PRESENTATION
The Brazilian Association of Semiotic Studies (ABES) is pleased to announce the 7th International Congress of ABES, to be held from July 12 to 15, 2027, at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC Minas), Coração Eucarístico Campus, in Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil. Under the theme Semiotics from Brazil: Territories, Knowledges and Theories in Dialogue, the congress invites the scientific community to reflect on what it means to produce semiotic knowledge from Brazil.
To think semiotics from Brazil means to take the country not merely as a geographical territory, but as a space shaped by its own historical, social, cultural, political, environmental and technological relations; marked by colonization, by slavery and by the resistance of Indigenous and Afro-Brazilian peoples; by inequality; and by the diversity of its regions, biomes, languages and ways of life. It is from this place that the congress proposes to think about the production of meaning. This means recognizing that the signs, texts, discourses and practices that semiotic theories seek to understand also lead those theories to revise and develop themselves, and that other forms of knowledge broaden their ways of thinking. In this perspective, the different semiotic traditions are invited to engage with central questions of the Brazilian experience, as well as with the traditions of semiotic knowledge production of the Global South and the Global North.
With this call, the Organizing Committee opens the submission period for thematic symposium proposals and presents the full submission schedule of the event.
THEMATIC AXES
The congress is organized around twelve axes of reflection and research, whose full descriptions are available in the presentation text of the theme:
Axis 1: Territories, biomes and biodiversity
Axis 2: Decolonial perspectives and Indigenous knowledges
Axis 3: Anti-racist perspectives and Afro-Brazilian epistemologies
Axis 4: Inequalities, recognition and social justice
Axis 5: Feminist perspectives, genders and sexualities
Axis 6: Democracy, political polarization and intolerance
Axis 7: Digital cultures, platformization and artificial intelligence
Axis 8: Semiotics, education and science communication
Axis 9: Artistic manifestations and performances
Axis 10: Semiotics, culture and social life
Axis 11: Dialogues between Brazil and the Global South
Axis 12: Dialogues between Brazil and the Global North
SCHEDULE
Date
Stage
By November 27, 2026
Submission of symposium proposals (extended abstract/outline)
December 15, 2026
Announcement of accepted symposia
By March 1, 2027
Submission of paper proposals to the symposia
April 12, 2027
Announcement of accepted papers
July 12–15, 2027
7th International Congress of ABES
THEMATIC SYMPOSIA
Thematic symposia are the main forum for the presentation and discussion of research at the congress. Each symposium brings together papers around a specific topic, linked to one of the twelve thematic axes, and is led by its convenors, who are also responsible for evaluating the papers submitted.
Who may submit
Each symposium must be proposed by two or three convenors, preferably from different institutions.
Convenors must hold a doctoral degree.
Convenors must be members of ABES or become members by the proposal submission deadline.
Each researcher may convene only one symposium.
Proposal content
Symposium proposals must include:
the title of the symposium;
the thematic axis to which it is linked;
full name, institution, e-mail address and a link to the Lattes CV or ORCID profile of each convenor;
an extended abstract (outline) of 500 to 1,000 words, presenting the thematic focus, the theoretical framework and the connection with the congress theme and with the chosen axis;
three to five keywords;
references.
Proposals may be written in Portuguese, Spanish, English or French.
Submission and evaluation
Proposals must be submitted by November 27, 2026, via e-mail to abes.midias@gmail.com. The Scientific Committee will assess each proposal's relevance to the congress theme and thematic axes, its theoretical and methodological consistency, and its significance for the field. The list of accepted symposia will be announced on December 15, 2026.
PAPERS
Once the accepted symposia have been announced, the call for papers will open. Researchers and graduate students may submit their proposals to one of the symposia by March 1, 2027. In addition, at the discretion of each symposium's convenors, papers by undergraduate students may also be accepted, preferably those linked to undergraduate research projects. Proposals will be evaluated by the convenors of each symposium, and results will be announced on April 12, 2027.
Guidelines for paper submissions (abstract format, length, number of papers per author and other instructions) will be detailed in the next call.
REGISTRATION
Participation in the congress, whether as a symposium convenor or as a presenter, is open to ABES members whose annual dues are up to date. Those who are not yet members may join directly through the association's website: www.abes-semiotica.org.
Further information on registration, participation categories and fees will be announced in a subsequent call.
CONTACT
Event website: www.abes-semiotica.org
E-mail: abes.midias@gmail.com
Belo Horizonte, September 2026.
Organizing Committee of the 7th International Congress of ABES
7th International Congress of ABES
July 12–15, 2027 · PUC Minas, Belo Horizonte
