Institute of Research in Musicology (IReMus UMR 8223) – Sorbonne University
École doctorale V Concepts et langages
Paris, November, 4th, 5th and 6h, 2026
Deadline: July 10th, 2026
Each year, the IReMus Sorbonne Université – International Doctoral Congress of Music and Musicology presents the latest musicological research by young scholars from around the world. The congress, organized by the BJC, gives PhD candidates in musicology an opportunity to present their research to a wider audience. In doing so, it aims to:
● encourage exchanges between young researchers from different backgrounds;
● promote dialogue between doctoral students and established researchers;
● raise awareness around current scientific issues through collaborative workshops;
● foster ongoing development in musicological research.
In her essay entitled “Situated Knowledges” (1988), Donna Haraway wrote: “Situated knowledges require that the object of knowledge be pictured as an actor and agent, (…) never finally as slave to the master that closes off the dialectic in his unique agency and his authorship of ‘objective’ knowledge.” The construction of a collective musical knowledge, in particular classics, has long been situated in Eurocentric perceptions along with their cultures and norms. Judith Butler in Undoing Gender (2004) highlights the vital role of
these norms in identity-legitimating processes through gendered performances, allowing analyses of bodies, voices and musical practices as places of construction, contestation and subversion. Between excavations of invisibilized identities, reinterpretations and reappropriations of classics and analyses of contemporary productions, placing music research back in gender studies allows for a rediscovery of music. This year’s theme explores the relationship between music and gendered identities in all their shapes and intersectionalities. Submissions could explore, without strict limitations, the following topics:
● Performance and performativity
● Queer and safe spaces, and queer practices
● Intersectionality and musical industries
● Gender and institutions
● Inclusion and representation
● Sexuality and musical intimacies
● (In)visibility
● Voices, struggles and activism
● Agency and productions
● Archives and history/ies of music
● Women Composers and Musicians: artists, creation, interpretation and matrilineality
● Masculinities and musical universes
● Voices and embodiment in musical practices
Communications in the forms of conferences, concert-conferences (no piano available) or any other creative presentational formats are welcome. Multidisciplinary contributions are encouraged.
Languages of the conference: French and English. Note: As the conference is held in France, most presentations will be in French. Presentation time: 20-minutes followed by 10-minutes of discussion. For presentations incorporating a musical performance: 30-minute presentation, 5-minutes of setup time, 10-minutes of discussion. Each year, the congress brings together around twenty doctoral students, researchers, lecturers and specialists. The selection process will be overseen by a scientific committee comprised of the BJC as well as Adrien Bourg (Sorbonne-Université/IReMus), Sylvie Le Bomin (Sorbonne Université/IReMus), Théodora Psychoyou (Sorbonne Université/IReMus), Raphaëlle Legrand (Sorbonne/IReMus), Hyacinthe Ravet (Sorbonne/IReMus), Catherine Deutsch (Université de Lorraine), Jason Julliot (Université de Rouen-Normandie), Marie Buscatto (Panthéon Sorbonne), Karim Hammou (CNRS/Cresppa-CSU), Louisa Martin-Chevalier (Sorbonne Université/IReMus), Jérémy Michot (Université de Tours).
Each paper should include a title, an abstract (300 words – including main topic, methodological approach, corpus), 5 keywords, bibliographical references (maximum 5) and a biography (300 signs). It is recommended that you present a specific aspect of your research, rather than your research as a whole. The deadline for submissions is July 10th 2026. To apply, send your proposal to congres.bjc.iremus@gmail.com
The Organizing Committee, on behalf of the Bureau des Jeunes Chercheurs: Noé Blin Bião, Lydie Chapoton, Hélène Delemasure, Juliette Garcin, Allia Guillot, Robin Haddad, Mickael Kouakou, Matthieu Lainé, Sophie Reiland, Matthieu Rupp, Jérôme Thiébaux, Camille Zimmermann.
Information on the International Doctoral Congress of Music and Musicology is also available on the Laboratory’s website: https://www.iremus.cnrs.fr/bureau-des-jeunes-chercheurs-bjc The VIIIth International Doctoral Congress is an opportunity for doctoral students to meet and exchange ideas with renowned researchers. It is open to all current doctoral students whose research focuses on music.It’s an opportunity to take stock of the state of research in the field, open to contemporary issues in the discipline, covering all periods, aesthetics and theoretical approaches.