Call for Papers and Symposia: BSHS Annual Conference 2020

The British Society for the History of Science invites proposals for individual papers and organised symposia for its 2020 Annual Conference, which this year will be held in Aberystwyth, home of the National Library of Wales and Aberystwyth University, from Wednesday 8 July to Saturday 11 July.

The BSHS is committed to providing an inclusive forum for research and research-led engagement with HSTM, and therefore welcomes proposals for papers and symposia on papers and symposia on any topic related to the history of science, technology, or medicine, relating to any period of history, and any part of the world. Established and early career scholars affiliated to universities, museums, and other research organisations, postgraduate students and independent scholars of any nationality are welcome at the BSHS Conference, and we encourage all equally to apply. We aim to provide a conference that is welcoming to all delegates regardless of age, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, (dis)ability, race, ethnicity, and religion.
 
Individual paper proposers should submit a title and abstract for a paper of 20-25 minutes to the conference’s Paper Proposal site at Oxford Abstracts. If accepted, these papers will be arranged into themed sessions by the BSHS. This year the BSHS will consider individual paper proposals from speakers who wish to present remotely, rather than attend the conference in person. In considering these submissions, priority will be given to prospective speakers whose participation would require air travel and to those who would face barriers to in-person participation because of their personal circumstances.
 
Symposium organisers should submit details of their proposed session to the conference’s Symposium Proposal site at Oxford Abstracts.
 
A symposium may take the form of:
·         an organised panel (three papers in 90 minutes, with (optionally) a predetermined chair)
  • a roundtable (three or more discussants initiating a conversation with the audience)
  • a workshop (one or more facilitators leading other delegates in an activity).
 
Sessions that do not fit any of these categories may be proposed to the BSHS Programmes Coordinator.
 
Prospective organisers of symposia should note that named participants in their events (speakers, roundtable discussants, and workshop facilitators) will also need to supply their details via the Oxford Abstracts system by the deadline, and speakers will need to provide a paper title and abstract. Organisers are also asked to take note of the BSHS’s Statement on Equality and Diversity at its annual conference. We strongly encourage symposium organisers to issue public calls for participants via Mersenne, H-Net, and other mailing lists and social media, as appropriate.
 
The deadline for receipt of paper and symposia proposals via the Oxford Abstracts system is Monday 6 January 2020. The BSHS will inform applicants of the outcome by Friday 14 February 2020.
 

For further information about the annual conference, please see the BSHS Annual Conference 2020 Website.