Enfilade

New Horizons in Maritime History
King’s College, University of Cambridge, 15-16 October 2010

Paper proposals due by 16 July 2010

New Horizons in Maritime History aims to explore the broader possibilities of maritime and oceanic history as a burgeoning field of research, bringing together researchers working in disparate areas of history with different topical and methodological allegiances in order to facilitate a discussion on the ways these fields relate to and inform maritime history, and what looking at the sea can offer the historical discipline more broadly. The conference seeks to challenge received notions about the remit of maritime history and to interrogate the ways in which it has been traditionally practiced. In particular, it seeks to move beyond nautical antiquarianism performed at or below the level of the nation-state, and highlight the intersection of maritime history with novel currents in the discipline that emphasize global continuity and transnational relationships.

Panels will be structured around fields and approaches in historical scholarship and their relationship to maritime history, exploring the problems and possibilities of these connections. Papers might highlight the maritime applications or contributions of a specific sub-field, such as economic, political, religious or intellectual history. Alternately, they might focus on specialist topics or area studies, such as the intersection of maritime history with imperial history, slavery and abolition, the Caribbean, navies and violence at sea, gender and sexuality, colonialism and decolonization, to name but a few.

To present a paper, please send a proposed title and abstract (of no more than 300 words) with a short CV to the conference organizing committee at cambridgemaritimehistory@gmail.com. Submissions from postgraduates and early- career researchers are especially welcome. The deadline for submissions is Friday, 16 July 2010. Successful applicants will be notified the following week. Those wishing to attend the conference without giving a paper are invited to register their interest with the committee. Conference organizers: Joshua Newton, Richard Blakemore, Simon Layton.