BASR/ISASR Conference 2026: Futures and Frontiers

The theme of the conference is 'Futures and Frontiers'. Current experiences of ecological, political and economic instability and fragmentation are reconfiguring anticipations of the future. On the one hand, liberal ideas of technological progress, shared prosperity and political freedom increasingly share space with dystopias of climate collapse, re-feudalisation, technological determinism and the rise of authoritarianism. On the other, the idea of the frontier – as a line, border or limit – increasingly defines the public square, whether the conversation concerns AI and the limits of personhood or national identity and the borders of the state. This joint conference of the BASR and the ISASR will explore various themes related to these Futures and Frontiers.