Alternative histories: methodologies, facts and visions
Venue: University of Tampere, Finland
Date: November 13–14, 2017
Paper proposals due: August 31, 2017
The sixth meeting in the international seminar series Finland in Comparison, organised by the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Historical Research, will explore and discuss national histories in comparative perspective. The special theme of the 2017 conference is the role of alternative histories in explaining the past. The keynote speakers are:
- Pekka Hämäläinen (University of Oxford): Dark Matters of History: Toward Alternative Histories of Nations and Empires.
- Christabelle Sethna (University of Ottawa): The Handmaid’s Tale Is Not An Instruction Manual: Dystopia, ”Ustopia” and the Prospect of Reproductive Justice.
- Raisa Maria Toivo (University of Tampere): What if there was a Catholic Reformation in Lutheran Finland?
As with the past seminars, the Alternative histories: methodologies, facts and visions seminar welcomes papers ranging from theoretical reflections and historiographical discussions to case studies. In particular, we invite contributions that discuss challenges of methodological nationalism, including transnational and global history. Presentations are not restricted to the history of Finland.
The topics might include but are not limited to the following:
- contrafactual history
- narratives as alternative histories
- alternative approaches (queer/gender history, minorities, forgotten and unknown history)
- the relationship between history and popular history
- the relationship between history and mass communication
Researchers interested in presenting a paper at the seminar are asked to send a short abstract of no more than 300 words in English by August 31, 2017 to the following email address: johanna.annola[at]uta.fi. Please attach your affiliation and contact information to the proposal. Accepted speakers will be notified by September 20, 2017.
There is no registration fee for the conference. Accepted speakers are provided with meals and accommodation in Tampere.