SAVE THE DATE

57th ANNUAL NCOBPS CONFERENCE
MARCH 17-22, 2026

MARRIOTT COLLEGE PARK
3501 UNIVERSITY PARK

THEME

Where Do We Go from Here? Resistance and Resilience in the Face of Democratic Decline

The 2024 Presidential Election was an opportunity for America to rebuke authoritarianism, to stand against corruption, and to reinvest in a multicultural, multiracial democracy. The nation chose, instead, to place its futures and fortunes back in the hands of Donald Trump. This decision bore immediate and lasting consequences, as the new regime engaged in a full-on assault on the foundations of democracy. At home, the fundamental rights, liberties, and citizenship afforded by the constitution have all been called in question, as gestapo-style police occupation, migrant internment camps, the unilateral denial of due process, and continued efforts to undermine women’s and LGBT+ rights are commonplace. Globally, a modern colonial campaign to capture land and resources through force and coercion continues in the Middle East and Africa. More importantly, the institutions designed to protect constitutional and human rights have failed – by design or defect – at national and international levels. At the same time, there has been a calculated assault on the data that academics, professionals, and policymakers rely so heavily on to answer questions, solve problems, and improve the American and global condition. The ongoing fascist turn has likely caused irreparable harm to the critical intellectual infrastructures that have, for years, placed the nation amongst those best equipped to respond complex problems with innovative, data-driven solutions. Amidst efforts to undermine democracy and data, the discipline of political science remains under constant attack. The administration and larger collective of conservative policymakers remain laser-focused on undermining intellectual freedoms and dismantling diversity infrastructures. These efforts place Black political scientists squarely in the crosshairs – vulnerable on all fronts to targeting, retaliation, and censoring for simply engaging in their life’s work.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. asked a simple question in is final book: Where do we go from here? As America dives head-first into authoritarianism, there remain more questions than answers about what the new reality means for people and politics. In this conference, on the regime’s doorsteps, we invite papers, panels, and roundtables that can work to improve our understanding of the current state of American and global politics. We welcome work across the spectrum of methodological approaches and theoretical alignments as well as scholarship from every generation of political scientists, especially works from undergraduate and graduate students. This is an all-hands-on-deck moment, as we develop strategies to resist, withstand, and respond to democratic backsliding in all of its forms, now and into the future.

PAPER PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INFORMATION COMING SOON!