[SIGCIS-Members] CFP: Business History Conference, Athens (Georgia) March 2010. Deadline Oct 1, 2009.

[Thomas Haigh]

Hello everyone,

Please find below the text of the call for papers for the 2010 Business
History Conference. University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia. March 25-27,
2010. This is the leading event of its kind, and we have organized several
SIGCIS panels for it over the years. The conference attracts a mixed group
(mostly from history departments and business schools) and is more open to
social, labor, and cultural history perspectives than you might expect. 

I’m not sure if I will plan to attend or not. But if anyone else is
interested let me know, and I will see if we can assemble a panel proposal.
This year's theme is "The Business History of Everything," which should not
be hard to accommodate. (Most proposals ignore the theme anyway).

Registration charges are low (free for student BHC members), and the
accommodation is under $100 a night so this is a pleasantly affordable
conference.

Note that the CFP also includes details on the associated doctoral
colloquium. This has been a great experience for graduate students in
previous years, and helps bring some new blood into the conference itself.
BHC can pay at least some of the expenses for participants. There’s also a
separate prize for the best dissertation and another for the best first
presentation by a current or recent Ph.D. student.

So if you’re a graduate student whose work could be described as business
history (broadly conceived) you should definitely be readying your proposal.
BHC does not have as much involvement from history of computing people as it
should do.

Tom Haigh
www.tomandmaria.com/tom 

CALL FOR PAPERS (Also at http://www.thebhc.org/annmeet/call2010.html)

Call for Papers
"The Business History of Everything"

Business history for many years was primarily associated with the study of
firms and formal business institutions. Recently its scope has widened
drastically to include a far greater diversity of economic institutions and
practices. It is now widely accepted that Business History is not just about
the history of businesses. One of the driving ideas behind the foundation of
the BHC journal Enterprise & Society (reflected in the choice of name) was
that business historians now had to grapple with much more fluid ideas of
what "business" was and draw on a new range of concepts and approaches to
deal with this. There are in fact a very wide range of human enterprises
that can usefully be conceptualized as "businesses" (the organization of
production and services for use and gain), and "business history" provides
approaches and methodologies for the historical analysis of economic and
social institutions that can be applied across a huge range of fields. 

Work that has been primarily conceptualized in different scholarly
discourses can be examined (sometimes against the grain) from a "business
history" perspective, often with interesting or provocative implications.
Just a few examples discussed inEnterprise & Society in the last few years
include: the marketplace of Christianity; the culture and commerce of
chewing gum; intellectual property law and musical creativity; the
commercial aspects of cultural practices; and business histories of murder,
sport, holidays, childhood, hunger, war, retirement, sex, fraud, sickness,
and beauty. However, as yet, only a limited amount of these types of studies
have been fully presented directly at the annual meetings of the Business
History Conference. 

The Conference theme of "The Business History of Everything" aims to
highlight the dual themes of widening the scope of business history and
using its insights to re-vision many cognate areas of historical study. It
also seeks to highlight the integration of the methods and practices of
business history with other scholarly discourses and aims to stimulate
fruitful encounters and interactions and help widen frames of reference and
make kindred sub-disciplines more aware of the insights that a "business
history" angle on their problems might generate. Also, in light of the
current global economic crisis we would particularly welcome papers on the
impact of ruptures and breakdowns, destruction and reconstruction in
business history. Finally, in recognition of Barack Obama's first year as
the first black President of the United States, we intend to feature a major
sub-theme on race and ethnicity in business history, including a projected
plenary on "African American and Ethnic Business History" and a series of
related panels. Alongside this, as always, the BHC program committee will
also be pleased to entertain submissions not directly related to the
conference themes. 

Potential presenters may submit proposals either for individual papers or
for entire panels. Individual paper or poster proposals should include a
one-page abstract and a one-page curriculum vitae (CV). Each panel proposal
should include a cover letter stating the rationale for the session, the
name of the panel's contact person, a one-page abstract and author's CV for
each proposed paper (up to three), and a list of preferred chairs and
commentators with contact information. 

Proposals also are invited for the Herman E. Krooss Prize for the best
dissertation in business history. The Krooss Prize Committee welcomes
submissions from recent Ph.D.'s (2007-09) in history, economics, business
administration, history of science and technology, law, and related fields.
To participate in this competition, please indicate so in a cover letter,
and include a one-page CV and one-page dissertation abstract. Semi-finalists
will be asked to submit copies of their dissertation after initial review of
proposals. Finalists will present summaries of their dissertations at the
Athens meeting. 

BHC also awards the K. Austin Kerr Prize for the best first paper by a Ph.D.
candidate or recent Ph.D. (2007-09). If you wish to participate in this
competition, please indicate so in your proposal. Proposals accepted for the
Krooss Prize panel are not eligible for the Kerr Prize. 

The deadline for receipt of all proposals is 1 October 2009. Notification of
acceptances will be sent by 15 December 2009. Presenters will be expected to
submit abstracts of their papers for posting on the BHC website. In
addition, presenters are encouraged to post electronic versions of their
papers prior to the meeting, and to submit their papers for inclusion in our
on-line proceedings publication,Business and Economic History On-Line. The
BHC also offers grants to graduate students who are presenting papers to
offset some of the costs of attending the conference; an announcement of
application procedures will be sent to those presenting papers at the
meeting. 

Please send all proposals to BHC2010 at Hagley.org. Hard copies may be sent or
faxed to: Dr. Roger Horowitz, Secretary-Treasurer, Business History
Conference, P. O. Box 3630, Wilmington, DE 19807, USA. Phone: (302)
658-2400; fax: (302) 655-3188. 

The program committee is: Jeff Fear (chair), University of Redlands; Sally
Clarke, University of Texas; Tracey Deutsch, University of Minnesota; Robert
Weems, University of Missouri; Shane Hamilton, University of Georgia; Steven
Tolliday (BHC President-elect), University of Leeds. 

The Oxford Journals Doctoral Colloquium in Business History will be held in
conjunction with the 2010 BHC annual meeting. This intensive workshop,
sponsored by BHC and funded by Oxford University Press, will take place at
the conference venue Wednesday evening, 24 March, and Thursday, 25 March.
Participants will work closely with a small, distinguished group of
BHC-affiliated scholars, including at least two of its officers. The
assembled scholars and students will review dissertation proposals, consider
relevant literatures and research strategies, and discuss the business
history profession. Limited to ten students, it is intended for doctoral
candidates in the early stages of their dissertation projects. Those
interested in participating should submit a statement of interest, a
preliminary or final dissertation prospectus of 10-15 pages, and a CV, and
must arrange for a letter of support from your dissertation supervisor (or
prospective supervisor). All application materials should be sent to Roger
Horowitz by 1 December 2009, via email BHC2010 at Hagley.org or fax
302-655-3188. All participants will receive a stipend that will partially
cover costs associated with attending. The review committee will notify all
applicants of its decisions by January 15.