Call for Papers on “Underrepresented Voices of the American Revolution”

The Massachusetts Historical Society and Suffolk University issued this call for papers for a July 2020 conference with the theme “Underrepresented Voices of the American Revolution”:

In recent decades, scholars have unearthed and revived stories of a diverse and wide-ranging cast of characters who lived through America’s political formation. This much-needed corrective has unraveled a traditional narrative of wealthy white male revolutionaries rebelling against a white male–dominated imperial government.

The lead-up to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence offers an opportunity to highlight and share the latest scholarship on the topic of underrepresented voices of the American Revolution whether that be from the perspective of Native Americans, women, African Americans, loyalists, ethnic and religious minorities, children, or neutrals in a global war that put the question of representation at its core.

This conference invites scholars from various disciplines to submit papers that explore the broad themes associated with historic individuals or groups not traditionally considered in discussing the American Revolutionary Era.

As an organization that operates within academia and the public history arena, the Massachusetts Historical Society both champions important scholarship and supports vital public history initiatives like professional development for K-12 instruction. This conference will serve both constituencies—scholars and K-12 educators—by providing a platform to consider how the classroom serves as a key site of historical representation.

Teachers will be invited to attend the traditional academic sessions, and scholars in turn will be invited to participate in a concluding teacher workshop at the end of the conference. We encourage participation from scholars who are eager to engage with and learn from K-12 educators, as well as teachers who are looking to incorporate the latest scholarship into the classroom.

Presuming that health conditions allow, the conference and teacher workshop will take place at Suffolk University and the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston on 14-16 July 2022. The panels and presentations will fill the first two days with the workshop on the third.

People interested in presenting papers or panels must submit their proposals by 4 January 2021. Those applications should include a description of all papers and c.v.’s of all presenters. Paper proposals should be no more than one page and c.v.’s no more than five pages. Direct proposals and questions to research@masshist.org.

Note that the format of this conference requires all papers to be complete and submitted for circulation to commenters and conference registrants six weeks before the actual conference date, or at the start of June 2021. The sessions will consist of discussions, not readings of prepared papers.