Tag: allied professions

CFP: Chapters on Conspiracies and Visual Culture

Conspiracies and Visual Culture

Editor Information: Stephanie Beene (sbeene@unm.edu) and Katie Greer (greer@oakland.edu)

Abstract

Conspiracy ideation in America is on the rise and has infected popular culture and social media. This phenomenon is deeply concerning, not least because it moves beyond fringe groups to influence mainstream discourse and belief systems. Despite extensive academic work on the psychological underpinnings of conspiracy belief and the linguistic/rhetorical analysis of related texts, a crucial gap remains. Specifically, there is an underdeveloped area of study concerning the sophisticated and widespread influence of the visual, not only in disseminating conspiracy ideation generally but at the juncture where it intersects with evangelical subcultures. 

The information landscape is currently saturated with visual content designed to sow distrust and disseminate disinformation. The tools of digital media creation have become powerful vectors for this spread. Examples abound, from the unsettling realism of DeepFake TikToks and sophisticated AI-generated imagery, which blur the lines between reality and fiction, to seemingly innocuous visuals—photographs, charts, or video clips—that are removed from their original, legitimate contexts and weaponized to promote baseless narratives.  The ease of production and viral distribution of this visual misinformation and disinformation means that educators must become acutely aware of the mechanisms by which visuals, more than just text, are influencing conspiracy ideation in novel and increasingly alarming ways.

To effectively combat this rising tide of visual disinformation, there is an urgent need for scholarly and practical intervention. Incorporating robust frameworks of visual literacy—the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in images—and the broader concept of metaliteracy—the comprehensive understanding of how to produce, evaluate, and share information across various media—can significantly enhance our collective ability to analyze and deconstruct these narratives. This approach would allow us to move beyond simply identifying a conspiracy and delve into how semiotics and imagery—the signs, symbols, and visual language employed—influence and solidify conspiracy beliefs. Addressing the visual dimension of this crisis represents a crucial step toward filling a significant, and currently dangerous, gap in current scholarship and public awareness, especially as it relates to communities where these visual narratives are most readily accepted.

This edited volume aims to bring together leading scholars from both conspiracy studies and visual literacy studies to examine visual messaging in conspiracy theory culture.

The book will be divided into the following sections:

  • Part 1: The participatory environment: Visuals and conspiracy engagement
  • Part 2: Hidden messages: The semiotics of visuals in conspiracy communities
  • Part 3: Critical visual thinking: Educating for conspiracy avoidance
  • Part 4: Nefarious Tropes: Historical intersections of visuals and conspiracy theories

Chapter topics could include:

  • Visual analysis of conspiracist aesthetics on social media
  • Mis/ mal/disinformation as political tools
  • Visual Literacy to inoculate against conspiracism
  • Generative artificial intelligence and conspiracy visual culture
  • Analyses of the attention economy, platform capitalism, or recommendation algorithms driving conspiracist content
  • “Do your own research” communities or movements
  • Historical analyses of the use of visuals to promote conspiracy theories
  • Cultural influences of conspiracy theories
  • Gender and sexuality studies and the “manosphere” or “trad” communities
  • Information overload & culture
  • Cognitive visual processing and conspiracy imagery

Logistics and Timeline

Proposals between 250 and 500 words, CVs, and brief author bios (50-80 words) should be

submitted to Stephanie Beene (sbeene@unm.edu) and Katie Greer

(greer@oakland.edu) by COB July 31, 2026.

The editors will review all submitted proposals and notify applicants by COB August 31, 2026.

Chapters should be approximately between 7,000-8,000 words, and first drafts of completed

manuscripts will be due COB March 31, 2027. The expected publication date will be in 2028. 

CFP: Borders and Sustainability: Human and Natural Resources across Time and Space (Seminar Series 2026–2027)

Call for Papers: Entangled Histories Seminar Series 2026–2027

Following the success of the current edition, the Entangled Histories Seminar Series invites abstracts for its 2026–2027 cycle: 

“Borders and Sustainability: Human and Natural Resources across Time and Space.”

This edition explores sustainability not as an exclusively environmental concern but as a multifaceted concept that intersects with borders across diverse cultural, material, and ecological contexts. 

The series adopts a diachronic and interdisciplinary perspective, spanning from prehistory to the contemporary world.

Sustainability and Borders: A Broad Perspective. We seek to investigate sustainability in its multiple dimensions:

  • Material sustainability: recycling of resources (manuscripts, architectural structures, waste, and landscapes).
  • Ecological sustainability: relationships between humans, animals, and environments; balance between preservation and exploitation.
  • Social, linguistic, and cultural sustainability: transmission of knowledge, endangered languages, healing practices, migration, and community resilience.
  • Symbolic sustainability: representations of ecological limits, hybrid beings, and cultural imaginaries of nature and borders.

Conceptual Framework At the heart of the series lies the concept of borders, understood as dynamic thresholds that shape access to resources and regulate interactions. Borders are not only physical or political: they can be ecological, cultural, social, linguistic, political and material. While we encourage long-term temporalities and global spatial entanglements, we also offer the elements (earth, water, air, fire, ether, wood, etc.) as a possible heuristic framework to explore these dimensions across different historical strata.

Topics of Interest: We encourage contributions from a wide range of disciplines, including but not limited to:

  • Archaeology and Prehistory: Resource use, landscapes, indigenous practices, and environmental interactions over time.
  • Medieval Studies, Philology, and Manuscript Cultures: Material sustainability of manuscripts, palimpsests, intellectual ecologies, literatures and languages, and the transmission of knowledge.
  • Art History and Visual Culture: Representations of nature, landscapes, borders, and material practices across different periods.
  • Anthropology and Folklore: Vernacular ecological knowledge, oral traditions, liminal beings, and environmental imaginaries.
  • History of Science and Medicine: Healing practices, scientific knowledge, and environmental understanding across cultures.
  • Environmental Humanities and Ecology: Human–non-human relations, ecosystems, climate, and resilience.
  • History of Economy, Trade, and Food Systems: Circulation of resources, subsistence, scarcity, and sustainability practices.
  • Architecture and Infrastructure Studies: Built environments, water and soil management, roads, and material borders.
  • Geography, Cartography, and Media Studies: Spatial representation, mapping, and communication of environmental knowledge across borders.

 High-Impact Publication Opportunity: A selection of the most significant contributions will be published in a dedicated edited volume or a special issue with a leading international publisher (past collaborations and ongoing projects include prestigious venues such as Brill, De Gruyter, and Routledge). This ensures that the research presented reaches a global audience of specialists.

Submission Guidelines

  • Format: Online seminar (approximately 30-minute talk + discussion).
  • Schedule: October 2026 – Summer 2027.
  • Required: Title, Abstract (250–300 words), Short Bio (100–150 words), Affiliation, email address, and preferred months of availability.
  • Deadline: 31 August 2026.
  • Send to: entangledhistories.seminars@outlook.com.

Contact Information

Organized by:

  • Dr. Maria Pia Ester Cristaldi (Üsküdar University)
  • Dr. Elisa Ramazzina (University of Insubria)

Under the patronage of: The Faculty of Communication and the Master’s Programme in Media and Cultural Studies at Üsküdar University.

Contact Email

entangledhistories.seminars@outlook.com

URL

https://sites.google.com/view/entangledhistories/home

CFP: Mapping Post-Truth across Disciplines

Key Information
Proposals due June 30th, 2026 to posttruthconference@gmail.com
Decision of acceptance communicated by July 15th, end of day 

Dates: October 29th-30th, 2026
Location: University of Memphis, specific locations TBD 
Fee: TBD

Overview
“Post-truth,” broadly understood, denotes a general erosion of mutually shared reality, resulting in what some term an “epistemic crisis.” Such an ostensible epistemic crisis ranges in degree from the outright negation of commonly understood truth to a shift in how we categorically define, measure, or use truth. “Post-truth” as conceptual problematic has thus also been instantiated and reflected in various practical applications: mis-/dis-information; “fake news”; the rise of conspiracy theorization; artificial intelligence; censorship, suppression/repression, and manipulation; etc. 

The growing pervasiveness of such an epistemic crisis (i.e., “post-truth”) has implicated numerous academic disciplines: communication and rhetoric; psychology; journalism; political science; history; sociology; philosophy; writing studies; etc. While practical divergences emerge between disciplines in terms of how “post-truth” is pursued in specificity, there is now an exigence for inter- and trans-disciplinary collaboration on such an epistemic crisis. 

The University of Memphis Post-Truth Collective invites 250-word (max) abstract proposals for the Mapping Post-Truth across Disciplines Conference, to be held at the University of Memphis on October 29-30th, 2026. We invite submissions from graduate students and faculty from all disciplines on a range of related topics, including but not limited to:

  • Epistemology
  • Social Ontology
  • Fake news
  • Mis- and Dis-information
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Rhetorical Invention
  • Conspiracy Theories
  • Censorship, Repression/Suppression, Manipulation
  • Journalism Ethics and Laws
  • Bots and Algorithms
  • The Mandela Effect
  • Affect
  • Aesthetics
  • Screen Culture
  • Education Policy
  • Media Literacy
  • Jurisprudence
  • Writing Studies
  • History
  • Group Psychology
  • Popular Culture
  • Media Studies/Theory
  • Religious Studies

We are particularly interested in proposals that produce generative solutions to the “post-truth” problematic, rather than critical, analytic diagnostics and descriptions of what it is. The goal of this conference is to seek trans- and inter-disciplinary collaboration on potential resolutions, (re)appropriations, and productive rethinking of (post-)truth, especially in the service of common good well-being. 

Conference Objectives
Because the primary objective of the conference is to facilitate inter- and trans-disciplinary collaboration on similar sub-topics pursued by scholars in different disciplines, panels will include 3-4 presenters from different disciplines. In the event a group of inter- and/or trans-disciplinary scholars would like to propose a complete panel, please submit an abstract with 250-word (max) abstracts and a 250-word (max) summative rationale for the panel. As an alternative to publication of conference proceedings, this conference will generate a white paper at the conclusion of the conference. Such a white paper could turn into an edited collection, contingent upon conference attendees’ interest. 

Conference Information
Please submit all conference proposals, as well as any questions or concerns, to Dr. Scott Sundvall: posttruthconference@gmail.com by June 30th, 2026. Decisions of acceptance will be communicated by July 15th, end of day. Keynote Speaker: Zahid R. Chaudhary, Princeton University. Thursday evening (October 29th). 

Contact Information

Dr. Scott Sundvall, Associate Professor, University of Memphis

Contact Email

posttruthconference@gmail.com

CFP: Exhibition Journal

Proposals due June 3, 2026 for the Spring 2027 Issue

If you are selected to contribute to the issue, you will be notified in late June and a draft of your assigned submission (approximately 1,500 words) will be due in late August 2026.

Theme—Between the Lines: Language in Exhibitions

There are few issues facing exhibition-makers as evergreen as what makes a good wall label. There are also few issues as divisive. After well over a century of visitor research into the effectiveness of labels and countless books, articles, guidelines, tips, and tricks for writing more effective labels, standards still vary widely across institutions—and even across exhibitions staged by the same institution. Add to this the failures of language itself, from its gendered, racist, cultural, and classist assumptions to its (in)accessibility for large numbers of people, and one might be forgiven for asking why labels are still such a ubiquitous communication strategy. Exhibition last broached this topic specifically in its Spring 2016 issue, “The Power of Words: Written, Spoken, Designed.” With all that has happened in the intervening decade, from a pronounced rightward drift in Western politics that has made language as hotly contested as ever to the rise of ChatGPT and other large language models capable of writing for us, we want to check in to see how practitioners are shaping the present and future of exhibition communication through labels and beyond.

Proposals for this issue might address:

  • Delivery Methods: How is language being used within your exhibitions? Is it delivered primarily through graphics, audio, or some other means? How does the delivery method shape the choices you make in terms of tone, length, formality, etc.?
  • Voice: Who has a say in the words that go into your exhibitions? How is content generated and by whom? How does your institution center or draw on expertise and lived experience beyond the voices of in-house collections experts?
  • Politics and Censorship: What happens when language is contested or censored by those within or outside an institution? How do museums maintain the integrity and nuance of their content in an age of polarization and misinformation?
  • Accessibility: What accessibility considerations go into not only how you design text but how you write it? How do you design graphics for greater accessibility? What does multilingual interpretation look like today? What is the role of multimodal interpretation in ensuring that the written word is a choice and not a default for visitor engagement? 
  • Authorship: Who is writing your exhibition content? Has your institution committed to human-generated content or are you experimenting with AI? Do you feature content authored by community members, artists, and others outside your institution? How do you manage these relationships and is your approach to editing such content different?
  • Tone and Vocabulary: Who are you speaking to and how? What guides the choices your institution makes in how it engages with its audience(s) through written and spoken language? What resources do you draw on and how do you train staff to communicate?
  • Choreography: How do collections, graphics, design, and interactive elements work together? How do you choreograph an exhibition to enhance the impact of collections and their interpretation? What design features—seating, pacing, placement—increase engagement with objects and interpretation?

Proposals can focus on a specific exhibition, provide an overview of exhibitions and practices, or offer an insightful review of current literature and other resources to help elucidate core practices. The exhibitions and/or elements discussed can be created by or for museums of all disciplines, historical sites, galleries, institutions that collect and display living collections, or others. Proposals might come from designers, exhibit developers, interpretive planners, curators, writers, educators, or others who create and contribute to exhibitions at all stages of their careers. In all cases, accepted authors will be expected to write articles that illuminate larger issues. Exhibition descriptions should be critical and analytical, and theoretical research and evaluation findings (even if informal) must be used to support arguments for the strengths and weaknesses of a project.

A Note About AI

Authors are expected to write their own articles, without the use of AI (large language models, ChatGPT, etc.). This includes using AI to edit your submission (beyond Word’s spelling or grammar check features). If authors plan to use AI to assist with data collection or other research functions to facilitate the creation of their articles, this use must be disclosed and properly cited (more detailed information will be provided if your proposal is selected).

Exhibition does not use AI in any of its editorial processes. All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of your peers with many decades of combined experience who are all committed to creating meaningful content for our field. We believe this human-centered approach results in articles that honor your individual voice while protecting your intellectual property. We welcome first-time authors and ESL authors and will provide additional editorial support as needed.

How to write and submit a proposal

There are two parts to a proposal (which must be submitted as a Word document):

Part 1: Description (400 words max)

The description must:

  • Include a proposed title for the article (proposed titles should be brief, interesting, and illuminating).
  • Clearly and succinctly convey what the article’s thesis will be.
  • Indicate the approaches, strategies, or knowledge that readers will take away from the article.
  • Convey how the article would raise questions or illuminate larger issues that are widely applicable (especially if the proposal focuses on a single project).

Please note that accepted articles will be expected to provide critical, candid discussions about issues and challenges, successes and failures, and to provide some level of evaluation and/or theoretical grounding.

Part 2: Brief Bio

Please provide a brief bio (no more than one paragraph) for each author that describes their background and qualifications for writing the article (please do not include resumes or CVs).

Please send all proposals as Word documents via email to Jeanne Normand Goswami, Editor, Exhibition at: jeanne.goswami@gmail.com. Submissions from colleagues and students around the world are welcomed and encouraged.

Deadlines: Proposals are due June 3, 2026. Our editorial advisors will vet proposals in a blind review process, and you will be notified of acceptance or non-acceptance in late June. Articles of 2,000 to 3,000 words maximum, along with high-resolution images, will be due in late August.

Other ways to contribute

Would you like to contribute to Exhibition but don’t have a project that fits the call? We are looking for volunteers to contribute to the journal as book reviewers and exhibition critique writers.

What we’ll need:

If you are interested in being considered for these opportunities, please let us know:

  • Your name, title/role, institution (if applicable), geographic location (so we can match you with exhibitions in your area), and any areas of particular interest or focus (e.g., are you a public history professional, art historian, scientist, or designer? Do you have experience with content development or museum education?).
  • Whether you are interested in writing book reviews, exhibition critiques, or both (NOTE: Book reviewers will receive a complimentary copy of the chosen book).
  • If you have a specific idea in mind for either a book review or exhibition critique, please provide a brief (150-word max) description that includes why you think it would make a good addition to this issue (NOTE: you do not need to have a specific idea to be considered).

Please send requested information via email to:

Jeanne Normand Goswami, Editor, Exhibition at: jeanne.goswami@gmail.com. Submissions from colleagues and students around the world are welcomed and encouraged.

Deadlines: All information is due June 3, 2026. Book review and exhibition critique submissions will be considered by our editorial team alongside article proposals in June 2026. If you are selected to contribute to the issue, you will be notified in late June and a draft of your assigned submission (approximately 1,500 words) will be due in late August 2026.

CFP: Playing with History

PLAYING WITH HISTORY, 15 – 16 JULY

The Centre for Historical Studies at the University of Northampton welcomes submissions for our interdisciplinary and panhistorical conference Playing with History. This event brings together scholars, educators, and practitioners interested in examining how play—across its many forms—shapes, reflects, and reimagines the past. Play is often framed as leisure or diversion, yet it has long been central to cultural expression, technological innovation, learning, and socialization. From ancient board games to contemporary digital worlds, from childhood toys to serious games in education, play offers a rich archive for historical inquiry and creative engagement.

We welcome papers that address (but are not limited to) the following themes:

1. Histories of Games, Toys, and Play

  • Archaeologies and material cultures of play
  • Play and identity (gender, class, race, age)
  • Collecting, preserving, and curating play artefacts
  • Performance as play (acting, dressing up, theatre)

2. History and Gaming

  • Historical representation in tabletop, board, and role-playing games
  • Video games as sites of historical storytelling and memory
  • Game mechanics as historiographical tools
  • Histories of gaming technologies and industries

3. Pedagogy and Play

  • Game-based learning in history education
  • Role-playing and experiential learning in the classroom
  • Designing educational games and playful curricula
  • Critical perspectives on gamification
  • Play as a method of engaging with difficult or contested pasts

We encourage contributions from a wide range of disciplines, including history, archaeology, anthropology, education, media studies, game studies, museum studies, theatre studies and more. If you have something to say about play, you are welcome!

We welcome 200-word abstracts for traditional 20-minute papers, but also welcome submissions for more creative formats, such as game demonstrations, poster presentations and workshops. We warmly welcome abstracts from practitioners outside higher education and postgraduate students. 

Please email Rachel.Moss@northampton.ac.uk and Tim.Reinke-Williams@northampton.ac.uk your abstract and contact details by Monday 11 May.

Contact Information

Rachel.Moss@northampton.ac.uk and Tim.Reinke-Williams@northampton.ac.uk 

CFP: Edinburgh Bibliographical Seminar and Workshop: Catalogues and Registers as Evidence in the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology

The inaugural Edinburgh Bibliographical Seminar and Workshop (EBSW) seeks proposals on the theme of ‘Catalogues and Registers as Evidence in the History of Mathematics, Science, and Technology’. The event will occur at the University of Edinburgh from 20 July to 24 July, 2026, the week after the joint meeting of the History of Science Society and the European Society for the History of Science.

This interdisciplinary seminar aims to investigate the significant potential of historical registers of commodities, books, and borrowing as sources for the study of the history of mathematics, science, and technology, as well as intellectual history. Beyond their practical applications, catalogues and registers of books can reveal the intellectual landscape of a particular time and place. They can show which books were available, what was considered important, and how knowledge was organised and categorised. By examining these registers, catalogues, and records, we can track the circulation of ideas across disciplines and regions. This examination can provide context for understanding the development of scientific and mathematical thought. As the Books and Borrowings, 1750-1830, project has demonstrated, careful attention to the social context of registers of borrowing can thicken our descriptions and enrich our understanding of how knowledge has been used. Linked to the vision of the great or universal library, the concept of secular universalism has long been thought to spread its legitimisation through the globalisation of modern mathematics. Building on Kant, universalist logicians and philosophers lay claim to a secular universal mode of reasoning that is common to all minds, displacing previous evangelical universalist modes such as those associated with Leibniz, and non-universal epistemes. Becoming widespread from the globalisation of curricular reforms like William Whewell’s or the Madras system, this secular universal conception demanded a way to address the accumulated knowledge and traditions of the past to clear space for its own epistemic break. That is, modern, global mathematics is a site where ideas must somehow contend with the past before secular universalism can become universal.

In a collaborative and hands-on set of workshops, EBSW participants will be invited to examine the books and registers at the University of Edinburgh that shaped the intellectual landscapes of the Enlightenment to modern eras, with a particular emphasis on the changing relationships between mathematics, natural history, and theology. Participants will pre-circulate drafts of a work in progress of around 2,000-3,000 words, which the group will discuss and refine in seminar meetings during the week. Based on these meetings, we will develop a communal sense of the methodologies for using catalogues as evidence for the histories of mathematics, science, and technology. Selected contributions will be invited for an edited conference volume addressing larger methodological questions in these areas.

Proposals should demonstrate, investigate, complicate, or challenge the use of catalogues or registers as a kind of historical evidence around a specific corpus or text. Papers will ideally benefit from the materials in the University of Edinburgh libraries, which have strong books and with catalogue evidence from the 16th century to the present day. Potential topics may include:

  • natural theology, religious history, or early modern thought and their relationship to mathematics, science, and technology or the history of ideas
  • near and far east, ancient and contemporary history or orientalizing images or practices as related to the image of modernity
  • mathematical models, specimens, and exhibits as pedagogical and research tools in and outside of libraries
  • technical, professional and literary texts: reading modes and evidence of political and social change as they relate to the formation of disciplines
  • global library history, collectors and collections, and contemporary library use
  • re-considerations of texts, truth, objectivity, and meaning during the interwar period particularly regarding mathematics, science, and technology

Adrian Johns will deliver an opening talk ‘Registers and the Dream of Universal Information: A Selective History’ which is co-sponsored by the Edinburgh Bibliographical Society.

Applications are due by 21 April, 2026, and should include a proposed title and abstract, a brief two to three sentence bio, and an indication of the applicant’s financial needs for travel. With funding from a UKRI-ERC Horizon grant, the EBSW expects to be able to support travel expenses for many of the participants.

The application form is forthcoming and will be linked at https://sigma.mathsworlds.org/activities/ebsw/ 

Contact Dr J.P. Ascher with questions at jascher@ed.ac.uk

Contact Information

Dr J. P. Ascher, UKRI-ERC Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh

Contact Email

jascher@ed.ac.uk

URL

https://sigma.mathsworlds.org/activities/ebsw/

CFP: Artefacts XXXI: “Trust and Objects”

With pleasure, the Science History Institute, along with the American Philosophical Society and  the Mütter Museum at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, announces that the next and 31st meeting of ARTEFACTS will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19-21 October 2026.

Today, many museums aligned with the history of science (very broadly defined) are being called upon to help build, restore, or grow “trust in science” among their audiences. As historians of science and museum professionals, the organizers share the concerns motivating such calls, yet also recognize that “trust in science” is itself an object of historical inquiry. 

Such tensions within the history of science are, of course, not new. Since museums and historians often must reconcile such tensions in public-facing projects (and recognizing that we serve many different “publics,” across and within institutions), we have the opportunity to explore how scientific objects can be mobilized to bring audiences into a more critical history of science. Objects are on one hand epistemologically and ontologically flexible; their meanings and identities come from those who study and interpret them. At the same time, for the public, objects are material, “real,” and carry an aura of authority. In the American Alliance of Museums’ Spring 2021 report on Museums and Trust, respondents identified the fact that “Museums present real/original/authentic objects” as the second-most cited measure of their trustworthiness. (For further analysis, see the essay “History Museums and Trust” from the American Association for State and Local History.)

The theme of the 2026 meeting is TRUST AND OBJECTS. We encourage proposals that explore how museums and academic institutions use material culture to build “trust in the history of science” in multiple ways. How do we use objects to negotiate the different meanings of “science” for audiences? In what ways can objects be deployed programmatically and interpretively to raise critical and generative questions about science, and its relationships to politics, culture, and economy? How can the seemingly inert nature of material culture be used to cultivate values of care, empathy, and understanding? 

In keeping with the theme, we especially encourage proposals from individuals working on or with public-facing projects using material culture. This could include museum professionals, as well as historians who study museums, public displays, or interpretation within the history of science. 

Examples might include, but are not limited to:

  • Case studies of museum exhibitions or interpretive projects that illustrate the role of museums and/or material culture in exploring trust in science
  • Discussions about how to negotiate among internal and external stakeholders in defining “science,” the goals of the history of science, or how to connect with different audiences
  • Challenges posed by interpreting material culture unfamiliar to visitors, or “unappealing” due to  its visual character or technical complexity
  • Historical perspectives on the interpretation of material culture in the history of science 
  • Discussions of objects that challenge definitions of science and define the edges of an institution’s collecting scope

Please remember that the focus of presentations should be on artefacts.

ARTEFACTS will once again offer two tracks for submissions: (1) works to be considered for publication (a pre-circulated paper and a longer presentation based on the paper) and (2) works-in-progress (shorter presentations without a paper). Abstracts for track 1 should be 500-1000 words; abstracts for track 2 should be 200-300 words. They should be accompanied by a 75-word author biography and sent to artefacts@sciencehistory.org by April 30. We aim to notify accepted participants by May 31.

Registration will open formally when the program is announced in June, but in the meantime informal queries should be directed to artefacts@sciencehistory.org.

Contact Email

artefacts@sciencehistory.org

URL https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2026-03/ArtefactsCallforPapers.pdf

CFP: Material Matters: It’s in the Details 2027 Virtual Conference

Call for Papers

Material Matters: It’s in the Details

January 23, 2027

The vast majority of participants in the military events of the long 18th century left no written traces of themselves. Fortunately for scholars, and the public, evidence of their presence survives in material form. From the arms they carried, to the archaeological evidence of their presence, the material experience of soldiering extensively survives if we look carefully. Often seen as mementos or souvenirs of war, or as distinct areas of avocational collecting, military material culture is pervasive, yet understudied, as a rich body of material culture.

However, “military material culture” is not limited to the weapons men wielded or the uniforms they wore. The dense networks of manufacturing supporting early modern militaries connected civilians across the world and expands our definition of this area of study. Furthermore, militaries left their impact on societies through the appropriation and re-use of materials, as well as physically on landscapes shaped by the presence, or absence, of soldiers. Thus, material culture provides a unique and compelling way to engage with topics and individuals for which no written sources survive.

The Fort Ticonderoga Museum seeks papers relating broadly to material culture made, used, or altered in a military context. From soldier’s encounters with domestic furnishings on campaign, to the weapons designed and built for battle. We are seeking new research from established scholars in addition to graduate students, professionals, and artisans that relate to material culture made, used, or altered in a military context between roughly 1609-1815. Papers may engage but are not limited to: 

  • Objects made for military purposes 
  • Civilian objects used in military contexts 
  • Archeological research into sites of military occupation 
  • Ephemeral material cultures such as food or fuel
  • Military material culture crossing cultural, national, and geographic lines 
  • Construction and fabrication of material culture 
  • Craft, trade, experimental archeology, or living history perspectives on material culture 
  • Art and representations of material culture in military contexts 

This conference takes place online, using Zoom Webinars, on Saturday, January 23, 2027. Sessions are 30 minutes in length, followed by 10 minutes for audience questions. Traditional illustrated papers, combined with live or recorded videos of trade practice or object analysis, will all be accepted for consideration. Fort Ticonderoga may provide speakers with an honorarium. Please submit a 300-word abstract and CV by email by July 1, 2026, to Richard M. Strum, Director of Academic Programs: rstrum@fort-ticonderoga.org

Contact Information

Rich Strum, Director of Academic Programs

Fort Ticonderoga 

rstrum@fort-ticonderoga.org

Contact Email

rstrum@fort-ticonderoga.org

Website https://fortticonderoga.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Material-Matters-2027-CFP.pdf

CFP: ThriveLib 2026 conference – Reimagining Library Culture

ThriveLib 2026 is now accepting proposals.

Our theme, Reimagining Library Culture (Together), is grounded in the belief that joy and sustainability cannot exist without safety, dignity, and care.

We are intentionally seeking proposals that center the experiences and voices of people from historically and currently underrepresented groups in librarianship, and that name how systems of oppression shape library work and well-being.

ThriveLib 2026 is taking place in a moment of widespread instability that is shaping the lives and work of many library workers. Some are carrying far greater risk, grief, and exhaustion than others. We invite proposals that acknowledge these realities and explore how library systems and expectations can either deepen harm or offer meaningful support.

We welcome proposals that:

·           Speak from lived experience

·           Name harm without requiring solutions

·           Explore collective, capacity-aware approaches to change

You do not need institutional backing, polished outcomes, or traditional credentials to submit.

Speaker honorariums and free registration are provided.

Proposals are due by 12:00 noon Central time on Friday April 10, 2026. CFP details and submission link: https://www.thrivelib.com/2026-cfpThe Contact email – ThriveLib@gmail.com

Call for Contributors: forgingUS with the Center for Digital Editing

The Center for Digital Editing would like to invite you to take part in forgingUS, a new project that brings together leading documentary editing projects, scholars, educators, and technologists to expand access to primary sources from the Founding Era and Early Republic. Centered on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, forgingUS aims to create a free, public website featuring curated, document-based exhibits, interactive maps and timelines, and more.

We’re already at work on several exhibits related to the Declaration of Independence, and we’ve tentatively identified future areas of interest, including the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and Phillis Wheatley. That said, we’re very much open to new ideas discussing historical documents, individuals, and events between the dates of 1770 and 1812. We welcome any topics where your expertise can illuminate how documents were produced, circulated, revised, and remembered.

Participation in forgingUS is a paid opportunity. Content creators receive an honorarium of $1000 for their work on an exhibit. As an exhibit creator, you would be asked to:

  • Propose a topic.
    • Successful exhibits will be framed around a central, compelling question like “Why did the founders edit Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence?” or “How did colonists respond to the Declaration of Independence?”
  • Break the exhibit topic down into an outline of 3–7 short sections that contextualize the key topics, individuals, events, and documents related to the exhibit topic. Then, prepare the text.
    • Successful exhibits will include short, digestible segments written in language easily understood by the casual, history-loving public. Most importantly, it AVOIDS a “wall of text.”
  • Suggest ideas for engaging or interactive elements to be featured within the exhibit, like timelines, maps, image hotspots, short videos or sound clips.
  • Create a list of people, places, and events that you think readers might need to know to understand the exhibit.
  • Identify essential external resources that readers may use to explore a topic further.

Throughout the content development process, our team will support you in thinking through engaging ways to frame and present your digital exhibit. We will also handle the technical build and integration, allowing you to focus on scholarly input rather than platform mechanics.

If you are interested in participating, we invite you to submit your exhibit idea(s) here: https://forms.gle/X1kBCakDnfUvpQ8a9. For more information on what a forgingUS exhibit may look like or what the content submission process entails, please visit: https://sites.google.com/virginia.edu/forgingus.