Mankato, Minnesota 
October 8-10, 2026

Details will be added as they are available in spring of 2026

2026 Sponsored Symposium

Dear MAC Colleagues,

In 2010 the MAC, Inc. Board of Directors established a Sponsored Symposium for the organization’s annual conference. MAC-sponsored sessions address issues that are directly relevant to Midwestern archaeology. Symposia can cover any time period (pre-contact, post-contact, or both) or subject, ranging from culture history (e.g., a specific culture or time horizon) to material cultural analyses (e.g., faunal or trace element studies), research topics (e.g., exchange systems or social organization) or theoretical approaches (e.g., new materialism or situational archaeology).  This is the call for symposium proposals for the 2026 conference hosted by Minnesota State University Mankato, Mankato, MN – October 8-10, 2026. 

Guidelines for Sponsored Symposia can be found on the MAC website (Guidelines). Only complete proposals will be considered. Complete proposals will minimally include:

1. A clear and concise topical statement, why it is important to Midwestern archaeology and, more generally, to anthropology (including archaeology) or allied disciplines. 

2. The number of contributors must be identified, as well as the specific structure of the meeting session, which will be roughly three (3) hours long. 

3. Potential contributors should be specified; they need not be asked in advance, but doing so tends to enhance the proposal. 

4. There must be a short session summary specifying the topics that will be covered and any introductory or concluding comments (preliminary). The summary should include paper time limits and question-and-answer periods.

Sponsored Symposium proposals should be submitted via e-mail in a single PDF format file to Secretary Katy Mollerud (secretary@midwestarchaeology.org) no later than 5 pm on Friday, July 3, 2026. The selected symposium will be announced via email by mid-July.

Please contact me with any questions. Thank you.

Kind regards,
Katy J. Mollerud
MAC Secretary