Historians of the Twentieth Century United States (HOTCUS) is delighted to invite paper and panel proposals for our 2023 annual conference. Following the success of our first hybrid conference in 2022, we intend to maintain this format in 2023, with a range of both in-person and online events. We hope that this will accommodate those who want to meet in person in Newcastle, while also ensuring accessible offerings for all who wish to join us digitally. Please consider your availability and preferences if submitting a paper or panel (see below for more information on submissions and the format of the conference).
Call for Papers
We welcome panels and paper proposals on all topics concerning the history of the United States – broadly conceived – from 1890 to the present. We especially welcome proposals from underrepresented scholars and on underrepresented topics. These include, but are not limited to, work on and/or by Indigenous and Latin American communities, Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities, women, LGBTQI+ people, and disabled people.
We particularly encourage fully formed panel proposals or roundtable discussions, and encourage those seeking fellow panelists to use our online Panel Finder document. Research panels are traditionally confined to a maximum of 90 minutes, and composed of three speakers, although we strongly encourage innovative and alternative formats, which can be outlined in your panel proposal or discussed with the HOTCUS Events Secretary, Dr Megan Hunt (megan.hunt@ed.ac.uk).
We will also accept individual paper proposals, where possible, with resulting panels assembled by the conference committee.
The conference organizers particularly welcome panels or papers centred on innovative topics, including (but not limited to) discussions of pedagogy, archives and other primary sources, interactive panels on specific texts, themes, events or anniversaries, or moderated conversations on contemporary issues in American society, contemporary academia, and the job market.
Format and delivery of the conference
We currently envision that each panel will be either fully in-person OR fully online, so please remember to indicate in your submission whether you hope to join us in person or online. Unfortunately, we are unable to facilitate hybrid panels (combining in-person and online papers). Space will be provided in the schedule for in-person attendees to attend online panels, while we hope that most in-person panels can be broadcast live and/or recorded for online attendees, where speakers agree and technology permits.
Submission guidelines
Please note that HOTCUS will give preference to panels that reflect the diversity of our field in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and institutional affiliation. We will also give preference to panels that include a mix of participants from across the career spectrum (i.e., from postgraduate to professor). Historically, women have been disproportionately underrepresented on panels and HOTCUS is taking positive action, as permitted under s.158 Equality Act 2010, to enable and encourage the participation of women. For this reason, all-male panel proposals will not be accepted. HOTCUS may constitute an all-male panel or other presentation where absolutely necessary (but any such consideration will be other than via the call for papers procedure).
If submitting an individual paper, please send a brief CV (no more than two pages), plus a title and 200-300-word abstract for the proposed paper to events.hotcus@gmail.com. Please place these in a single document, with your surname as the file name.
Panel proposals should contain a 200-300 word abstract for the panel as a whole, a 200-300-word abstract for each paper and a brief CV (no more than two pages) for each participant. Please place these in a single document and email to events.hotcus@gmail.com. Panel chairs can be specified in the proposal or can be added by the conference organisers.
Please ensure that all proposals, panel or individual, clearly state your preference for in-person or online delivery.
Paper and panel proposals should be submitted to the following email address – events.hotcus@gmail.com – by midnight, UK time on March 5, 2023.
Please direct all questions to the HOTCUS Events Secretary, Dr Megan Hunt (megan.hunt@ed.ac.uk).
