraduate students who are still exploring varying theoretical and thematic avenues are especially vulnerable to exclusion from themed annual conferences as they may not yet have found their niche. ANSA aims to provide students at various stages of their research journey the opportunity to propose a paper that relates to their developing research interests, even if it does not necessarily align with the theme of the conference.
In the past years, HASS disciplines have had to deal with budget cuts and the dissolution of entire departments. This has put HDR students in increasingly precarious positions. Involvement in an encouraging disciplinary community is invaluable to any level of student or early-career academic, yet access to conferences and other career-development opportunities are increasingly limited by funding and travel-grant restrictions. In line with ANSA’s goals and the pre-conference workshop, this panel encourages the expression of student voice and student work and looks forward to proposals from presenters which explore their own exciting and enriching research for feedback and discussion. Co-authored papers will also be accepted.
Note: ANSA Scholarships will be distributed after the completion of the conference.
ANSA Pre Conference Workshop at the AAS Conference
ANSA has organised a pre-conference workshop on Tuesday 9 June aimed specifically at honours & postgraduate students, and early career researchers.
The event will go for the entire day, including social events in the evening. It is meant to be creative, fun, and reflective.
We are still developing our program. We will update this page in early May with a list of speakers.
You can register your attendance when buying a conference ticket!
ANSA travel scholarships for students presenting at AAS conference (for any panel).
Applications are now closed! Application outcomes will be sent before April 27, 2026. Thank you for your patience.
Every year, ANSA distributes scholarships to aid students in attending the Australian Anthropological Society conference. These are generously funded by the AAS to ensure anthropology students and early career researchers have the opportunity to present their research and participate in formal conference proceedings. We thank AAS for their support of students.
To be eligible for funds from the AAS, applicants must:
Be presenting a paper at the AAS Conference in 2026 (students presenting at ANY panel, not just the ANSA ‘Becoming Anthropologists’ panel).
Be current (or recently graduated) post-graduate students
Not have received an ANSA/AAS travel stipend before
If you have confirmation that your paper has been accepted, and you fit all the criteria above, please apply!