ISFNR 2026 Reykjavík – Nature(s) in Narrative
The ISFNR Interim conference in 2026 will be held in Reykjavík Iceland, June 13th to 16th.
The conference will take place at the main campus of the University of Iceland, a walking distance from the vibrant city centre of Reykjavík. With nearly 24 hours of daylight,and plenty of geothermal pools to soak in, it’s the perfect place to recharge on all levels.
The conference is hosted by the department of Folkloristics at the University of Iceland, the Icelandic Association of Ethnology and Folklore and The Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies.
We look forward to seeing you in Reykjavík!
Propose a panel
The deadline for proposals is June 20th, 2025.
Conference Theme
The conference engages broadly with the theme of nature(s) in narrative. We ask how narrative is entangled with nature in its various forms, situated in the micro and macro, the rural and urban, ranging from essentialist notions of the natural, the supernatural to non-binary assemblages of nature-culture. Subjects for discussion might include the following:
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- How do notions of nature relate to narrations of identity, heritage, the national and personal, the physical and the spiritual?
- What comprehensions of “the natural” can be gleaned from storytelling, in its various cultural and social contexts, and in folk narrative research itself?
- How has our narrative vocabulary and academic terminology borrowed from and conversed with the discourses of nature?
- Does folk narrative entail a commons of sorts?
- How do environment and disparate nature-cultural assemblages shape narrative, characters, flow, style and storytelling events?
- How are human and non-human entanglements expressed, sensed, performed and reimagined in storytelling events?
- How do narrators delineate “selves” from “the other” in the living world; the natural from the “unnatural” or supernatural; the mundane from the enchanted?
- How are our conceptions of nature shaped and challenged by unusual “natural events” and climate crises, or urbanisation, technology, information disorder (fake news) and artificial intelligence?
- What are the “natures” of archives and how are they shaped by narratives?
- Do natures in narrative reveal aspects of the “natures” of narrative, its forms, functions and practice?
Rules for proposing a panel
- Proposals must consist of:
· a panel title
· names and email addresses of the (two) panel convenors
· a short abstract of <300 characters
· long abstract of less than 250 words - All panels should have (at least) two convenors. We strongly encourage that convenors be from at least two different institutions and/or countries so as to fulfil the ISFNR’s goal of international exchange.
- At least one convenor of a proposed panel is obliged to be a member (or apply shortly after proposing the panel) of ISFNR for 2026. Paper-givers and other delegates are not obliged to become members of ISFNR, however all are encouraged to support the Society in this way. There will be a financial incentive to do so, in that members will be a eligible for a lower registration fee.
- ISFNR committees are encouraged to propose committee-related panels.
- The interim conference will be hybrid, with panels taking place in Reykjavík and online in Zoom. Please ensure at least one convenor will be able to attend in person.
- While adherence to the conference theme is not the main criteria for panel selection, ISFNR encourages conveners (those proposing/organising a panel) to make an effort to address the questions and ideas outlined in the theme description.