HOTCUS 2022 Annual Conference: Call for Papers

Conference dates: 22-25 June, 2022* 

Location: University of Edinburgh

Plenary Speaker: Professor Melani McAlister (George Washington University )

Historians of the Twentieth Century United States (HOTCUS) is delighted to invite paper and panel proposals for our 2022 annual conference. Following the success of our first online conference in 2021, we are developing a hybrid format for 2022, with a range of both in-person and online events. We hope that this will accommodate those who want to meet in person in the beautiful city of Edinburgh, while also ensuring accessible offerings for all who wish to join us digitally. We will, of course, be keeping a close eye on government advice, and can pivot to an online-only event if necessary. 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. This covers all aspects of U.S. history, including (but not limited to):

  • Citizenship, immigration, and migration
  • Cultural and intellectual history
  • Economic history
  • Environmental history
  • Health, the body, and disability
  • Foreign relations and America in the world
  • Diplomatic histories/new diplomacy
  • Gender and sexuality
  • Native American and Indigenous histories
  • Pedagogy and practice
  • Political and policy history
  • Race and racism
  • Social movements and methods of protest
  • Religion
  • Science and technology
  • Urban history

We particularly encourage fully formed panel proposals or roundtable discussions, Research panels are usually confined to a maximum of 90 minutes, and composed of three speakers, although we encourage alternative formats. We will also accept individual paper proposals, where possible, with panels assembled by the conference committee.

The conference organizers also welcome innovative formats for sessions, 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.

Panellists seeking panellists

If you are looking to connect with other scholars interested in developing a panel for the annual conference then you can share your details via a google doc available here

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.  

Questions regarding the format of panels can be directed to the HOTCUS Events Secretary, Dr Megan Hunt ([email protected])

Submission guidelines

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 the committee email address below. Please place these in a single document.

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. Panel chairs can be included with the proposal or can be added by the HOTCUS organising committee.

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). To help the symposium organisers arrange panels, please note your preferred gender identity with your submission. HOTCUS would also especially welcome proposals from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority scholars, who have historically been under-represented at its events.

Please ensure that all proposals, panel or individual, clearly state your preferred gender identity or pronouns, as well as your preference for in-person or online delivery. 

Paper and panel proposals should be submitted to the following email address – [email protected] – by midnight, UK time on February 5, 2022.

*Please note that the conference will take place within the specified window of June 22-25, 2022, but the total number of days for the conference may depend on the number of submissions, and the general preference for online or in-person activities. While many members will want to make travel plans, the COVID situation and hybrid nature of the conference does make things harder to plan with certainty, and so we have selected dates that allow a day or two of flexibility at this point.