JAX State hosts 2026 SEASECS Conference
03/15/2026
Jacksonville State University hosted the 2026 Southeastern Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (SEASECS) Conference on campus from Thursday, March 5, through Saturday, March 7. SEASECS is "an interdisciplinary society promoting the interchange of ideas and information on the culture, history, literature, philosophy, politics, music, economics, architecture, art, medicine, and science of the eighteenth-century world" that connects scholars across the American Southeast. SEASECS hosts an annual conference for the sharing of scholarly work and artistic expression centered in the eighteenth century. This year's conference theme was "Through the Screen Darkly: The Eighteenth-Century in the Digital Age."
The conference was organized by local host Dr. Christopher Douglas from the Department of English, assisted by Dr. Tray Ridlen from Art, and Dr. Ryan Burns from History. The conference welcomed 70 participants coming from as far away as Canada and Texas to campus, with university faculty, independent scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate students coming together to learn and share about the eighteenth century.
"It's an often-overlooked time in literary history," Dr. Douglas said, "But so crucial to our understanding of our current moment. Open dialog and international communities sprang up to debate the big issues of the day, and we continue to value many of the goals of the Enlightenment era in the twenty-first century. It's a thrilling prospect to bring so many talented scholars from across the Southeast to our campus to continue that work."
Dr. Ridlen reflected on his experiences attending: "The conference was filled with enthusiastic scholars of the 18th century, who discussed not just their original research but also the public and classroom importance of the 18th century, with discussions on teaching and learning and the continued relevance of the 18th century as we arrive at the 250th anniversary of the United States."
"Thursday's keynote featured a spectacular Regency-era dance class taught by our very own Leila Rodgers, an MA student in the Department of History and Foreign Languages," added Dr. Burns. "She taught us two Georgian dances, pausing to add fascinating detail on the historical and social context of each dance." The Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Sciences, Dr. Timothy Lindblom, welcomed the group on Thursday, shortly before the opening reception.
A musical production by the music department's Dr. Shellie Beeman (Lyric Soprano) and Dr. Wendy Freeland (Piano), with JAX State alum Michael Greenwood accompanying on woodwinds, entertained conferencegoers with a selection of eighteenth-century music on Friday afternoon after a full day of panel sessions. Following the concert, attendees were treated to a keynote talk by Dr. Martha Bowden, Emeritus Professor of English, Kennesaw State University, who came from as far away as Ontario to share research on fable collections written in the 18th century. The conference closed on Saturday morning following a business breakfast and morning sessions, including work that showcased Jax State undergraduate student work in Art and English.
Dr. Douglas noted that the support from across the College of Arts, Humanities and Sciences, as well as a willingness of both Merrill Hall and the Houston-Cole Library to provide meeting space was key to the success of the conference overall: "It was really a cross-campus effort. Time and time again, someone came up to tell me how impressed they were with the spaces, the campus, and the students they interacted with," said Dr. Douglas. "Everyone felt incredibly welcome, and said that they expected Jax State to host SEASECS again in the future." The conference rotates locations regularly, with the 2025 meeting hosted in Savannah, GA and the 2027 conference scheduled for The University of Mississippi.
SEASECS is a regional affiliate of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS), the largest scholarly body in North America dedicated to eighteenth-century studies.