Call for papers: 2027 ‘Paris at War’ digital summit

The National WWI Museum and Memorial has announced the theme for its next online symposium: Paris at War, taking place on Tuesday, 2 February 2027.

Organisers have opened a call for proposals – and WFA members, researchers, and historians are invited to pitch their work.

The National WWI Museum and Memorial is based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Established shortly after the Armistice, it holds one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of First World War artefacts, archives, and personal records. The February 2027 event will be held as a virtual digital summit, allowing speakers and delegates from across the globe to contribute without the need for international travel.

The subject: Paris at War

The summit will explore how the French capital weathered four years of global conflict and how the wartime experience reshaped the city. Although Paris remained behind the trenches, it sat uncomfortably close to the frontline. The city sustained attacks from Zeppelins, bombers, and long-range guns, all while serving as a hub for allied troops, medical logistics, government diplomacy, and civilian mobilisation.

The summit features two leading authorities on the conflict: Dr Michael Neiberg and Dr Richard S. Faulkner. Neiberg, an expert on French military and diplomatic history, brings deep insight into both the defence of the capital – notably during the 1918 German offensives – and the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Complementing this, Faulkner is the foremost historian of the American doughboy, offering expertise on the hundreds of thousands of Allied troops who passed through Paris, the logistical strain they placed on the city, and their everyday encounters with French civilian life.

Call for proposals

Museum organisers are inviting proposals from across the historical community. Early-career researchers and postgraduate scholars are especially encouraged to apply, though submissions from established academics and independent researchers are equally welcome.

The selection panel is looking for papers addressing the broader theme of the Parisian wartime experience, with particular interest in:

• Paris on the Frontlines: civil defence, urban operations, policing, aerial threats, logistics, and the everyday realities of life under wartime strain.

• Avenues of Change: social, cultural, and political developments in the capital, leading through the war years to the 1919 Peace Conference and the post-war order.

• Diverse Perspectives: research highlighting the lived experiences of women, civilian workers, refugees, and French colonial subjects residing in or passing through Paris.

Accepted contributors will take part in a live virtual session on 2 February 2027. In addition, successful applicants will write a short research note (around 500 words) on a relevant item from the museum’s archive or permanent collection, which will be published on the museum website.

All proposals and presentations must be in English.

Deadlines and how to apply

Proposal deadline: Friday, 20 November 2026, at 5.00 pm US Central Time.

Notification of acceptance: Friday, 11 December 2026.

To submit an abstract or review the complete submission guidelines, visit the National WWI Museum and Memorial website.

Advance notice for 2027 in-person symposium

The museum has also announced that its autumn in-person symposium in Kansas City will run from 29 to 30 October 2027, under the title Ireland and the Great War. Registration and the call for papers for that event will open on Tuesday, 1 December 2026.