Call for Papers: HGSA Conference 2025
Northeastern University History Graduate Student Association Conference Call for Papers: Community Memory in Times of Transnational Crisis
The theme for this conference is Community Memory in Times of Transnational Crisis. We welcome papers exploring how communities have identified, remembered, and/or defined themselves during and after war, famine, epidemics/pandemics, ethnic cleansing, genocide, colonialism, marginalization, erasure, and various forms of oppression.
We define community memory as a modality of memory that is determined by the group and transmitted among individuals and generations. It is further activated through engagement with the public. Community memory remained alive for long periods of time in the private realm, but after the 18th century, community memory occupied more space in the public sphere. Community memory can also be prescribed by governmental bodies and privately-funded initiatives. Crisis in history occurred alongside mass migrations, trade routes, conquests, and the movement of bodies and goods. In times of transnationally connected crises, community memory is reexamined and redefined by conditions of uncertainty or insecurity, grief, and resilience in communities.
Topics and Methods
Submissions may cover a plethora of topics, including but not limited to:
- Diaspora and Migration
- Colonialism
- Political and Cultural Studies
- Archives
- Memorialization
- Resistance and Futurity
The methods we encourage include but are not limited to: critical race studies, ethnic studies, intersectional feminism, digital humanities, archival studies and sciences, transnational and world history, ethnic studies, language studies, disability studies, colonialism and postcolonial studies, subaltern studies, trauma studies, LGBTQIA+ studies, memory and affect studies, anthropology, media studies, law, museum studies, and environmental history.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive and that we encourage interdisciplinary perspectives. Graduate students in history and other associated disciplines are welcome to present their work on these topics. We also encourage submissions of pre-organized panel proposals. Faculty from the Northeastern University History Department will join as chairs/commentators for panels in their research areas.
Accepted papers will be divided into panels of 3 to 4 presenters based on similarity. Each panelist will have 10 to 20 minutes to present, and each panel will end with 20 minutes of discussion and questions guided by a facilitator from Northeastern University’s History Department. All presenters must be graduate students in history or related fields.
Submission Guidelines
To be considered for a paper presentation, submit an abstract of no more than 300 words through this form by January 3, 2025. Accepted papers will be notified by January 16, 2025 and will be required to submit full papers by February 16, 2025. The conference will take place at Northeastern University’s Boston campus on March 14, 2025.
For further questions please contact the Northeastern HGSA at nugradconf@gmail.com.