47th American Indian Workshop
03 - 06 November 2026
Survivance: Indigenous Futures, Indigenous Pasts
03 November [online session only]
04 - 06 November [in-person sessions only]
***
Venue:
Le bâtiment des Philosophes
Boulevard des Philosophes 22
1204 Genève
Switzerland
***Organizer: Deborah Madsen
Email: deborah.madsen@unige.ch
Provisional Program
Registration
Travel Information
47th American Indian Workshop (AIW)Survivance: Indigenous Futures, Indigenous Pasts
3 - 6 November 2026
Le bâtiment des Philosophes, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Organizer: Deborah Madsen
Email: deborah.madsen@unige.ch
Conference website: https://www.unige.ch/lettres/angle/events/forthcoming-events/aiw2026
We are pleased to announce that the 47th American Indian Workshop, “Survivance: Indigenous Futures, Indigenous Pasts,” will be hosted at University of Geneva, Switzerland, 3-6 November 2026.
Through the lens gifted by Gerald Vizenor's concept of survivance, the conference seeks to explore the manifold ways in which Indigenous peoples imagine, negotiate, and enact futures that remain anchored in deep historical continuities, cultural memory, and Native presence. Across the globe, Indigenous communities are simultaneously preserving ancestral knowledge and crafting transformative futures: through language revitalization, climate-justice initiatives, digital sovereignty, literary and artistic experimentation, and political advocacy. By juxtaposing “futures” with “pasts,” in the context of vital Native inheritances, the conference foregrounds the dynamic interplay between tradition and innovation that underpins the Indigenous legacy of self-determination both for today and tomorrow.
DEADLINES
Tuesday 30 June
Registration and payment of the conference fee (CHF 200.- tbc)Friday 31 July
Publication of the final conference programRegistration: https://www.unige.ch/lettres/angle/events/forthcoming-events/aiw2026/registration
Travel Information: https://www.unige.ch/lettres/angle/events/forthcoming-events/aiw2026/information
For Geneva time and time zones worldwide see: https://www.timeanddate.com/time/zone/switzerland/geneva-canton