Call for Proposals

Due Date for Submissions:  November 15, 2024

The 2025 Annual ICSA Conference will be held in Montreal, Canada, in collaboration with Info-Cult. The conference will take place from July 3-5, 2025, with pre-conference workshops on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. The theme of this year's conference is Cultic Phenomena and Interdisciplinary Knowledge: Understanding for Better Intervention.  

The program will be divided into the following sub-themes :

• Science in relation to cultic phenomena

• Intervention with members or former members of high-control groups and their families

• Perceptions of cultic phenomena within society and the role of the media

The Conference Committee will consider proposals in English or French for in-person presentations and, for those unable to come to Montreal, pre-recorded sessions, which will be made accessible online.

For more information, and to submit a proposal click on the graphic below: 

About ICSA Annual International Conferences

ICSA's annual conference is THE event in this field. The annual conference is typically three days in length with pre-conference workshops for former group members, researchers, mental health professionals, and educators.

Most annual conferences draw 200 to 300 attendees from around the world. Attendees include: former group members, families, helping professionals, researchers, lawyers, educators, and other interested persons. 

Recent annual conferences have featured over 100 speakers with 4-6 simultaneous tracks spread over three days, as well as a separate day for preconference workshops. The conference includes special tracks for former members, families, mental health professionals, and researchers.

Unlike closed, cultic groups, ICSA is firmly committed to freedom of thought, expression, and religion. Hence, ICSA's conferences are open to people from diverse backgrounds with diverse points of view. Opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of ICSA's directors, staff, advisers, volunteers, or supporters. Former group members dealing with recovery issues should keep these points in mind and, when available, attend a preconference former member workshop, which will help them understand the challenges of an open conference. See ICSA's essay on dialogue for an elaboration of these concepts.