Miami’s English Graduate and Adjunct Association’s Symposium
Contested Histories
The fifth annual symposium will be held Saturday, March 29th, 2008 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in the Great Room of MacMillan Hall.
Historian Gerda Lerner asks, “Why does history matter?” We find that answering this question necessitates a collective and cross–disciplinary discussion, and we extend this question to include critical inquiries into what constitutes history—inquiries theoretically grounded in diverse research practices and methodologies. We specify our theme, “Contested Histories,” not as a call to further divide ourselves through differences but as a call to build a dialogic and contextual understanding of how various histories speak to and inform one another—and to conceptualize how seemingly disparate threads link together and become the bodies of knowledge that we refer to as History. Even within academic disciplines, disputing history complicates notions of community, truth, and knowledge.
We invite you to share your reflections on these complications with an interdisciplinary community at our fifth annual symposium, which will be held March 29, 2008, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. We encourage proposals that question and analyze ideas fundamental to “Contested Histories.” It is our hope that the symposium will promote conversations that blur disciplinary borders as we examine practices and possibilities surrounding existing notions of history. The conference theme asks participants to reconsider history and confront the effects of histories across academic disciplines. We welcome individual and panel proposals from all departments as well as from persons not affiliated with any academic institution.
Presentations might address but certainly are not limited to the following questions concerning contested histories:
- Who owns ‘history’?
- What is the role of the historian?
- How is history used to construct/subvert power structures?
- How can contested histories help us rewrite pedagogy, literature, history, assessment, research, admissions, and/or publishing?
- How has history changed (within) your discipline?
- How does history get ignored, inscribed, and/or connected to other social, political, and cultural moments or identities?
- How does history affect/construct identity?
- How does history affect/construct physicality or bodily identity?
- How does history affect rhetorical strategies?
- How can examining history help us represent self and others more clearly and ethically?
- How do histories influence/co–construct one another?
- Why does history matter?
Or your presentation may address one of the following broad themes related to contested histories:
- Materiality of History
- Histories of Marginalized Groups
- Identity and History
- Historical Metaphors
- Fiction and Nonfiction in History
- Living History
- Memorials
- Historical Spaces
- Local History
- The Archives
- Genealogy
- Technology and History
- Cultural Memory
- Pedagogical History
- Performative History
- Queer History
- Invisible or Silenced History
- Disciplinary History
- Subversive History
- Political History
- Myth, Legend, or Folklore in History
Along with proposals for traditional academic paper presentations, we encourage proposals for non–traditional presentations including performances, multimedia, discussion formats, interactive sessions, poster presentations, and video. This year, we are also offering work–in–progress roundtable feedback sessions. These informal sessions will allow you to ask questions and receive feedback from peers and professors concerning your project ideas, full or partial drafts, research questions, etc.
To submit Proposals:
Download the form (Word format | PDF format).
E-mail completed forms to toomeyms@muohio.edu or mail a hard copy of your form by February 15, 2008.
If mailing, please send to the following address:
Melissa Toomey
English Department
356 Bachelor Hall
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
Official acceptance invitations will be sent to presenters electronically by March 1, 2008.
Questions or comments regarding the symposium may be directed via e-mail to the following committee members:
Ann Updike (updikeas@muohio.edu)
Melissa Toomey (toomeyms@muohio.edu)
Symposium Schedule | Registration | Driving Directions, Parking & Maps | Lodging | For Presenters