CALL FOR PAPERS: SOCIAL SCIENCE HISTORY ASSOCIATION, CHICAGO, 18-21 NOVEMBER 2010

      REPRESENTING CONTESTED GEOGRAPHIES / MULTI-NATIONAL HISTORICAL GIS

We are seeking papers addressing any of these three linked themes:

<> Representations of contested geographies in historical contexts.  This includes but is certainly not limited to disagreements about boundary lines. The disagreements can be between historical researchers, cartographers in the past, diplomats or armies.  We are mainly thinking here about digital representations, but this is not necessarily limited to GIS; it could be a textual database of disputes, or a on-line map exhibition.

<> Studies in cartographic history with the same general focus: the recording of conflict and the representation of alternative positions. We are particularly interested in map making where it was part of the actual process of dispute resolution. We are probably not much interested in property line disputes unless there was a political dimension, but this theme should not be interpreted as only about international boundaries. For example, mapping ethnicity or language domains can be highly political and hence contested.

<> Multi-national historical GIS. We recognise that the notion of nation states is euro-centric so will interpret it flexibly, but we definitely want to focus on projects which span multiple polities, and have had to address such issues as contested boundaries, geographical entities named in multiple languages and, of course, wars. However, multi-national historical GIS projects of any kind are rare, and we would be happy to hear from any such project whether or not it addresses our other themes.  This would include projects covering the whole world, but it would also include projects focussed on small areas on the border of two countries.

We are the joint chairs of the SSHA historical geography network, and by a happy coincidence the overall theme of the 2010 conference is "Power and Politics": we are confident that if we can assemble a strong set of papers they will have a good slot in the programme. Our aim is to run multiple sessions developing the broad theme.

The 2010 conference will be held in downtown Chicago, in the Palmer House Hilton, the one venue the SSHA returns to every third year (because we like it).  We already have offers of several urban field trips and the conference is also seeking papers with a Chicago theme. For the overall call for papers for the conference, see:

  http://www.ssha.org 

Proposals from graduate students can be considered for a substantial number (up to 30) of student travel awards. See:

  http://www.ssha.org/grants

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS TO US: 8TH FEBRUARY.

Please reply with initial indications of interest NOW -- we are happy to discuss the precise scope of papers. Full proposals need to include the name of the author(s), contact details, paper title and a short abstract.

Humphrey Southall, University of Portsmouth UK ([log in to unmask])
Karl Grossner, University of California Santa Barbara ([log in to unmask])