DHARTI is excited to announce the Call for Papers for DHARTI2026, the 2026 edition of its biennial Digital Humanities conferece. Centred on the theme, “Decolonising the Digital: Social Justice, Inclusion, and Equitable Knowledge Production,“ the conference is scheduled to be hosted between 18-20 December 2026 at KIIT Deemed to be University, located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The DHARTI 2026 Biennial Conference seeks to foreground Digital Humanities as a critical site for interrogating questions of social justice, digital inclusion, digital justice, infrastructural access, representation, and epistemic inequality in and with the majority world.
As digital and algorithmic technologies increasingly shape contemporary modes of knowledge production, pedagogy, archives, media circulation, and cultural participation, it becomes necessary to critically examine the uneven structures through which digitality operates. The conference aims to explore how Digital Humanities can move beyond techno-deterministic frameworks toward more inclusive, multilingual, community-oriented, and socially grounded practices.
The conference welcomes scholars, researchers, educators, artists, archivists, technologists, activists, community practitioners, students, and engaged stakeholders across and beyond disciplines.
The conference invites contributions on, but not limited to, the following areas, with a particular focus on Global Majority spaces and contexts:
- Decolonial tools and Decolonising Practices in Digital Humanities
- Digital Justice, Infrastructural Inequalities and Digital Futures
- Digital Justice and Literary and Cultural Expressions
- Collaborative Knowledge Production and Digital Space
- Archives, Memory, and Digital Preservation
- Language Technologies and Multilingual Futures
- Digital Pedagogy and Curricular Practices
- Visual Cultures and Media Ecologies
- Platform Studies and Algorithmic Cultures
- Digital Archives, Marginalized Communities, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems
- Digital Humanities, Urban Studies, Mapping and Spatiality
- Accessibility and Inclusive Digital Practices
- Digital Labour and Data Politics
- Responsible Computing, Data Ethics, and AI Governance
- Participatory/Relational ML/AI practices/projects in India/Global South
- Ethics, Surveillance, and Digital Citizenship
- Race/ Class/ Caste/ Religion/ Gender and Digital Humanities
- Black Digital Humanities and Afrofuturism
- Digital Humanities and Dalit Futurism
- Environmental Humanities and Digital Ecologies
- Digital Storytelling, Creative Practice, and Interactive Media
- Public Digital Humanities and Community Engagement
Modes of Participation:
- Academic Papers: 15-minute presentation followed by discussion.
- Panel Proposals: 3–4 papers around a common theme with a focus on ensuring plurality of representation and perspectives.
- In-person Poster Presentations: For emerging projects and research initiatives.
Proposals for Workshops: The conference will be preceded by a set of pre-conference workshops. DHARTI members can propose workshops. Workshops will be scheduled on 18 Dec 2026 (Fri.).
No participant shall serve as a lead presenter in more than one presentation. In the event that a presenter is shortlisted as a lead presenter for two or more papers after the review process, the Programme Committee will ask the participant to withdraw one of the papers. This rule shall not apply to workshops.
Abstracts in Indian languages are encouraged. Posters may also be submitted in any Indian language. However, where an abstract or poster is submitted in an Indian language, an English version must also be provided to ensure that the content is accessible to the larger conference audience.
| Individual Papers | Panels |
| Title | Panel Rationale: 500 words |
| Extended Abstract: 750- 1000 words | Individual Abstracts: 750–1000 words for each panelist |
| 4–5 Keywords | Details of all presenters |
Poster Presentations: Posters may present completed or ongoing research, digital projects, datasets, or practice-based initiatives. Submissions should include a title, a 500–750-word abstract, and 4–5 keywords. Accepted posters will be displayed during the dedicated poster session to encourage interaction and feedback.
Submissions will be through an online submission portal that will be declared soon. Do not submit abstracts by e-mail.
- Abstract Submission Deadline (Extended): 10 September 2026 (Thu.)
- Notification of Acceptance: 10 October 2026 (Sat.)
- Early-Bird Registration Deadline: 30 October 2026 (Fri.)
- Regular Registration Deadline: 20 November 2026 (Fri.)
- Conference Dates: 18-20 December 2026
Indian Participants:
| CATEGORY | EARLY BIRD | REGULAR |
| Faculty Members/Independent Researchers | ₹3,000/- | ₹3,500/- |
| Research Scholars | ₹2,000/- | ₹2,500/- |
| Students (Undergraduate and Postgraduate) | ₹1,500/- | ₹2,000/- |
DHARTI will offer a limited set of bursaries to students and research scholars.
International Participants:
| CATEGORY | EARLY BIRD | REGULAR |
| International Delegates | $200 | $150 |
For all categories of participants, registration includes:
- Conference Kit
- Certificate of Participation
- Lunch and refreshments during conference days
- Access to all academic sessions and exhibitions
All participants are required to be members of DHARTI (Digital Humanities Alliance for Research and Teaching Innovation). To encourage wider participation, undergraduate students may avail of a complimentary six-month membership, granted by DHARTI upon request. Those who wish to continue their membership beyond that period may register according to the prescribed membership criteria.
For membership details, click here.
Selected papers, following peer review and editorial evaluation, will be considered for publication in an edited conference proceedings volume.
KIIT has secured a Letter of Intent from Peter Lang, an internationally reputed academic publisher, indicating its willingness to consider a select number of conference papers for publication. The proposed volume will subsequently be submitted for indexing in Scopus, subject to the publisher’s review and indexing requirements.
A list of nearby hotels along with tariff, location, and contact details will be provided on the conference website.
Upon prior request, a limited number of hostel accommodation may be arranged for student presenters.
The venue for DHARTI2026 is KIIT Deemed to be University. Located in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in eastern India, KIIT offers a multidisciplinary academic ecosystem, advanced technological infrastructure, and strong commitments to educational inclusion, interdisciplinary research, and global engagement.
Click on the following fields to expand/collapse them:
Workshop
- 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM: Registration
- 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Inaugural
- 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Tea-break
- 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Keynote Address
- 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Poster Presentation
- 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Lunch
- 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM: Parallel Sessions
- 4:00 PM – 4:15 PM: Tea-break
- 4:15 PM – 5:30 PM: Parallel Sessions
- 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Plenary
- 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM: Tea break
- 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Panel
- 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Parallel Sessions
- 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Lunch
- 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM: Parallel Sessions
- 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM: Tea-break
- 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM: Valedictory
We invite contributions that critically interrogate, creatively imagine, and collaboratively build more equitable digital futures. Through dialogue across disciplines, regions, and communities, DHARTI 2026 seeks to advance Digital Humanities as a field committed not only to technological innovation but also to justice, inclusion, sustainability, and transformative knowledge production.