About

The Council's flagship event, convening researchers, policymakers and practitioners around the questions shaping our societies.

15 - 16 September 2026Conference Dates
Radisson Hotel & Convention Centre, Johannesburg, O.R. Tambo AirportConference Venue
In-person & VirtualHybrid Event
56 Yearsof Social Science Research Excellence

The HSRC Annual Conference is the flagship event of the Human Sciences Research Council. It brings together scholars, policymakers, practitioners, students and partners from across South Africa, the continent and the world to interrogate the questions shaping our societies.

The 2026 conference, The Age of Digitality and the Future of Society, asks how digital transformation is reshaping knowledge production, ethics, institutions and everyday life – and what role the humanities and social sciences must play in guiding it.

Conference Objectives

Examine how digitality is reshaping knowledge, evidence and research practice.

Interrogate the ethical, legal and social implications of data and artificial intelligence.

Surface African perspectives on digital transformation and digital inequality.

Strengthen the role of the humanities and social sciences in digital policy.

Build networks between researchers, policymakers, civil society and practitioners.

Who Should Attend

Researchers and academics, postgraduate students, policymakers and government officials, development practitioners, civil society organisations, funders, and private-sector partners working at the intersection of technology and society.

Delegates in a plenary session at the conference