In Person and Virtual

Hosted by the Human Rights Center at the University of Dayton, SPHR26 will take place April 9–11, 2026, as a hybrid conference, welcoming both in-person and virtual participation. Each day features a keynote, plenaries, performances, workshops and concurrent roundtable discussions. There will be exhibits set up both physically and virtually throughout the conference for participants to engage with.

The Social Practice of Human Rights (SPHR) Conference convenes scholars, artists, activists, organizers and practitioners to examine how human rights are imagined, challenged and advanced in practice. In 2026, SPHR gathers at a moment of profound global tension and possibility; when dissent is increasingly criminalized, technologies both enable and constrain resistance, and creative practices have become vital tools for survival, solidarity and transformation.

SPHR26 explores how artivism, digital technologies, and creative forms of protest shape contemporary struggles for human dignity and justice. Across disciplines and movements, participants will interrogate how creative resistance confronts repression, mobilizes communities and reclaims public space; while also grappling with the risks, exclusions and ethical dilemmas that accompany these practices.