CfP: Hip Hop Studies for a World on Fire, EHHSN 9.0 (18–21.3.2026, University of Groningen) Deadline: 16.10.2025
Call for Papers for the EHHSN 9.0 Conference 2026 in Groningen, the Netherlands
Organising Committee: Dastan Abdali (Leiden University), Alex de Lacey (University of Groningen), Steven Gilbers (University of Groningen)
Dates: March 18–21 2026, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Conference description
Things done changed. Hip Hop studies’ foundation took place more than 30 years ago, with core writings such as Tricia Rose’s Black Noise setting the Blueprint and establishing debates that continue to this day. Since then we have seen great change: 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G passed away in the mid-1990s, rap music’s sound palate has continued to expand (e.g., through crunk, trap into drill), with the genre in its various forms dominating the airwaves worldwide, and altering the shape of popular music writ large. At the same time, many of the structural dynamics that were at the root of Hip Hop’s inception continue to foster inequities, with systemic racism, sexism, and global capitalism wreaking havoc across the world.
This conference, based in Groningen, the Netherlands, encourages reflections and responses to Hip Hop in these times of crisis. We focus on its many transnational expressions, from European Hip Hop (situated within complex colonial histories and political tensions), its American origins, towards wider global manifestations of the form. We invite Hip Hop scholars to respond to the present moment of locally experienced but globally interconnected inequalities vis-a-vis Hip Hop as a potentially revolutionary form. Indeed, how can Hip Hop hold true to its original tenets when it is increasingly embedded in global corporate and political structures?
We therefore propose to critically interrogate the status quo of the field, and of the form itself: a genre built on community values, its fabled five elements, and presently a dominant force in contemporary culture. Grappling with longstanding assumptions about Hip Hop and their impact on scholarship is vital to evaluate the tools by which we approach the genre today.
These “state of the field” discussions do not negate histories. In actuality, looking back also helps us to look forward. Archival sessions that explore the history of Hip Hop in the Netherlands (specifically Groningen) will sit alongside present debates, thinking through the development of European Hip Hop practice and the means by which we remember and upon what grounds (through visual cultures, musical archives and personal histories).
Finally, and in light of possible futures of this field of study, we also ask delegates to think speculatively: what remains critical to our enquiries (as Hip Hop scholars, musicologists, practitioners, anthropologists etc), and what developments within Hip hop and/or related cultures demand a reappraisal of our toolkit for investigations. Where might they be in 2035? What might be needed to future-proof our field?
In terms of form, this conference will feature individual presentations, alongside themed panel discussions, keynotes, and critical conversations with practitioners. Sites of knowledge production are often siloed, and productive encounters will be facilitated throughout its programme. Its unique setting, spread across the Groninger Museum, will be complemented by specialist music programming by Hip Hop platform Homebase at cultural venue Spot/De Oosterpoort, thus ensuring a dynamic meeting of minds to discuss, play with, and engender new visions for Hip Hop studies in these turbulent times.
We welcome contributions that critically engage with Hip Hop culture (and related expressions) from academics, archivists, artists, broadcasters, dancers, documentarians, writers, and other creatives and critical thinkers. If you have an experimental idea for a contribution that does not fall within the aforementioned parameters, please feel free to contact us and we can discuss possibilities.
Possible Topic Areas
We invite proposals that respond – but are not limited – to the following themes:
They Reminisce Over You: Hip Hop heritage, histories and cultural memory
Kill Your Masters?: The complexities of Hip Hop politics and activism
Denial is a River: (Dis)continuities of gender and sexuality in Hip Hop
Check the Method: Interdisciplinary innovations in Hip Hop studies
Under Construction: Genre innovation and new stylings
Super Lyrical: The poetics of rap
Fight the Power: Hip Hop in a time of monsters
Wild Styles: Visual approaches to Hip Hop
Lean Back: Embodied ways of knowing in Hip Hop
Across the Pond: European versus American Hip Hop Studies
In the Major Leagues: Sports and Hip Hop
Each One, Teach One: Critical pedagogy and Hip Hop in the classroom
Submission Details
Please submit an abstract of your proposal of no more than 200 words (excluding title, contributor details, and references if applicable) via the following Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/u/1/d/e/1FAIpQLSegTUzgcWBRqeg_Z923GPebMlW1z6wtTcy1d7UH5DkDOkFkIw/viewform?usp=dialog. You should also include a 100-word bio (per contributor) and any technical requirements. Panel proposals may contain up to 300 words.