RaceB4Race symposia
Annual gatherings of scholars and thinkers of premodern critical race studies.
The new academic conference model
The annual RaceB4Race symposium invites scholars of premodern critical race studies from around the world to discuss and present research on a shared topic. Unlike traditional academic conferences, RaceB4Race is structured to provide equal time for presentations, group discussion, and community building. Established in 2019, RaceB4Race is the leading incubator of research and community in premodern studies.
Generally held at the end of January every year, RaceB4Race is a free and open to the public.
Futures: A RaceB4Race Symposium
Save the date: January 22-23, 2026 | Tempe, Arizona and livestreamed
In 2019, RaceB4Race convened for the first time with the aim of providing space to share research on race in the premodern world. The community that came together that weekend knew the study of race and its construction in the premodern past is a vital undertaking. They knew that to study the past is inherently an interrogation of the present.
A lot has happened in the seven years since that first meeting. Amidst everything, RaceB4Race has been a space for people, regardless of their relationship to the academy, to gather and share ideas about race in the premodern world and the lingering grasp it has on our world today. The Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies' tagline reads, "Engage the past. Define the future." This symposium asks us to address the latter half of the provocation. It is time for us to turn our gaze to the future and put our critical and scholarly practices into a creative, speculative, and course-altering mode.
How can looking to the premodern past position us to think more productively and capaciously about our future? Conversely, how can thinking about our futures inform the way we understand the works and worlds of the premodern past? What will future generations think about the work we engage in today? What is the value behind speculative thinking when it comes to premodern critical race studies?
Join us at Futures: A RaceB4Race Symposium, where we will consider the stakes behind the work we do and the ways it stands to shape the futures we envision.
Registration opening soon. Join our mailing list to stay up to date.
Past symposia
Check out the archive of past RaceB4Race symposia. Programs are available for download for all symposia, and many of the more recent events are recorded and available to watch on our YouTube channel.
Distinguished speakers
The ACMRS annual Distinguished Speaker Series is the keynote event of RaceB4Race. This event invites the larger public to join the RaceB4Race community for an evening with prominant artists, performers, writers and public figures whose work has been influenced by premodern art and culture.