Call For Abstracts and Submission Form

Call For Abstracts:

“In the Spirit of Jane Addams: Global Dialogue, Social Change, and Community Engagement in the 21 Century” International Conference

We are seeking proposals for an international conference on the Legacy of Jane Addams, founder of Hull House and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.

Conference location: In person only, at the University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland

Conference dates: September 25-26, 2025

Deadline for early submissions: March 31, 2025
Deadline for late submissions: May 31, 2025

Post-conference event: Citizens Roundtables (in person and online): September 27, 2025

Conference Objectives:
Social reformer and peace advocate Jane Addams and her legacy are reflected in the work of current-day practitioners, academics, and policy-makers in a wide range of areas that impact human lives and social institutions. The aim of this conference is to recognize the value of Addams’ work and legacy among a variety of internationally important contemporary contexts and to reflect on how Addams inspires in the 21st century.

The timing of the conference recognizes the 165th Anniversary of Jane Addams’ birthday in 1860, the 90th Anniversary of her death in 1935, and the 136th Anniversary of the opening of Hull House in Chicago in 1889. All fans and critics of the way Addams tried to make the world a better place to live are encouraged to join us at the conference to network and discuss what Addams’ legacy means to us today.

A conference of this sort intersects with current debates on issues such as voting rights, immigration, child welfare, world peace, public health, and gender, racial, and economic inequality, as well as community development, democracy, social progress, and social work. We welcome proposals from academics and from practitioners examining the work and legacy of Jane Addams in connection to contemporary practices, views and reflections.

Among the various questions that might be addressed are the following:

How does Jane Addams’ influence intersect with current debates or issues globally?
In what ways does Jane Addams inspire the social sciences and humanism in the 21st century?
How has Jane Addams contributed to research methodologies?
How can Addams’ ideals be put into practice in our communities and our world of today?

This list outlines sessions we are already planning:

1 Adult learning

2. American studies and English language

3. City, modern society, local community

4. Feminism, gender studies, women leaders

5. Migrant studies and social policy

6. Philosophy of social thought, democratic debates

7. Peace and freedom

8. Social education, social work & social inclusion

9. Research for social practice, practice input into research

Click to fill out the form

Follow this link to the Submission Form.

Questions?

Email us at janeaddams2025@uw.edu.pl for questions on conference organisation or janeaddams2025@rockford.edu for questions on conference content.