The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians Board of Trustees made the difficult decision not to hold the Big Berks in 2026 and instead engage members in a conversation about how to move forward. Northwestern’s initial expressions of support for hosting the Big Berks in 2026 did not culminate in a formal agreement.
The Berkshire Conference of Women Historians leadership recognized that seeking a new venue created a series of difficult decisions that should be undertaken collectively. For example, moving to a hotel would likely increase costs making the conference inaccessible to many members. Moving the conference to an institution outside of the United States would make the conference more accessible to scholars outside of the United States while making it less so to scholars who live and work in the United States but do not have U.S. citizenship and to trans scholars in the United States. Moreover, the response to the call for papers was remarkably low, suggesting that the uncertainty of the present moment might require a rethinking of how we organize. Traditionally, the presidency was linked to hosting the Big Berks at one’s institution. Do we need to rethink this structure in this current political environment? To Berks leaders, all paths forward in these difficult times called for conversations.
For those who submitted proposals, we are working to develop programming—we are considering virtual options as well as options that coincide with other history conferences–to create community in other spaces; highlight histories of women, genders, and sexualities; and open spaces for creating a collaborative vision for the Berks. Please keep an eye on your email and we will update submitters as soon as we have determined the options for presenting your valuable work.
