Historians Against the War: Call for Papers. No. 478.

HISTORIANS AGAINST THE WAR.
NATIONAL CONFERENCE.
11-13 APRIL 2008
ATLANTA, GEORGIA


WAR AND ITS DISCONTENTS: UNDERSTANDING IRAQ AND THE U.S. EMPIRE

A Conference for Historians and Activists

Historians Against the War invites proposals for papers, panels, roundtables, workshops, and posters for our upcoming national conference at Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, 11-13 April 2008.

We envision a conference that will attract historically minded scholars, activists from a variety of social movements, graduate students, educators, artists, and independent researchers and writers. We construe the theme of our conference broadly. We want to fashion a program that grounds the Iraq War in the histories of Iraq, the U.S., the Middle East, and the wider world; contextualizes the U.S. empire in terms of race, class, gender, culture, and citizenship as well as political economy and the state; explores the politics, identities, and society of modern Iraq; assesses current and historical antiwar, anti-intervention, and solidarity movements in the U.S.; compares political Islam, Zionism, and the U.S. Christian right; examines opposition to war and militarism in society, within the military, and among young people subject to conscription or recruitment; tracks U.S. strategies towards other zones of turbulence and targets of intervention; weighs the capacities of states and movements to resist U.S. hegemony and construct a polycentric alternative; and considers the future of the "war on terror," the new imperial presidency, and democracy after the Bush administration.

In addition to the presentation of academic papers, we encourage interactive formats that promote open dialogue and collective learning among people on the program and members of the audience. Thus we welcome proposals for roundtables and workshops that engage, for example, with activism or teaching. If there is sufficient interest, we
will hold a poster session. We also welcome proposals for cultural performances and curated exhibits as well as submissions (and recommendations) for our concurrent film and video festival.

Proposals are due on 30 October 2007. Please include a title and description of your proposed contribution (including each part of a group proposal, as in a panel with three papers or a roundtable with four participants), a biosketch for each contributor or participant, and complete contact information. For group proposals, please make every
effort to put together a balanced and diverse group of contributors or participants. Submit your proposal electronically to conf@historiansagainstwar.org.

Please help us build this conference by spreading the word to scholars and activists!