BAAS 2019

Call for Papers

The 6th Annual Convention of the British Association for American Studies invites panels and paper submissions. 

Conference Themes

Proposals are welcomed on any subject in American Studies, and submissions are particularly welcome that address our two broad themes:

1) LGBTQ+ History.Inspired by the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Riots and the heritage of the Brighton area, the conference welcomes submissions relating to the American sexuality, civil rights and sexual dissidence.

2) Activism and Radical Thought. Inspired equally by the East Sussex career of Thomas Paine, we also encourage papers exploring the history and culture of radical thought and activism from all sides of the political spectrum.

Submission Guidelines 

• Given the size and scope of the conference, we will give preference to fully formed panel proposals, but will also accept individual paper proposals where possible.
• All individual paper proposals should be for 20-minute presentations.
• All sessions at the conference will be a maximum of 1 hour 30 minutes. Proposals for panels should therefore consist of no more than three speakers, or, if more speakers are desired, should be conceived as roundtable discussions.
• BAAS is dedicated to fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion. We will give preference to panels that reflect the diversity of our field in terms of gender, 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). All-male panel proposals will not be accepted.
• Equipment for the projection of visual presentations will be available in all rooms.

Special Funding for Targeted Research Panels

As a step towards building a more inclusive and diverse scholarly community, BAAS has made available funding for convenors to organise two successive annual conference panels that will support, promote, and feature the production of research by and about people of colour, LGBTQ+, and disability communities. Through Targeted Research Panels, BAAS seeks to provide opportunities to foster and forward research that attends to and includes historically marginalised communities and scholars without regularised institutional support.

Convenors who apply for funding to organise a Targeted Research Panelmust commit to coordinating a thematically cohesive panel for the 2019 and 2020 BAAS Annual Conferences. Each selected Targeted Research Panel will be awarded £5000 for a two-year cycle of BAAS annual conference panels. The panel convenor might, for example, use funds to subsidise the travel and accommodation of the panellists.

The deadline for Targeted Research Panel applications is the same as the general CFP. For further details please see the BAAS website.

Instructions on Submission

Paper proposals should be 250 words maximum, including a title. Panel proposals should include a 250-word abstract for each constituent paper as well as an abstract of no more than 250 words describing the panel session as a whole.

Please submit proposals, along with a brief CV and email address for each participant, to baas2019@sussex.ac.uk by the deadline of 15 November 2018.