Class and the Practice of History

CFP: University of Essex

A Critical Condition? Class and the Practice of History in the Twenty-first Century
An Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference
15th June 2002
Department of History, University of Essex

Final Call for Papers

Confirmed keynote speakers:
Professor Steve Smith - University of Essex
Dr Simon Gunn - Leeds Metropolitan University

In recent years increasing numbers of established historians have distanced themselves from the concept of class. Has this been a consequence of what has been called the 'victory of postmodernism', or is it because academics have increasingly found other analytical categories more useful and attractive? Is class as an analytical tool in a critical condition? Will it continue to evolve and endure criticism in the twenty-first century? Is class an issue at all? We believe that the urgency of these questions makes a conference on the question of class in historical research most timely.

Postgraduate students are cordially invited to the graduate conference at the Department of History, University of Essex. Papers are welcome regardless of field, period or geographical focus. Possible themes include: class and its relationship to other discourses - nation, gender, race, ethnicity, etc. - hidden class, class and language, class and classification, class and consumption, and the politics of class.

The deadline for the submission of proposals for individual papers or complete sessions is 30 April 2002. Abstracts to be no more than 500 words. Please direct all inquiries and submissions to:

Kieran Foley or Sakis Gekas
History Department
University of Essex
Colchester CO4 3SQ
U.K.
Email: kjfole@essex.ac.uk

Call for Papers website: www.essex.ac.uk/history/general/events.htm.