International Economic History Association 2016 Newsletter Statement from the Secretary-General
Happy 2017, I hope you have had a productive 2016 as we did at the International Economic History Association (IEHA). My apologies for sending this newsletter so late in the year, but I wanted to wait to announce a few things that might interest you, including a Call for Posters.
This newsletter contains a report of the Executive Committee’s (EC) actions last year, since we want to keep our members informed of our activities. And I would cordially ask for responses from the national (and other) organizations that you have received this information, i.e. to acknowledge it with a reply to yours truly. Also, we are now actively looking for replacements for those EC members whose terms are up (see below for details).
I also wanted to provide a quick personal statement relating to international events and travel, especially since we are a truly global organization. In fact, globalization and international collaboration are the very reasons for the IEHA’s existence, and we will try to honor those principles in our activities. We will do our utmost to make sure this continues. Scholarly networks and collaboration makes our profession better every day. As for the recent elections and often xenophobic expressions from politicians, we should not take them lightly but work together toward a more open and productive world. Similarly, MIT and many other universities have made statements affirming their commitment to internationalization and global openness, regardless of what politicians try to do. In particular, the United States will not change in this age, and many folks are working hard to make sure this country stands ready to welcome all visitors (as evidenced by recent court rulings). In this spirit, I am working closely with the Boston 2018 organizers to ensure that all the aspiring participants are able to attend the conference. MIT and the organizers have resources at their disposal to help you get visas and facilitate matters. The conference website will also feature such information later this year.
With the XVIIIth World Economic History Congress (WEHC) (Boston, July 29 – August 3, 2018) one year and a half away, I am pleased to inform you that the preparations are proceeding well. The first round of proposals were accepted in November 2016, and you will find the 2nd round of Call for Papers here again. The deadline for proposals is June 30, 2017. Also, you will find details on the posters and dissertations below. The deadline for those proposals are as follows: December 1, 2017 for dissertations, and January 31, 2018 for posters. Please pass along this information to your colleagues, students, and among your personal scholarly networks. Moreover, we are now actively soliciting bids for the 2021 World Congress, and I am aware of several efforts in this regard. However, please get in touch with me about 2021 (or future dates) if you have ideas for bids.
For me, IEHA stands for collegiality, international collaboration, global unity, and interdisciplinary openness. I think we are doing well in this vein, and we will certainly keep these principles alive going forward.
Here’s to a productive and safe year for all of us!
Jari Eloranta, Secretary-General of the IEHA
IEHA MATTERS
Session proposals
We are very pleased that the first call for session proposals in 2015-2016 has brought in a very large number of proposals. A total of 136 proposals were submitted covering a diverse range of themes, approaches and geographic coverage. In addition to a strong showing of submissions from Western Europe and North America, similar to Kyoto and Stellenbosch, we are very heartened by many good quality proposals (and expected participation) from Asia, notably from Japan and China, as well as Latin America. 75 session proposals were accepted, and 25 recommended for resubmission in the 2nd round. In total, 36 proposals were rejected.
IEHA Executive Council Deliberations in Boston
Here you can find a summary of the actions the Executive Council took in their meetings on November 4-6, 2016 in Boston, at MIT.
First, the EC approved the minutes of their previous meeting in Kyoto in 2015. IEHA President Tetsuji Okazaki then discussed the practical details pertaining to the Kyoto 2015 WEHC. The organizers were able to cover all the costs with contributions from public and private sponsors, as well as the conference fees. In total, there were 1,200 participants, of which 167 were students, and that included 185 panels. The Audit Committee recommended no actions at this time. Then the Secretary-General gave his report, including details about the IEHA archive that is being compiled at Appalachian State University. Following this, the EC discussed bids and future locations for WEHC, and the Treasurer Marjolein t’Hart gave her report on the finances of the organization. She discussed the current state of the IEHA funds (which suggests that the organization is in good financial shape) and how to improve the ability of member organizations to make payments. Kris Inwood serves as the independent reviewer, and he found no fault in the current financial practices of the organization. Then the EC heard an update of the local organizers on the 2018 Boston meeting and were given a tour of the facilities. All agreed that the preparations were well underway. During the second day, the EC dealt with a number of administrative issues, including the time of various calls and new members. And then the EC deliberated on the session proposals, and made the decisions on which to approve, which to recommend for resubmission, and which to reject. The final events of the day were papers delivered by Joerg Baten, Peter Temin, and Jari Eloranta.
Call for New Executive Council Members
The following EC members have now served two terms and are not eligible to serve further: Matthieu Arnoux, Joerg Baten, Kris Inwood, Min Ma, Knut Sogner, Irina Potkina, Pablo Martín Aceña, and Tetsuji Okazaki. We are asking for nominations from the national and other organizations to replace them. Typically EC members are active international scholars that are willing to represent their national organizations within the IEHA. The committee that will deliberate on the selections includes Joerg Baten (chair, joerg.baten@uni-tuebingen.de), Jari Eloranta (iehaofficial@gmail.com), and Anne McCants (amccants@mit.edu). Nominations and questions should be directed to the committee members. The deadline for nominations is August 1, 2017. Moreover, their term would begin at the Boston meeting in 2018.
CALL FOR PAPERS, POSTERS, AND DISSERTATIONS
Call for Papers: 2nd Round
WEHC 2018 Second (FINAL) Call for Proposals 18th World Economic History Congress in Boston, 2018
A first round of session proposals for the 18th gathering of the World Economic History Congress (to convene July 29 – August 3, 2018 in historic Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts) have been accepted and posted to the WEHC2018 website. The Executive Committee of the IEHA encourages all individuals with an interest in participating to consult the list of accepted sessions, especially as many of them are still accepting additional paper presenters and other participants. The Executive Committee is also pleased to announce that it will consider additional session proposals submitted before June 30th 2017 from all members of the international economic history community, as it seeks to complete its program. We especially invite submissions that complement the sessions already in place with topics, regions, or time periods not yet well represented. This will be the last opportunity to propose sessions for the 2018 Congress.
The 18th World Congress is the second to be hosted in North America and marks the 50th anniversary of the previous occasion. We invite you to join us in Boston to consider the many ‘Waves of Globalization’ that have given rise to the varied and multi-directional connections that characterize the economic and social world we know today. While seeking proposals for sessions that explore facets of this broad theme, we also welcome submissions on the economic and social histories of all places and periods, on the exploration of varied sources and methods, and on the theory and the uses of economic history itself. Furthermore, we invite members to employ and analyze diverse strategies for representing the past. As with the First Call for Proposals, we seek sessions that will build on the work of previous Congresses that have addressed the specific themes of the “Roots of Development” and “Diversity in Development.” We also anticipate discussion of the ways that historical practice is changing as a result of the ongoing digital revolution. We are interested in what it means to practice economic history in the digital age, and what new technologies imply for how we do research, how we present our findings, and how we interact with a variety of current and potential audiences. We therefore welcome proposals that focus not only on cutting-edge “digital history,” but also on the broader implications of digital technologies for all historical practitioners.
Organizers are strongly encouraged to consult the list of already accepted sessions, with the goal of adding to the breadth of the Congress program, as well as to find models of successful proposals. As before, we will continue to welcome innovation in the format of individual sessions as appropriate for the topic, the methodologies employed, and the participants invited. The format of the scientific program of the Boston Congress will be organized on the same principles as past world congresses. The 5-day meeting will have approximately 180-200 contributed sessions, with each day divided into four time blocks of 90 minutes each. Many sessions will occupy either a full morning or afternoon of two such blocks, but some 90-minute blocks will be reserved for smaller sessions. Individual proposals to join already accepted sessions should be directed to the organizers of those sessions. Proposals for full sessions in the second (final) call should be submitted at the WEHC2018 website prior to June 30th 2017. You can submit your proposals here: http://wehc2018.org/wehc-2018-second-final-call-for-proposals/.
Call for Poster Submissions
PhD students and junior postdoc researchers in economic history are invited to present their ongoing research to an international audience with a poster at the World Economic History Congress in Boston July 29 – August 3, 2018. We welcome historical applications in any field of economics or cognate social sciences, business history, demographic history, environmental history, global and world history, social history, urban history, methodological approaches to historical research, history of economics and economic thought, and other related fields. Digital posters will also be considered, pending space constraints. Posters will be selected on a competitive basis, and the best posters will receive an award (in three categories: ancient/medieval/early modern; the long 19th century; and 20th century). The deadline for submission is January 31, 2018. Selections will be announced by March 1, 2018. Further information will be available on the WEHC web site: http://wehc2018.org.
Call for Dissertations
Students who have completed their dissertations between June 2014 and August 2017 are encourage to submit their theses for the dissertation panel/competition. Dissertation will be shortlisted and considered for awards in three separate categories: Ancient/medieval/early modern period; the long 19th century; and 20th century. The three finalists in each category will be invited to present their work in the dissertation panel. Theses written in languages other than English will also be considered, although the abstract needs to be in English. The deadline for electronic submissions of the theses, along with information on past and current affiliation of the student, advisor, 500-word abstract, and any other pertinent information is December 1, 2017. All materials should be sent by email to: iehaofficial@gmail.com. All submissions will be acknowledged by a reply email. Selection of finalists will be announced by March 1, 2018.
