CFP: "Conference on U.S. Intellectual History," Grand Valley State University, October 17-18, 2008.

The conference is being organized by the editors of the U.S. Intellectual History (USIH) weblog, in coordination with the 33rd Annual Great Lakes History Conference (GLHC), sponsored by the Department of History at Grand Valley State University. This coordinated conference will hopefully serve as a springboard for an annual (or bi-annual) gathering of scholars with an interest in the context of ideas and intellectual life in the United States. Papers on any aspect of U.S. intellectual history are welcome. Topics might include -- but are not limited to -- studies of particular persons or groups of people, analyses of important or representative works, considerations of the historical significance of ideas (or a particular idea), and the influence of ideas on American cultures, regions, and events. Also welcome are broader meditations on the state of the discipline itself. Themes of interest might cover the meaning of a national subdiscipline in a transnational scholarly climate; the interaction of intellectual history with disciplines such as literature, philosophy, science, math, religion, political science, and education; the teaching of U.S. intellectual history; and the relationship of U.S. intellectual history to questions of race, class, and gender. Please submit digital abstracts for papers, panels, or both, of approximately 200 words and a curriculum vitae, by June 15, 2008. Be sure to include your address, email, and phone number. Those interested in commenting on a session should send a CV and indicate areas of expertise. Papers must take no longer than 30 minutes in a 2-paper session or 20 minutes in a 3-paper session. Sessions will last 90 minutes. Conference headquarters will be at the L.V. Eberhard Center of Grand Valley State University in downtown Grand Rapids. Hotel accommodations will be available at the Days Inn of Grand Rapids, which is across the street from the Eberhard Center. The conference is within easy walking distance of museums and restaurants. Grand Rapids is served by most major and regional airlines. Please address all inquiries and abstracts to: Paul Murphy (murphyp-at-gvsu.edu) or Tim Lacy (timothy.n.lacy-at-gmail.com).