CFPanelist: Food and Household Economy during the First World War (deadline 12 Dec 13)
A colleague and I are putting together a panel for the
upcoming Anglo-American conference, The Great War at Home (3-4 July 2014) <http://events.history.ac.uk/event/show/11741>
and are looking for a third panelist. As
a whole, the conference takes as its theme the impact of the First World War on
the locality and local institutions, on the family and social life, and on the
memorialisation of war in the built environment and in private life.
Our panel examines how family households were mobilized
during the Great War, paying particular attention to how the state used
emerging ideas of science, technology, and nutritional health to intervene into
the private sphere and encourage economy of scarce materials and resources.
Heather Perry's paper "Mobilizing the German
Kitchen" examines the management of food and nutrition on Germany's
homefront. Through an analysis of
cookbooks, nutritional reports, and materials from the War Foods Office, she
analyzes how both government officials and local public health groups
encouraged German civilians to show their patriotism and support for the war
through the judicious and economical use of food. At the same time, however,
she reveals how the initial attempts at a national or "generic food
mobilization" failed and programs on food economy were not successful
until they were tailored to reflect regional tastes, local environments, and
individual resources.
Peter Thorsheim's paper "Recycling and the British
Home Front" examines the operations of the National Salvage Council, an
organization that the British government established during the war to promote
the recycling of household waste. Making extensive use of unpublished records
held at the National Archives at Kew as well as contemporary publications, he
argues that British officials viewed recycling not only as a means of
maximizing the efficient use of resources, but also of bolstering morale by
making the civilian population—particularly women who did not work outside
the home—feel more connected to the war effort. Many welcomed this program,
but others saw it as an unwarranted militarization of the private sphere.
Our ideal third panelist would examine another aspect of
home economy or household management during the First World War in a national
context /other/ than Britain or Germany; however, we will still consider papers
that examine either one of these nations if the analysis or content were
significantly different.
If interested in joining our panel, please respond to Dr.
Heather Perry at <hrperry(at)uncc.edu> with a one paragraph description
of your work (including a working thesis and source discussion) by 11 December
2013.
Full papers not due until Summer 2014.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Cheers,
Heather Perry and Peter Thorsheim
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Heather R. Perry, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of History
UNC Charlotte | Dept. of History, 226 Garinger
9201 University City Blvd. | Charlotte, NC 28223
Phone: 704-687-5151 (new number!)| Fax: 704-687-1687
hrperry@uncc.edu
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