2026 Conference: Belonging
2026 Conference: Belonging
Belonging: Practices of Inclusion in Spiritual Communities, the Academy, and Society
The Program for the Evolution of Spirituality seeks to create a place of belonging for people who have been excluded from academic conversations because of their commitment to spiritual traditions that are small, new, marginalized, or stigmatized. Equally, we welcome those who have experienced or encountered harm in spiritual movements, and wish to explore the sources and implications of that harm.
Our fall 2026 conference will directly explore our founding commitment to inclusion and belonging. The conference will take place in hybrid format on September 24-26, 2026, along with one or two days of virtual-only presentations on September 21-22, 2026.
A detailed conference schedule is planned to be released in July with registration opening August 1.
Remote Days:
Mon, Sept 21: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET
Tue, Sept 22: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. ET
In-Person Days
Thurs, Sept 24: 12 p.m. – 9 pm ET, with supper provided
Fri, Sept 25: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. ET, with lunch and supper provided
Sat, Sept 26: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET, with lunch provided
Working Group
The Program for the Evolution of Spirituality offers annual Working Groups open to interested scholars, practitioners, and artists.
In anticipation of the 2026 conference theme Belonging, this working group explores how spiritual communities and academic spaces define, disrupt, and reimagine belonging. Sessions will feature brief participant-led presentations, group discussion, and feedback on developing proposals. Topics may include boundaries of inclusion, scholar-practitioner identities, ecospiritual belonging, spiritual authority, and practices of repair after harm.This group aims to generate multiple collaborative proposals for the 2026 conference and to support one another’s work through regular conversation. Members may propose papers, workshops, or artistic offerings emerging from our shared inquiry.