Institutul de Istorie a Religiilor, Academia Română

Calea 13 Septembrie nr. 13, Aripa Vest, Et. III
050711 București
www.ihr-acad.ro

[DIHR Nr. 340/27.10.2025]

Greetings from Bucharest!

The 22^nd Annual Conference of the European Association for the Study of Religions (EASR) | Regional Conference of the International Association for the History of Religions (IAHR)

Religions 360°

Bucharest, 20-25 September 2026.

 

Submissions

All submissions for contributions open on1^st of November 2025.

• Submission for open panels: 1 November 2025 – 1 February 2026. Notification by 23 February 2026.
• Submission for closed panels: 1 November 2025 – 1 February 2026. Notification by 23 February 2026.
• Submission for individual papers (including for all open panels): 1 November 2025 – 1 February 2026. Notification by 23 February 2026.
• Submission for workshops for PhD students | early career scholars: 1 November 2025 – 15 February 2026. Notification by 1^st of March 2026.
• Submission for roundtables and book discussions: 1 November 2025 – 15 February 2026. Notification by 1^st of March 2026.
• Submission for film & video section: 1 November 2025 – 15 March 2026. Notification by 1^st of April 2026.
• Submission for exhibitors: 1 November 2025-30 June 2026 (rolling admission).

Further Dates

• Options for extracurricular events (guided tours and trips in and outside Bucharest): 1 March-30 June 2026.
• Announcement of the full list of keynote speakers: May 2026.
• Announcement of adjunct events before, during and after the Congress: June 2026.
• Announcement of the full program and app of the Congress: August 2026.

Registration dates & fees

• Early registration from 23 February to 15 March 2026): 300 EUR
• Standard registration from 16 March to 15 May 2026: 350 EUR
• Late registration from 16 May to 30 June 2026: 400 EUR
• Accompanying persons & extracurricular events registration from 23 February to 30 June 2026: 150 EUR
• Congress banquet from 23 February to 30 June 2026: 75 EUR

Scholars from Moldova and Ukraine as well as participants from low-income countries members of IAHR will benefit from a 50% fee discount.

As for previous EASR conferences, the EASR Committee will offer several bursaries for younger scholars, for which please visit https://www.easr.eu/bursaries/bursaries-guidelines/

RAHR & IHR will offer several bursaries for RAHR/IHR members coming from outside Bucharest/from other European institutions.

In case of cancellation: full refund fees before 30 June 2026, no refund fees after 30 June 2026 or for no-show.

Besides an exhibition of rare manuscripts and books prepared by the Congress Committee, global and local exhibitors – from publishing houses to universities and research institutions, public or private – are strongly encouraged to apply, on flexible terms, for presenting their recent publications and teaching/research programmes related to the everlasting goals of EASR, IAHR and the Congress.

Visas: no need of visa for residents in the states of the European Union, the European Economic Area, or the Swiss Confederation. For visas for participants outside EU, EEA or the Swiss Confederation, please visit https://www.mae.ro/en/node/2040. As a Schengen state since 2024, Romania issues Schengen visas, for which please visit https://www.mae.ro/en/node/30325.

The Code of conduct for 2026 Bucharest Congress is the EASR Code of conduct, available at https://www.easr.eu/about-the-easr/code-of-conduct-for-easr-conferences/

The Bucharest Congress of 20-25 September 2026 (Sunday to Friday) is an in-person only event.

As a contribution to the betterment of the public understanding of religion, some events of the Congress – including the Opening ceremony or book launches – will be live streamed and then archived on the Congress website and YouTube channel. Those willing to further contribute by accepting the recording of their panels and research results are kindly invited to mention it upon registration.

For the scholarly life of EASR, it should be mentioned Romania – with Bucharest – will become only the fourth country organizing the EASR annual conference twice, after the United Kingdom (Cambridge 2001, Liverpool 2013), Italy (Messina 2009, Pisa 2021) and Sweden (Stockholm 2012, Gothenburg 2024). Moreover, the EASR Annual Conference in Bucharest will be the very first one organized twice in the same city.

The academic study of religions – history of religions | istoria religiilor as is best known in Romania – has advanced through conferences and congresses not only since 1950, the foundation date of the IAHR, but from 1900 (and possibly even since 1873), with world congresses then assimilated to the IAHR, see https://www.iahrweb.org/pastcon.php. Thus, the countries which organized two or more congresses (IAHR and EASR combined), from 1900 up to the present day, are only eight: France (IAHR 1900, EASR 2022), Switzerland (IAHR 1904, EASR 2018), United Kingdom (IAHR 1908, IAHR 1975, EASR 2001, EASR 2013), Sweden (IAHR 1929, IAHR 1970, EASR 2012), Netherlands (IAHR 1950, EASR 2014, next EASR 2027), Italy (IAHR 1955, IAHR 1990, EASR 2009, EASR 2021), Japan (IAHR 1958, IAHR 2005), and Germany (IAHR 1960, EASR 2007, IAHR 2015). On the worldwide scale and across the longest history of these global scholarly events, Romania will only be the ninth country organizing a congress twice. Moreover, after Paris (1900 & 2002) and Stockholm (1970 & 2012), Bucharest (2006, now 2026) will become only the third city in the world and world history of the discipline organizing twice such congresses. We are thus grateful indeed for the trust and support offered by the Executive Committees of the EASR (RAHR being a member since 2002) and the IAHR (RAHR being a member since 2005) in strengthening the academic study of religions through challenging times in Bucharest and Romania, where a treasured tradition of research begun in mid-19^th century, yet the first institution devoted to the history of religions was founded in 2008 only, as a direct consequence of RAHR publications and of the vibrant Bucharest EASR | IAHR conference in 2006.

The Bucharest Congress will celebrate 150 years since the first Sanskrit teaching course initiated at the University of Bucharest by the Indologist and historian of religions Constantin Georgian, 40 years since the death of Bucharest-born historian of religions Mircea Eliade and 35 years since the death of the Iași-born historian of religions Ioan Petru Culianu, three decades since the foundation of the first professional association for the history of religions in Romania (RAHR) as well as 20 years since the preceding Bucharest Congress, back then the largest EASR conference to date (the 6^th EASR Annual | IAHR Special Conference) – and the first ever organized in Eastern Europe.

By its international status and expected global affluence, the 2026 Congress in Bucharest has the chance of becoming the most indicative world event in the academic study of religions in 2026 as well as the most significative academic event in humanities and social sciences in Romania in 2026.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you in Bucharest!
Chairperson: Dr Eugen Ciurtin, research professor, director of the Institute for the History of Religions of the Romanian Academy.
Organizing Committee: Dr Ionuț Daniel Băncilă, Professor Gabriela Cursaru, Dr Daniela Dumbravă, Vlad Șovărel, Professor Bogdan Tătaru-Cazaban.

 

For news and updates, please follow us on
www.ihr-acad.ro & www.religions360.eu

All communication should be addressed to
bucharest.congress.easr.iahr.2026@ihr-acad.ro
e.ciurtin@ihr-acad.ro
congress.registration@ihr-acad.ro

 

Fondat prin HG 32/2008 | Academia Română, Secția de științe istorice și arheologie
CUI 24053142 | Tel. +40 21 314 30 74 | www.ihr-acad.ro | www.facebook.com/HistoryofReligionsBucharest/
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