CFP: “Intellectuals and Their Publics”

Third Annual U.S. Intellectual History Conference
Sponsored by USIH and the Center for the Humanities
The Graduate Center, CUNY
New York City
October 21-22, 2010

Paper and panel proposals are welcome for the Third Annual U.S. Intellectual History Conference to be held on October 21-22, 2010 in New York City. The Conference is being organized by the editors of the U.S. Intellectual History (USIH) blog in coordination with the City University of New York's Center for the Humanities (The Graduate Center). Founded in 2007, USIH promotes discussion of American intellectual history and fosters connections between scholars from any discipline sharing this interest. Visit our site: http://us-intellectual-history.blogspot.com/

This year’s theme is “Intellectuals and Their Publics.” We seek papers and panels reflecting upon the social, political, and cultural impact of intellectuals and their varied relationships to a diversity of publics, such as ethnic or racial groups, professionals, scholars, artists, politicians, or civil rights organizations. Intellectuals have always worked in relationship to their audience. In what ways have intellectuals defined, or been defined by, their audiences? In the pluralistic public culture of the United States, have audience divisions shaped distinctive intellectual traditions or supplemented a common public culture? In general, how have intellectuals—whether scientists or theologians, philosophers or authors, artists or policymakers—sought broader public relevance, as social critics, “public intellectuals,” or in other ways? In what ways have academic intellectuals breached disciplinary boundaries and/or reached non-academic audiences? Have the responsibilities pressed upon, and accepted by, Black, Latino/a, Native American, and Asian-American intellectuals been different from those expected of Euro-Americans? While we solicit papers on these and related issues, we welcome papers and panels on other aspects of U.S. intellectual history as well.

In addition to individual papers, we also encourage submissions of full panels and applications from those who would be interested in moderating a session. Please submit electronic abstracts for papers, panels, or both by Tuesday, June 15, 2010. Proposals should be approximately 200 words and include a concise curriculum vitae for each participant. Be sure to include your postal and e-mail addresses, as well as a phone number. Those interested in chairing a session or commenting should send a CV indicating areas of expertise and interests. Panels will feature three papers, no longer than 20 minutes each. Sessions will last 120 minutes.

Please address all inquiries and abstracts to:

Andrew Hartman
ahartma@ilstu.edu