The Gaudí Year

The year 2026 is exceptional: it marks the centenary of the death of Antoni Gaudí, the visionary creator of the Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, Park Güell, and many other masterpieces. The Government of Catalonia has declared 2026 the “Any Gaudí” (“Gaudí Year”). Yet amid the celebrations, it is crucial to remember that Gaudí’s own death stands as a powerful and tragic example of aporophobia: the rejection or disdain directed at people perceived as poor.

On 7 June 1926, Gaudí left the Sagrada Família and walked across Barcelona. When he reached the crossroads of Gran Via and Carrer Bailèn, he was struck by a tram. Due to the extremely modest and worn clothing he habitually wore during his final years—marked by voluntary poverty and total dedication to his temple—bystanders mistook him for a beggar. Several taxi drivers refused to assist him, leaving him unattended for some time. Although the ambulance received instructions to take him to Hospital Clínic, he was instead taken to the Hospital de la Santa Creu, historically known as the “hospital of the poor.” There he remained unidentified and largely ignored until the following day, when acquaintances finally recognized him.

Gaudí’s ethical and spiritual decision to embrace poverty was met with a society that punished him through aporophobia. As we celebrate the Gaudí Year, we must not overlook that the circumstances of his death constitute a dramatic and profoundly symbolic case of this social phenomenon

The 4th Conference

The 4th International Conference on Aporophobia is organized by a coalition of academic institutions from Universitat Ramon Llull (Spain), in collaboration with leading social organizations including Cáritas, the Arrels Foundation, and the Pere Tarrés Foundation.

Previous editions have featured keynote lectures by renowned scholars such as Adela Cortina (University of Valencia), Gustavo Pereira (University of the Republic, Uruguay), Jesús Conill (University of Valencia), Aaron Reeves (LSE), and Imogen Tyler (Lancaster University). They have also included valuable contributions from practitioners and public officials such as Father Julio Lancelotti and Professor Esther Grossi (Brazil), as well as Spanish Government representatives including María Jesús Raimundo Rodríguez (Prosecutor, Hate Crimes and Discrimination Unit), Tomás Fernández Villazala (Director, National Office to Combat Hate Crimes), and Manuel Serrano González (Chief Inspector, National Police).

The organizing committee alternates between online and in person editions; the 2026 conference will be held in person.

Aporophobia remains a widespread and harmful social phenomenon. It undermines the dignity of those in vulnerable situations, adds stigma and discrimination to the hardships of poverty, weakens public support for social and redistributive policies, and intersects with other forms of discrimination, including those based on gender or origin.

Our keynote speakers for the 2026 edition will be:

• Professor Olivier De Schutter (UCLouvain; Sciences Po Paris; United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights)
• Professor Carmen Herrero (Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Alicante; Ivie Researcher; Full Member of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences)

Themes and Submission Guidelines

We invite scholars from around the world to submit research addressing any dimension of aporophobia. This year’s thematic areas include:

• Conceptual foundations of aporophobia
• Lived experiences of aporophobia
• The meaning and measurement of poverty and social exclusion
• Aporophobia and homelessness
• Aporophobia and migration
• Aporophobia and education
• Aporophobia and health
• Aporophobia and mental health
• Empirical evidence on poverty and aporophobia
• Aporophobia in technological societies
• Aporophobia and religion
• Aporophobia, social imaginaries, and cultural traditions
• Design as a tool against aporophobia
• Aporophobia and rights violations
• Aporophobia and institutions (meso‑aporophobia)
• Aporophobia and financial exclusion
• Aporophobia and legal frameworks
• Measuring aporophobia

The conference is multidisciplinary and welcomes contributions from philosophy, economics, sociology, political science, management, health sciences, education, history, criminology, and many other fields.

To ensure an inclusive event, no conference fees will be charged. Participation will be free of cost, but registration will be required and places will be limited.

Submission Instructions

Please submit proposals for academic papers including:

• a summary of up to 1,000 words
• the title of the proposed paper
• the names and affiliations of all authors
• contact details of the corresponding author

Send all submissions to:
aporophobia@iqs.url.edu

Deadline: 31 May 2026
Notification of acceptance: no later than 6 July 2026