 |
 |
'Guns and Identity in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries' May 5th-6th 2011 University of Kent, Canterbury Call for Papers Over the past few years, both European and extra-European historians have begun to examine the densely interwoven relationships between firearms and broad processes of social change. This development has allowed the study of guns to extend beyond the confines of military history and the study of specific historical events and outcomes. Sponsored by the School of History and Centre for American Studies at the University of Kent and the Institute of History at the University of Leiden, this international conference aspires to bring together historians interested in the study of the intersections between technology, culture and society. Its overarching intention is to use the historical trajectory of firearms as an entry point into the exploration of such economic, political and cultural dynamics as are still relevant to our understanding of the contemporary world. Within this general framework, the organizers are specifically interested in papers that address one or more of the following themes and sub-themes: - Firearms and the Empire. (The role of firearms in the wars of imperial conquest; firearms legislation in the metropoles and the colonies.) - Firearms and the Environment. (The socio-economic history of hunting in Europe and elsewhere; firearms and the emergence of conservationist ideologies.) - Firearms and Violence. (The extent of which changes in firearms technology contributed to the intensification of conflicts in the 'short twentieth century'; guns proliferation in an historical perspective.) - Firearms and Gender. (The significance of gun ownership in the construction of masculine identities) - The Representation of Firearms in Propaganda and the Arts. The conference, to be held at the University of Kent, Canterbury, UK, is scheduled for 5th-6th May 2011. Proposals for papers (including an abstract of c200 words and a short CV) should reach the organizers before the end of October 2010. Please send proposals to: Dr. Karen Jones, School of History/Centre for American Studies, University of Kent; [log in to unmask] Dr. Giacomo Macola, University of Kent/University of Leiden; [log in to unmask] Details about the conference programme and registration will appear on a dedicated website in due course.