50th ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE WESTERN HISTORY ASSOCIATION

Incline Village, Nevada (Lake Tahoe)
October 13-16, 2010

"MANY WESTS: COMPARISONS AND CONNECTIONS"

Submission Deadline: September 1, 2009

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

On October 13-16, 2010, the WHA will gather at Lake Tahoe in Incline Village, Nevada, for its annual conference. In this spectacular natural setting, we will chart the pasts and futures of our field and draw upon western history’s rich and varied insights, one of the most profound of which is the realization that there is not just one but many Wests. We are interested in the parallel and diverse ways in which histories, literary traditions, and popular images of the peoples of the American, Canadian, and Mexican Wests have evolved over time. We also want to look beyond North America to the Wests of Australia, South Africa, Brazil, New Zealand, Argentina, China, Russia, Europe, and elsewhere for illuminating comparisons.

And while reaching outward for a broader international context for western history, we also want to ponder the West from within and revisit its many reincarnations from the Old to the New West, from the successive Cis-Mississippi Wests to the Far West, and from the mythical to the modern, globalized West. Wherever we place it on our physical and mental maps, the American West has been a contested entity, whose very meaning changes when the angle of vision shifts from rural to urban, from heartland to border-lands, from straight to queer, or from one ethnic group to another. Comparative international or local histories of Indigenous peoples, gender, and the environment are similarly essential. Thus, we invite contributions that not only illuminate these---and many other---Wests, but also place them in dialogue with one another. The Wests of North America emerged not in isolation but in interaction---a fitting model for our future endeavors in order to understand this evolving and multifaceted place.

Submissions may be for an entire session of papers, a panel discussion, or an individual paper. When submitting an entire session or panel, include a brief abstract that outlines the purpose of the session and designates one participant as the contact person. Each paper proposal, whether individual or part of a session, should include a one-paragraph abstract and a one page c.v., including the address, phone, and email address for each participant. Indicate equipment needs, if any. The committee will assume that all listed individuals have agreed to participate. Email each submission, with supporting materials, as a single document (Word or PDF) to: wha2010proposals@gmail.com or send by mail service to: Pekka Hämäläinen, Department of History, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9410. Electronic submissions are preferred.

SUBMISSIONS SHOULD BE POSTMARKED BY SEPTEMBER 1, 2009. The 2010 Program Committee Co-chairs: Pekka Hämäläinen, University of California, Santa Barbara; Susan A. Miller, Norman, Oklahoma; and Sarah Carter, University of Alberta, Edmonton.