32nd AHSN Conference,11-13 February 2026
Te Herenga Waka | Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
(Rutherford House, 33 Bunny Street Pipitea)
Conference theme
Difficult Conversations (or, the Brouhaha in Aotearoa)
Humour studies is one of the most well-established and successful examples of interdisciplinary scholarship. Drawing on the work of scholars in fields as diverse as psychology, linguistics, folklore, literary studies, history, media and communication, and sociology, the study of humour brings together multiple traditions and disciplines to better understand the complex nature of humour across multiple contexts.
Underneath the surface, though, trouble lurks. Those who have been around the field long enough are likely to have heard the pointed conference questions, received the unexpectedly hostile peer reviews, or taken part in the whispered conversations. While we in humour studies have a long and productive history of working alongside one another, we perhaps have not always worked with one another or sought to learn from one another in genuine ways. The differences have tended to be overlooked in favour of solidarity.
However, we think that the time has come to talk more openly and collegially about what humour is and how we study it. For this conference, we would like contributors to (politely and constructively) ask the difficult questions, have the awkward conversations, and maybe even engage in some reflection about the limitations and problems with their own approaches to studying humour, in the service of building a field where we are better equipped to learn from, work with, and sometimes disagree with one another.
We invite proposals that address the frictions and fault lines, openly ask the questions, and reflect upon their own scholarly methods and theories. We especially welcome collaborative panels framed as conversations between different disciplines, subdisciplines, methods, and theories.
Keynote speakers
Sarah Balkin is a Senior Lecturer in English and Theatre Studies at the University of Melbourne. She earned her BA (Honours, 2004) at the University of California, Los Angeles and her MA (2009) and PhD (2012) at Rutgers University. She has published widely on comedy, theatre, performance, genre, and literature from the nineteenth century to the present. She is the author of Spectral Characters: Genre and Materiality on the Modern Stage (University of Michigan Press, 2019) and the co-author (with Marc Mierowsky) of Comedy and Controversy: Scripting Public Speech (Cambridge University Press, 2024). A book about the historical emergence of deadpan style (1830-1930) is forthcoming with Cambridge University Press. Her articles on contemporary stand-up appear in Theatre Research International, TDR, and Comedy Studies. In 2025 she guest-edited an issue of Comedy Studies on “The Comic Audience.” Other current research examines the contract between performer and audience in contemporary stand-up.
Jessica Milner Davis is an Honorary Associate at The University of Sydney in the School of Art, Communication and English, and co-ordinator of the Australasian Humour Studies Network. A Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge, and Research Affiliate with Brunel University’s Centre for Comedy Studies Research, she has held Visiting Scholarships at Bristol, Stanford, Hofstra and Bologna Universities and taught regularly at the European Summer Schools on Humour and Laughter. In 2017 she was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales in recognition of her interdisciplinary work, and in 2018 received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Humour Research from the International Society for Humor Studies. She is an editorial board member for leading humour research journals and book-series. Her books include Farce (Routledge, 1978, 2003), Satire and Politics: The Interplay of Tradition and Practice (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017), Understanding Humor in Japan (2011), Humour in Chinese Life and Letters and Humour in Chinese Life and Culture (with Jocelyn Chey, Hong Kong UP 2013 and 2015), and Judges, Judging and Humour (with Sharyn Roach Anleu, Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Her latest book is Humour in Asian Cultures: Tradition and Context (Routledge, 2022).
Call for Papers closes 30 September 2025
Important Dates
Abstract submission opens: 1 June 2025
Deadline for consideration for student scholarship: 31 August 2025
Deadline for submission of abstracts: 30 September 2025
Submission: Proposals should be submitted via email to Lydia Chan at lydia.chan@vuw.ac.nz
Registration will open on 1 October 2025, with early bird and concessional rates for students and the unwaged available until 31st December 2025.
Early Bird (1 October – 31 December)
• Waged – $375AUD
• Concession – $275AUD
Late Bird (1 January – 13 February)
• Waged – $425AUD
• Concession – $325AUD
Conference Location
The conference will be held in Rutherford House, Victoria University of Wellington, in Pipitea, a central area of Wellington City.
Map of Wellington (continuously updated) is at: Bespoke Map of Wellington
Accommodation Options
The Organisers have obtained special conference rates for:
- Sofitel Wellington (9-min walk to Rutherford House)
11 Bolton Street, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011
- ibis Wellington (8-min walk to Rutherford House)
153 Featherston Street, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
NB: Follow this link to book.
Other options:
- Rydges Wellington (3-min walk to Rutherford House)
75 Featherston Street, Pipitea, Wellington 6011
- Bolton Hotel (9-min walk to Rutherford House)
12 Bolton Street, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011
- Wellesley Boutique Hotel (6-min walk to Rutherford House)
2/8 Maginnity Street, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011
- Quest On Thorndon (6-min walk to Rutherford House)
61-63 Thorndon Quay, Pipitea, Wellington 6011
Travel Notes
Airport Express Bus
Super Shuttle
Snapper Card (for Wellington buses)
- https://www.snapper.co.nz/buying-a-snapper-card/
- You can buy one in the airport: https://www.snapper.co.nz/locations/wellington-airport/
IMPORTANT: Air Travel Requirements
- You may need a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA)
- Please note: “If you are travelling on an Australian passport and meet our character requirements, you do not need an NZeTA.”
- Everyone must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration
- Digital, avoid filling out a piece of paper on the airplane
- Submit 24 hours before your flight
Further details on the conference will be posted here as they become available. To receive these, please ensure you are subscribed to the AHSN Digest.
For conference enquiries, please email Stephen Skalicky at: stephen.skalicky@vuw.ac.nz
AHSN 2026 Committee
Dr Stephen Skalicky, Victoria University of Wellington
Assoc./Prof. Nicholas Holm, Massey University
Lydia N. C. Chan, Victoria University of Wellington
Review Procedures for AHSN Conference Proposals
