'Intergalactic' Resistance Studies Conference

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA June 18-21, 2026

The First ‘Intergalactic’ Conference on Resistance Studies

Building Community and Resilience for Resistance Studies in Times of Repression
240+ sessions • 60 organisations • 50 themes • Unlimited access
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More than a Conference: Join a Global Movement

60+ Organisations

Sharing knowledge and skills globally across movements and research
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240+ Sessions

Resistance Studies research presentations, interactive workshops, prominent Keynotes and roundtables, hybrid panels, online and in person.
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50 Themes

Explore resistance knowledge from theory to practice. Themes from different types of resistance, context or structures of power, and case studies.
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Networking platform

Join a community platform to learn, share, network, dicuss and bring the conversation forward.
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About

Building a Global Resistance Studies Community in Times of Repression

Our primary goal is to launch a Resistance Studies community, connecting scholars and activists around the globe. This conference is not just a single event, but the foundation for fostering new long-term relationships and collaborative work that will continue far beyond these four days.

At this critical moment in history, research-based resistance has never been more vital. We face a time of escalating violence, the rise of white nationalism, authoritarian regimes, genocide and state-led violence around the world. We want to make it clear that despite the current repressive environment, we will continue to openly work on and grow Resistance Studies and the practice of resistance. We also aim to create a safe platform and space for all dissenting voices around the world to continue their essential work, particularly during these challenging times. It will be essential to connect and avoid isolation, and develop strategies and connections as a way to foster resilience. 

We hope to both encourage those who feel intimidated and silenced, and find practical ways to support the study and practice of resistance in safe and constructive ways. This conference is an act of resistance itself—a declaration that scholarly inquiry and activist practice for human liberation will continue despite attempts at suppression.

Keynote Speakers

WHAT YOU GET

All registeres participants, presenters or audience, will get, starting from only $10:

  • Unlimited access to all conference sessions
  • Research presentations + activist workshops + networking
  • Access to global community platform
  • 1-year FREE access to the Journal of Resistance Studies
  • 1 year FREE Resistance Studies Hub memebership
  • Opportunities to share their research and activism within the platform, in person and online session, which can be promoted on our channels if relevant to resistance studies
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Hybrid Participation Online and In Person

We understand that it will be difficult for many scholars and activists in this field to travel to the United States. We acknowledge that this presents a barrier, and even a possible risk. We encourage everyone to consider any risks given the current situation in the USA and internationally, and consider their safety first.

Through the online component and low fees, we have been able to attract prominent and emerging researchers and activists, many with first-hand experience, from over 60 countries.

While we hope to encourage and actively support those who want to come and attend in-person, we want to make this event as inclusive as possible.

For this purpose, we are setting up a comprehensive online platform that will connect us beyond this single event as part of the broader Resistance Studies Network (RSN). The conference will feature:

  • Live-streamed sessions with interactive Q&A for remote participants
  • Online sessions scheduled for different global time zones
  • Virtual networking spaces for ongoing collaboration
  • Support and encouragement for in-person regional gatherings connected to the main conference

The reason we are hosting the main gathering at UMass Amherst is tied to available funding opportunities and institutional support. Given that funding for resistance work is increasingly rare, we want to ensure that we strategically utilize available resources to support a long-term and sustainable plan for Resistance Studies while creating lasting support structures for scholars and activists around the world. This in-person gathering provides the foundation necessary to establish these ongoing initiatives.

Join for only $10, before 1st May 2026

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Launching the new Resistance Studies Network Platform!

Our new community platform has powerful features, like an internal social media platform! 

  • 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Member profiles to connect with participants from around the world
  • 💬 Discussion spaces such as groups and forums
  • 🤝 Networking and collaboration connect with other members, follow them, messgae and chat!
  • 📢 Share your work — research, publications, projects, campaigns, and ideas
  • 📅 Access to future events and ongoing activities
  • 📚 Integrated journal access and knowledge exchange

Launching with the Conference

The platform will be used throughout the conference to:

  • connect attendees before, during, and after sessions
  • continue discussions beyond individual presentations
  • connecting scholars working on similar themes or living in nearby locations
  • support networking across time zones
  • foster long-term collaboration and community building

All welcome: scholars, students, artists, everyday resisters..

This conference is designed to bring together scholars, activists, and other intellectuals and practitioners in meaningful interaction to learn from each other. We believe that Resistance Studies flourishes when academic research meets real-world practice, creating a dynamic exchange that strengthens both theoretical understanding and practical action.

We invite a diverse group to attend: seasoned faculty, emerging professors, graduate students, community organizers, activist intellectuals, fantasy authors, closet philosophers, and all others who see themselves as “Zapatistas of the Knowledge Makers and Shakers, the Troublemakers United.” We welcome undergraduate students, “professors of the street,” and all who are interested in furthering human liberation through creative and impactful resistance to oppressive systems. If you wondered why the Conference has been named ‘Intergalactic’, in fact, it is because it was inspired by the Zapatistas. We will be joining together in the attempt to go beyond all our boundaries, open up our minds and hearts to explore methods of nonviolent resistance that can be the motor force of change.

Plan your attendance: fees, accomodation & more

What we offer to scholars and students:

  • Explore research knowledge dedicated Resistance Studies as a field of research, with prominent and emerging scholars globally
  • Genuine network opportunities beyond the conference
  • Learn how your research can better support actual resistance movements and struggles, and find new spaces for your research to be applied
  • Meet activists, organisations and movement with experience
  • Unlimited access to the Journal of Resistance Studies (normally $57 a year)
  • Opportunities to share and promote your research (even if you are not presenting)

We especially encourage scholars to:

  • Present findings in formats accessible to activists
  • Explain key research lessons in plain language
  • Focus on practical implications and applications of your work
  • Engage in dialogue about how research can be more responsive to movement needs
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What we offer activists:

This conference offers you the chance to:

  • Connect with researchers to access evidence-based insights and strategies
  • Participate in interactive workshops, skills based sessions, and meet activists from all around the world.
  • One room will be fully dedicated to activist workshops for the entire duration of the conference.
  • Shape how research should be communicated to be most useful for organizing
  • Influence how researchers can better support real-life resistance efforts
  • Share your experiential knowledge and strategic insights with the academic community
  • Connect with other activists and learn new skills
  • Share and promote your activities on our network

You do not need an academic background to present and participate, and we are open to a diversity of formats. 

Interactive Learning Environment

We will feature interactive sessions specifically designed to encourage dialogue and exchange between scholars and activists, moving beyond traditional academic presentation formats to create genuine conversation, mutual learning, and collaborative knowledge creation.

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Research & Activism Areas

Resistance Studies draws from rich intellectual traditions including anarchist literature, Foucauldian analysis, feminist scholarship, anthropological work, Afro-American studies, Subaltern Studies, James Scott’s work on everyday resistance, queer theory, and many other critical frameworks. 

The 50 themes we have identified explore and interrogate resistance from all angles and in all different contexts of violence and oppression: patriarchy, colonialism, militarism, class exploitation via capitalism, imperialism and (neo)colonialism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, militarism, religious conservatism, fascism, neoliberal market fundamentalism, ecocide and environmental destruction, individualist fragmentation of communities, technocracy. Resistance to Western epistemological dominance, exploitative organizations including academia, and other forms of systemic oppression also emerged as key themes. There is a broad variety of case studies from all regions, and particularly a cluster on Palestine and pro-Palestine activism.

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Join us

Submissions for presentations are now closed. Click below to register. All are invited! Share this page and invite anyone who might be interested in attending.

Contact us and submit via email: [email protected]

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Are you a researcher or activist interested in nonviolent resistance?

We’re building a community of scholars, activists, and thinkers dedicated to understanding and advancing nonviolent resistance through research and action.

By subscribing to our mailing list, you will:

  • Stay updated on new research and articles that push the conversation forward.
  • Be notified of open calls for papers and get reminders about dates and deadlines.
  • Connect with a growing network of people who, like you, are committed to making a difference.

Our vision is to build a space for collaboration and collective growth. We are interested in hearing from you, learn about new perspectives, think about opportunities for more join initiatives and creative ideas to advance nonviolent resistance. All of this can be possible if we keep in touch with likeminded thinkers.

 Let’s build this movement together.

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Thanks for considering a submission to the Journal of Resistance Studies! Before we get started, we just want to make sure that everything is ready. JRS receives more submissions than we can publish. As a journal for a relatively new academic field, it is important for us to publish texts that contribute to developing 'Resistance Studies' with theoretical ideas, high quality empirical material, interesting analysis, and/or cases from a wide spectra of societal contexts.

Does your article:

  • Have a clear focus on 'resistance' and how resistance influences power relations?
  • Contribute to our theoretical understanding of resistance, or is a better fit for the sociology of social movement field?
  • Include an abstract, citations, and a reference list?
  • Does it follow the guidelines in our policy statement?

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