Here are some more conference details....
http://www.history.ac.uk/events/conferences/1364
Showing posts with label conferences. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conferences. Show all posts
Thursday, 10 June 2010
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Registration for History Lab's annual conference is now open! Please visit this link(http://www.history.ac.uk/historylab/conference/register) to register. Details of our annual conference will be posted here (http://www.history.ac.uk/historylab/conference) and on our blog.
Thursday, 3 June 2010
History Lab's annual conference - Politics and Power
Just a quick reminder of the details for the 2010 History Lab Annual Conference. Further details to follow:
Politics and Power
History Lab Annual Conference
29th and 30th June 2010
Institute of Historical Research, London
Political history is sometimes seen as the victim of recent turns in historical practice. This conference aims to explore where politics fits into the current practice of history, and the current shape – and status – of political history.The General Election means that 2010 would seem to be a good year in which to consider the state of politics in history, not just as Political History, but as a broader aspect of much historical research. The past can be a powerful motivator and politician’s tool, and historians play an important role in this; we need also to be aware of our own political positions when writing history. What is the place of traditional forms of Political History in the 21st century? How can this type of history interact with other approaches to history? Has the cultural turn really done for political history, or just changed the way we do it? How do we define ‘political history’ – is all history politics?
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Goodenough Annual Conference Series - War & Faith: Exploring the place of Religion in Conflict and Reconciliation, Friday 18 June 2010
Over the past nine years Goodenough College has established an internationally renowned conference series with a reputation for addressing serious issues of multi-disciplinary and global importance. This series of conferences is devised and organised by members of Goodenough College and attracts the highest calibre of specialists from political, financial, academic and diplomatic communities around the world.
This year the College will host speakers from a number of diverse fields to examine the relationship between war and faith in the past and present, particularly the extent to which religion can be seen as a cause of conflict, the religious discourses used to define the experience of war, and the ways that faith can be instrumental to reconciliation and reconstruction. The connection between war and faith stretches back for millenia, but it is one that is increasingly important to examine, discuss, and attempt to understand in the twenty-first century.
Follow the link below for more information:
http://www.goodenough.ac.uk/gcs.html
This year the College will host speakers from a number of diverse fields to examine the relationship between war and faith in the past and present, particularly the extent to which religion can be seen as a cause of conflict, the religious discourses used to define the experience of war, and the ways that faith can be instrumental to reconciliation and reconstruction. The connection between war and faith stretches back for millenia, but it is one that is increasingly important to examine, discuss, and attempt to understand in the twenty-first century.
Follow the link below for more information:
http://www.goodenough.ac.uk/gcs.html
Saturday, 24 April 2010
History Lab's annual conference - Politics and Power
Politics and Power
Call for Papers
History Lab Annual Conference
29th and 30th June 2010
Institute of Historical Research, London
Political history is sometimes seen as the victim of recent turns in historical practice. This conference aims to explore where politics fits into the current practice of history, and the current shape – and status – of political history.The General Election means that 2010 would seem to be a good year in which to consider the state of politics in history, not just as Political History, but as a broader aspect of much historical research. The past can be a powerful motivator and politician’s tool, and historians play an important role in this; we need also to be aware of our own political positions when writing history. What is the place of traditional forms of Political History in the 21st century? How can this type of history interact with other approaches to history? Has the cultural turn really done for political history, or just changed the way we do it? How do we define ‘political history’ – is all history politics?
Abstracts are invited for 20 minute papers that address any of these issues, in any time period. Suggested topics include:
People, parties and networks
Elections, voters and the franchise
Inclusion and exclusion
Political theory and the practice of political history
The use of history in politics
Protest and revolution
Local politics
Power and agency
Nationalism and devolution
International politics
Identity politics
The 2010 election in historical context
‘New politics’ – neoliberalism, New Labour and reinvigoration
Please send a 250-300 word abstract by the end of Monday, 17th May to historylabconference@gmail.com, giving your institution (if applicable) and contact details. Suggestions for two or three person panels are welcomed: please supply a title or theme for your panel, and abstracts and contact details for each proposed panellist.
Friday, 16 April 2010
To overseas conference or not to overseas conference...
One of the greatest pleasures of my career to date has been attending conferences overseas. If, like me, you research contemporary British history and study/work in the UK, then the chances of heading off somewhere exotic/interesting/warm to hit the archives are usually limited. I chose particularly badly on the 'reasons to travel for research' front by working on East London, where I also happened to live and work part-time. So I needed nothing more than a zone 1-3 travelcard in order to get my research done. In terms of meeting people from around the world in my field, I was spoilt by a) doing my PhD at the IHR where most people rock up to at some point and b) working at one of the archives my fellow specialists would travel to.
However, whilst it's very easy to have everyone come to you, there are many, many good reasons why you should get to an overseas conference at least once in your PhD studies, beyond the getting more stamps in your passport and it looking good on your CV. Some studentships - usually research council ones - will offer a multi-purpose research support grant that can be used for travel to conferences, and if you are in this position, then you should seriously consider using your grant for this. If you aren't this lucky, then it is more than worth making an application to schemes such as the Royal Historical Society's postgraduate support scheme. Money might also be forthcoming from other sources, including alumni funds from your university or school, local trust funds and the like. The IHR's Grants in History is always worth a look, too. The conference you are attending may also offer to pay some or all of your costs.
I've had a number of trips for conferences outside the UK: two to the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands. The first trip was arranged by my university, and was supported by a British Academy grant, back in 2003. The second resulted in my gaining one of my first publications in an edited collection. I also got to go to Japan to attend an academic conference, although this was through my paid work rather than through academic channels. The Social History Society periodically holds its annual conference outside the UK, and I've been lucky enough to get to Dublin (2005) and Rotterdam (2008). I am involved with the British Scholar conference held by the University of Texas at Austin, which is a thoroughly enjoyable conference, having been to it twice.
So what did I gain from my travels? Well, the EU conferences left no evidence on my passport, if the Japanese and US jaunts have. On the most basic level, it's been an opportunity to travel and to experience something out of the norm. But it also opens your eyes to the ways in which universities and research work beyond the UK, which are the kinds of things you discover through observation and through small talk. I'll tackle the first point first. If you have spent all of your educational and working life in Britain, it's easy to forget that the world simply operates in different ways. For a start, British degrees - indeed secondary schooling - is relatively unusual in offering early specialisation. Thus British graduates fresh from school are generally let loose on industry at the ages of 21/22 - or they can begin an MA at an equally tender age, before starting a PhD a year later. For those who have straightforward (or at least relatively straightforward - I'm not alone in having a segue into 'real life' before doing my PhD) routes through to their PhD, the average age at completion is 25-28 or so. Compare this with the US where a four year degree programme with specialisation in the later stages leads to a longer postgraduate programme, often interrupted by the pressures of funding studies through taking on paid work. PhDs in the Netherlands are examined in public... so rather than sitting there in front of your examiners and possibly your supervisor, trying to avoid puking, you could be standing up in front of an audience, defending your thesis in public, trying to avoid puking. These are a couple of examples that would suggest that the experience of doing a PhD - and later working as an academic - is not as universal as we may initially think. It's a useful means of starting a discussion about what it is we do prepare our postgraduate students for, and whether there is anything to be learned by doing or examining a PhD a different way.
The other way in which getting out of the UK and out to a conference is in terms of the way in which it changes your perspective on your subject. It's not just the exposure to a different narrative that counts. It's also an understanding of how not being British, how not living and working in the UK, for example, might literally shape the way in which you come to your work. How do you work your research questions with the practicalities of archival research? How might the training offered where you did your PhD take you in other directions to that of a British-trained PhD student? These are refreshing and important points, at least to think about. In short, whether it is the way a conference is organised, the experiences that your colleagues have had, the take they have on your topic, all raise questions about the global nature of academia and how postgraduates fit into this.
So, in my view, it's worth making the effort to apply to overseas conferences and to work on getting the funds together. Granted, options involving sea travel and Eurostar may become more important if the Icelandic volcano continues to spew ash into the atmosphere, but it's still worth it...
However, whilst it's very easy to have everyone come to you, there are many, many good reasons why you should get to an overseas conference at least once in your PhD studies, beyond the getting more stamps in your passport and it looking good on your CV. Some studentships - usually research council ones - will offer a multi-purpose research support grant that can be used for travel to conferences, and if you are in this position, then you should seriously consider using your grant for this. If you aren't this lucky, then it is more than worth making an application to schemes such as the Royal Historical Society's postgraduate support scheme. Money might also be forthcoming from other sources, including alumni funds from your university or school, local trust funds and the like. The IHR's Grants in History is always worth a look, too. The conference you are attending may also offer to pay some or all of your costs.
I've had a number of trips for conferences outside the UK: two to the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands. The first trip was arranged by my university, and was supported by a British Academy grant, back in 2003. The second resulted in my gaining one of my first publications in an edited collection. I also got to go to Japan to attend an academic conference, although this was through my paid work rather than through academic channels. The Social History Society periodically holds its annual conference outside the UK, and I've been lucky enough to get to Dublin (2005) and Rotterdam (2008). I am involved with the British Scholar conference held by the University of Texas at Austin, which is a thoroughly enjoyable conference, having been to it twice.
So what did I gain from my travels? Well, the EU conferences left no evidence on my passport, if the Japanese and US jaunts have. On the most basic level, it's been an opportunity to travel and to experience something out of the norm. But it also opens your eyes to the ways in which universities and research work beyond the UK, which are the kinds of things you discover through observation and through small talk. I'll tackle the first point first. If you have spent all of your educational and working life in Britain, it's easy to forget that the world simply operates in different ways. For a start, British degrees - indeed secondary schooling - is relatively unusual in offering early specialisation. Thus British graduates fresh from school are generally let loose on industry at the ages of 21/22 - or they can begin an MA at an equally tender age, before starting a PhD a year later. For those who have straightforward (or at least relatively straightforward - I'm not alone in having a segue into 'real life' before doing my PhD) routes through to their PhD, the average age at completion is 25-28 or so. Compare this with the US where a four year degree programme with specialisation in the later stages leads to a longer postgraduate programme, often interrupted by the pressures of funding studies through taking on paid work. PhDs in the Netherlands are examined in public... so rather than sitting there in front of your examiners and possibly your supervisor, trying to avoid puking, you could be standing up in front of an audience, defending your thesis in public, trying to avoid puking. These are a couple of examples that would suggest that the experience of doing a PhD - and later working as an academic - is not as universal as we may initially think. It's a useful means of starting a discussion about what it is we do prepare our postgraduate students for, and whether there is anything to be learned by doing or examining a PhD a different way.
The other way in which getting out of the UK and out to a conference is in terms of the way in which it changes your perspective on your subject. It's not just the exposure to a different narrative that counts. It's also an understanding of how not being British, how not living and working in the UK, for example, might literally shape the way in which you come to your work. How do you work your research questions with the practicalities of archival research? How might the training offered where you did your PhD take you in other directions to that of a British-trained PhD student? These are refreshing and important points, at least to think about. In short, whether it is the way a conference is organised, the experiences that your colleagues have had, the take they have on your topic, all raise questions about the global nature of academia and how postgraduates fit into this.
So, in my view, it's worth making the effort to apply to overseas conferences and to work on getting the funds together. Granted, options involving sea travel and Eurostar may become more important if the Icelandic volcano continues to spew ash into the atmosphere, but it's still worth it...
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