History News

25-29 July 2010, Karl Jaspers Centre for Advanced Transcultural Studies, Heidelberg University

The 2nd Summer School of the Cluster of Excellence 'Asia and Europe in a Global Context'. The theme for 2010 is 'Knowledge on the Move: Circulation, Domestication and Transcultural Reconfigurations'. Under this heading, the Summer School examines the multifaceted encounters between Asian and European knowledge since the early modern period. The course programme combines lectures with seminars and workshops. The deadline for submitting applications is 31 May, 2010.

The Afterlife of Used Things in Britain and France, 22 -23 June 2010, Université Paris Diderot / LARCA

We invite participants to study the versatile practices of recycling and refashioning that shaped the eighteenth-century world of goods with particular emphasis on the double question of waste and luxury. Thus the refashioning of old objects into new desirable ones, the thriving second-hand market often fuelled by the luxury trades and the problem of “waste management” in societies characterized by increased opulence are among the questions that the conference will seek to explore. Please send your proposals (max 300 words) to the organisers by 12th April 2010.

14 September 2010, University of Portsmouth

This one-day conference develops out of, and responds to, research into the history and representation of the kinship, amity and community during the early modern period that has been accumulating steadily over recent decades. We hope to promote a reassessment of this body of work and to develop new lines of enquiry into the implied exclusions that result from or engender social organisation. We invite proposals for papers (of 20 minutes duration), or panel sessions, dealing with any aspect of exclusion in the 16th-18th centuries, and would welcome interdisciplinary proposals. The deadline is Friday 14 May, 2010.

7-9 July 2011, Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies, University of York

This conference, timed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the 1611 King James Bible, will look at the reception of the Bible in the early modern era. It will bring together an impressive range of scholars from a variety of disciplines, to assess the significance of the scriptures to cultural, political, theological and philosophical history throughout the long seventeenth century.  Papers are invited on any aspect of the reception and use of the Bible in the early modern era.

24 April 2010, Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, Queen Square.

Bath is a city in need of historical reappraisal. Much historiography focuses on the city as a spa resort and the personalities involved in its development, but little has been written on the residential population and links between them and the visitors. Bath attracted entrepreneurs and young people with the offer of employment opportunities and education. Could the city be seen as a centre for commerce and education outside London? The city was also a centre of conversation and opinion with many spaces set aside for sociability and display. How did these social networks develop and how were they maintained? The relationship between Bath and the rest of country also needs to be addressed. Was the city a trend follower or a trend setter? To explore these issues, Bath Spa University is hosting an international symposium on 24 April 2010. 

20 July 2010, 10-4pm, British Library Conference Centre, London

Not only has the digitisation of historical newspapers made it easier to discover information about events from the past, but the way in which they have been digitised makes it possible to discover how those events were represented, debated and sold as news. This conference will debate current limitations of this digitisation as well as opportunities for future development.

The conference is being organised jointly by the British Library and JISC. Speakers will include Professor Laurel Brake, Professor Tim Hitchcock, Professor Robert Shoemaker, Professor Miles Taylor and Dr James Mussell.

Third Annual Conference, 19 June 2010, Brunel University, London

Brunel University's Centre for American, Transatlantic and Caribbean History (CATCH) is holding a one-day conference on 19 June 2010 to discuss transnational perspectives on the History of Women in the Americas.  Papers are welcome from established academics, early career scholars and postgraduates. Postgraduates can also submit proposals for poster sessions. There is a modest conference of £15 for academics and £5 for post-graduates. Proposals should be submitted by 15 May at the latest, please send a 250 word abstract to Prof. Jay Kleinberg. Non-speakers are more than welcome to attend but should register by 1 June as places are limited.

University of Dundee, 21-22 May 2010

The 7th Annual Conference of the Historical Perspectives Society. The theme for 2010, 'Conflict and Conformity', is intended to encourage participation by postgraduates working in a range of disciplines in the Arts and Social Sciences.  We welcome proposals (c.250 words) for 20 minute papers on any topic related to the theme.