The theme of the 2026 Newstead Conference is Byron and Identity. The conference will take place at Newstead Abbey, from 24–25 April 2026, and will include a dinner on the evening of the 24th and a tour of Newstead Abbey or its Gardens on the 25th.
The keynote will be delivered by Dr Gerry McKeever, titled ‘Byron and Book History’
‘Changeable too, yet somehow “Idem semper”’ (Don Juan, XVII.11). The concept of identity suggests stability, lasting self-sameness. And yet, Byron’s proclamation of being ‘idem semper’—‘always the same’—somehow includes changeability. Byron’s version of the Ship of Theseus paradox points to a problem at the heart of the idea of identity: how can something, or someone, stay the same if everything is in flux? Identity’s supposed elimination of differences is further complicated by its fragmentation into various, at times competing, forms, which are seldom stable: comprising personal and professional constructions, as well as questions of nationality, sexuality, political leanings and authorial style, identity invoked mutability in Byron’s own times no less than in ours. The chameleonic poet was intimately aware of the innate mutability of identity, playfully shaping and reshaping his personal and poetic identities as he engaged with (and disengaged from) different audiences. This ‘mobilité’, to use a Byronic term, perhaps lies at the heart of his enduring popularity—yet it also forms the crux of many attacks against Byron and his works by past and present critics.
‘Byron and Identity’ CFP Here: Newstead Abbey 2026 Call For Papers
We will also be offering two student travel bursaries available. Further details are available on the call for papers page (link above).
Conference details
Programme details will be available shortly
Transport during the conference
We will provide buses to:
- Travel Lodge, from Newstead Abbey on 25th April
- Newstead Abbey, from Travel Lodge on 24th April
- Portland College, from Newstead Abbey on 24th April
- Travel Lodge, from Portland College on 24th April
- Newstead Abbey, from Travel Lodge on 25th April
Registration will be open in 2026