IVSA News

We invite practitioners, artists and scholars from around the world to contribute to the 2027 IVSA Conference, A Dance of Perception: The Symbiosis of Image and Sound. Submissions should explore how image and sound intertwine to shape meaning, emotion, identity, memory and our understanding of social life, drawing on diverse disciplinary, methodological and cultural perspectives. Proposals are welcomed for papers, workshops, posters, exhibition installations and films, with participation from practice-led and early career researchers particularly encouraged. Read the full Call for Submissions for details of the conference themes, submission formats, requirements and key dates.

Just a quick update on the IVSA’s program of 40th anniversary activities over the coming months. So far this year, with the support of the IVSA, our members have hosted anniversary activities across Europe, Asia, North and South America. Together, these activities showcase the global reach of the IVSA and the continuing evolution of visual research as a vital, interdisciplinary field. We hope that there is an upcoming anniversary activity near you that you are able to attend!

2026 marks the IVSA’s 40th anniversary as a truly international association! This anniversary thus marks 40 years of being a truly international association. To celebrate, we have coordinated an international series of anniversary activities devoted to Visual Studies and Visual Sociology, to be run throughout 2026. Thank you to all of our IVSA members who have taken on the role of organising an anniversary activity!

On behalf of the IVSA, I would like to thank everyone who stood for a position in our recent elections to the IVSA Board. Although not everyone could be successful, we very much appreciate the commitment that members have shown towards the work of the IVSA. We also want to thank all of our members who took the time to vote. We can now reveal the results of the vote.

2026 marks the IVSA’s 40th anniversary! To celebrate, we would like to support and promote an international series of activities and workshops devoted to Visual Studies and Visual Sociology, to be run throughout 2026.

We are writing with the unexpected and disappointing news that due to logistical circumstances outside of their control, the local conference team for IVSA Sicily 2026 is sadly unable to deliver our conference next June as planned.

For a great many of us in the IVSA, Howard (Howie) Becker modelled what it was to be an engaged social researcher and intellectual who continued to inspire us with each of his insightful books. We would like to remember Howie not only for ourselves, but also for the coming generations of researchers who may not have known him, although they may be influenced by his work in ways they may not fully appreciate.

The IVSA is pleased to announce a new awards program for outstanding work in advancing Anticolonial & Antiracist (ACAR) goals and principles. The new program will offer two related awards: one for progressive advocacy and visual research (PAVR) and one for visual activism (VA). The ACAR awards are in addition to existing Rieger and Prosser award programs that are also administered by the IVSA.

The Visual Studies Editorial Team and the International Visual Sociology Association strongly condemn and oppose systems, institutions, and organisations that maintain or extend any and all forms of white supremacy and colonial and racist violence. As part of our commitment to take action, we recently held an open call for cover image submissions on the theme of Anti-Racism.

As most members of our global scholarly community already know, we recently lost a cherished colleague: Jon Rieger. According to the obituary published in the Louisville Courier-Journal, Jon died of natural causes at home on July 16th 2020.