Posted On: 05/01/2026
Dear SHA Members,
The Call for Papers for the SHA 2027 Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology, January 6-9, 2027 in Austin, Texas is now available for download on the SHA website at https://sha.org/2027-conference-austin-texas/. Please review the information in the call for papers and then follow the link on the Conference web page to submit abstracts for symposiums, forums/panels, or individual papers and posters.
The conference theme, Reflection on the Power of Place, invites you to consider how locations both create and conversely are shaped by culture. Through various forms of storytelling, collective action, and events, places can become powerful expressions of identity. In exploring this theme, we recognize that our inquiries are deeply rooted in the unique and diverse histories and identities of the places we study. The vast region that we today call Texas has served as a powerful anchor to Indigenous communities’ cultural and spiritual practices for millennia. Communities such as the Alabama-Coushatta, Caddo, Carrizo/Comecrudo, Coahuiltecan, Comanche, Karankawa, Kickapoo, Lipan Apache, Tonkawa, and Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo have and continue to define its cultural landscape.
Beyond that, Texas has seen many flags shape and reshape its culture and history. Between the Spanish and French Empires, the Mexican and Texas Republics, the United States, and the Confederacy, the geographic region that is Texas has long served as a backdrop through which global history has played out. Texas’ sense of place is embodied through its symbolism, architecture, and iconic landscapes. Its material record reflects the place-bound stories of those who experienced, responded to, and negotiated life within its boundaries.
The year 2027 marks the 60th anniversary of the SHA annual conference, an event that was born deep in the heart of Texas. Texas has played a role in some important firsts in the society’s history: the first annual conference was held at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas in 1967. The organizing committee is excited to host the SHA conference back where it all began in Texas, and we look forward to reflecting on the influence that Austin and the state of Texas have on the future of archaeological praxis.
The Call for Papers will close on June 30, 2026. If you need assistance with submitting your abstract for the 2027 Conference, please contact the SHA Austin Committee at shaAustin2027@gmail.com or the SHA office at hq@sha.org.
We look forward to seeing you in Austin for the 2027 Conference on Historical and Underwater Archaeology!
The SHA 2027 Conference Committee
Underwater Archaeology and Maritime History jobs 