#ISAChicago2026 | Hybrid (In-person & Zoom) | Dominican University, River Forest (Chicago), Illinois, USA

The Igbo Studies Association (ISA) has officially announced its 23rd Annual International Conference, scheduled for May 14–16, 2026, at Dominican University, River Forest, Chicago, Illinois, USA. The conference will be held in a hybrid format, welcoming both in-person participants and Zoom attendees, and will explore the theme:

Ọsọ Ndụ Agwụ Ike: Building a Sustainable and Resilient Future

Rooted in Igbo philosophical thought, Ọsọ Ndụ Agwụ Ike speaks to the persistent nature of life’s struggles and the need for resilience, discipline, and strategic focus. Against a global backdrop of uncertainty and rapid change, the conference will examine how sustainable, empowered, and culturally grounded thinking can shape a viable future for the Igbo in Nigeria and across the diaspora.

“In a time when societies everywhere are being tested by economic pressures, cultural disruption, and shifting global realities, Ọsọ Ndụ Agwụ Ike reminds us that progress is built through resilience, discipline, and purposeful leadership,” said the President of the Igbo Studies Association Dr. Chidi Igwe. “We invite scholars and practitioners to bring forward ideas that strengthen Igbo futures, culturally, intellectually, economically, and globally.”

Call for Papers: Sustainability, Leadership, and Igbo Global Realities

ISA invites research papers, creative works, and critical reflections from scholars, researchers, professionals, and practitioners working across all areas of Igbo Studies, within Nigeria, across Africa, and throughout the diaspora.

Contemporary Igbo Studies spans a wide interdisciplinary range including digital cultures, migration, ethics, governance, literature, technology, economics, social change, identity, and cultural sustainability. Submissions are especially encouraged that examine sustainability and resilience in relation to leadership, diasporic identity, national development, cultural survival, and Igbo global influence.

Suggested Subthemes

• Mindset, Critical Thinking, Knowledge, and Wisdom
• Morality, Ethics, Philosophy, and Religion
• Literature, Film, and the Visual Arts
• Music, Media, Social Media, and Entertainment
• Ọsọ Ndụ: Resilience and Survival
• Igbo Cosmology, Heritage Language(s), and Cuisine
• Children, Family, Education, and Sports
• Infrastructure and Environmental Sustainability
• Entrepreneurship, Technology, and Social Change
• Economic Development and Sustainability
• Healthcare, Mental Health, and Well-being
• Ethnicity, Diaspora, and Cosmopolitanism
• Crime, Kidnapping, and Jungle Justice
• Politics, Leadership, Security, and Government
• Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, and IoT
• Globalization, Diasporas, and (Im)migrations – Rethinking Africa

Submission Guidelines

• Submit a 250-word abstract and a short bio (include email and phone contact).
• Abstracts may be written in Igbo or English.
• One presentation per person (solo or joint).
• A maximum of two presenters may be listed on a single abstract.

Email submissions to: [email protected]
Abstract deadline: December 31, 2025
Notification of acceptance: January 31, 2026

Registration Fees

• Nigeria-based academics and practitioners: ₦25,000
• Nigeria-based graduate students: ₦15,000
• Academics/practitioners outside Nigeria: $100 USD
• Graduate students outside Nigeria: $50 USD

All accepted presenters will receive instructions on completing conference registration and paying the required annual ISA membership fee.