Conferences

2009

OCTOBER 2009
21-22 October 2009–“Challenges of Globalizing Financial Systems” (Amman, Jordan) Organized by the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Hashemite University. For information contact: Dr. Modar Abdullatif (modar@hu.edu.jo); or Dr. Bashar Malkawi (bmalkawi@hu.edu.jo).

23-24 October 2009– In the World, at Home: A Conference Commemorating Thirty Years of Afghan and Iranian Diaspora Culture in the United States (Hayward, California) Hosted by California State University, East Bay (CSUEB) A conference marking thirty years of Afghan and Iranian American presence in the United States will address the challenges, concerns and contributions of these communities in a forum that highlights specifically the Bay Area communities. For information, contact: Professors Soheila Amirsoleimani and Persis Karim (soheila1@gmail.com; persis.karim@gmail.com) and Yalda Asmatey, M.A. MPH (yasmatey@berkeley.edu).

NOVEMBER 2009
02-04 November 2009–“And Diverse are their Hues: Color in Islamic Art and Culture” (Cordoba, Spain) Third Biennial Symposium on Islamic Art of Virginia Commonwealth University & VCU School of the Arts in Qatar (FCUQ). Visit: www.islamicartdoha.org.

06 November 2009–Symposium on “Iran after the Elections” (Baltimore, Maryland) The University of Maryland's Roshan Center for Persian Studies and The Sadat Chair for Peace and Development invite you to a day-long symposium The event will bring together scholars and journalists to assess the internal dynamics in Iran today as well as Iran’s regional and global relations. The symposium will feature three panels: The Election and Its Internal Aftermath, Iran’s Regional Position Today, and Iran’s Nuclear Program: Then and Now. For information, visit: http://www.ricps.umd.edu/events/  or http://sadat.umd.edu. 

12-13 November 2009–“Middle East & Caucasus: Peace and Security Resolutions” (Istanbul, Turkey) The changes in the balance of international systems after the Cold War have raised new opportunities and risks in the Middle East and Caucasus. The region, therefore, is expected to keep its central role and vital importance in the future. For information, contact: Erdal Yawuz, President, Center for Strategic Research & Application, Yeditepe University (sam@yeditepe.edu.tr).

12-14 November 2009–“The Qur'an: Text, History & Culture” (London, United Kingdom) 6th Biennial Conference on the Qur'an hosted by SOAS, University of London. Convenors: Prof. MAS Abdel Haleem and Dr Ayman Shihadeh. For information and updates visit: www.soas.ac.uk/islamicstudies/conferences/quran2009/. For inquiries, contact: Conference, Centre of Islamic Studies, SOAS, Thornhaugh St., Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG (fax: +44 (0) 20 7898 4379; General queries: cis@soas.ac.uk).

13-14 November 2009–“Spirituality, Art and Global Peace: East and West” (Elkins, West Virginia) For information, contact: Chandana Chakrabarti, Dean of International Programs, Director of the Center for Spirituality, Ethics and Global Awareness, Davis and Elkins College, PO Box 743, Elkins WV 26241 (304-637-1293; Chandanachak@gmail.com)

26-28 November 2009 (Paris, France) and 16-18 April 2010 (Hartford, Connecticut)–"Conceptualising Literary History: Foundations of Arabic Literature, 7th-17th centuries” Contact (for the Yale meeting) Beatrice Gruendler, Yale University, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, PO Box 208236, New Haven CT 06520 beatrice.gruendler@yale.edu; (for the Paris meeting) Julia Bray, Université Paris 8-Saint Denis, bray.julia@wanadoo.fr.

DECEMBER 2009
10 December 2009–“Democrats, Dictators, and Demonstrators: Sharing Strategies on Repression and Reform” (Washington, DC) The Center for Democracy and Civil Society at Georgetown University in cooperation with Freedom House & the Forum for the Study of Democracy invite paper submissions for the Graduate Student and Junior Practitioners Symposium. Democracy assistance practitioners and scholars focus attention on linkages primarily between international donors and recipients in government or civil society. These relationships are important foci for understanding the process of “political learning,” but many other mechanisms are less understood. Strategies for repression and reform are being shared across borders and a broader framework is required to capture these linkages.

Two potential mechanisms for international cooperation on democratic reform appear understudied. First, advances in technology and communications reduce barriers to cooperation between civil society actors and allow them to share best practices on reform. So called “twitter revolutions” in Iran and Xinjiang earlier this year for example demonstrate the ability of new technologies to connect demonstrators to the global community. The existence of these interactions is acknowledged, but systematic understanding of how this cooperation occurs and its potential to influence reform is not yet developed. Second, regional organizations are increasingly involved in promoting international standards of behavior, including democracy. The African Union spoke out strongly against the military coup leaders in Guinea, while the Organization of American States condemned the coup in Honduras. More broadly, democratic values are embodied in the charters of multilateral organizations as varied as the EU and ASEAN. However, the role of these organizations in furthering reform, and their relationship with domestic actors, both governments and civil society, warrants additional study.

Democrats and demonstrators are not the only ones learning. Democrats must contend with cooperation between their authoritarian adversaries. Authoritarians are learning to manage access to technology, cooperating in regional organizations, and providing alternatives to democratic governance models. Cooperation between authoritarian governments is assumed, but the mechanisms through which it occurs remain largely unknown.

This conference looks to broaden our understanding of cooperation between both reformers and authoritarians at the level of high and low politics. We welcome all submissions that illuminate these interactions, their impact on democratization, and the implications they carry for democracy assistance strategies.

This is a graduate student and practitioner symposium. Both masters and PhD candidates in the social sciences and humanities are welcome to apply. Recent PhD graduates who hold post-doctoral fellowships are also eligible. Additionally, democracy practitioners with less than 10 years experience are welcome to participate. The directors and faculty of the Center for Democracy and Civil Society will select outstanding papers for publication in a special edition of the bi-annual Democracy and Society series. Authors will be contacted for permission after selections have been made. Please email 250-word abstracts (MS Word preferred), to: cdacsconference@gmail.com. Endnotes preferred. Please include your name, department or organization, title, and contact information. For further inquiries, please contact: Mohammed Al-Ghanim, mha26@georgetown.edu; John Morrill, jbmorrill@gmail.com; or Emily Siedlak, emily.siedlak@gmail.com. CFP deadline: October 30, 2009. 

2010
JANUARY 2010
29-31 January 2010–“Aiming for ‘The Third Place’: Intercultural Competence through Foreign Language Teaching and Learning” (Tucson, Arizona) The 2nd international conference on the development and assessment of intercultural competence. This conference is organized by the Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL) and co-sponsored by the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT) Program and Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)at the University of Arizona. For conference details: http://www.cercll.arizona.edu/.

MARCH 2010
17-19 March 2010–“Rethinking the Middle East? Values, Interests, and Security Concerns in Western Policies toward Iraq and the Wider Region, 1918-2010” (London, United Kingdom) Sponsored by British Academy, British Institute for the Study of Iraq, European Studies Research Institute/University of Salford (Greater Manchester). Twice within the last one hundred years, Western powers have tried to significantly alter the configuration of the Middle Eastern political order. In analyzing the interactions of regional and outside powers, this comparative and interdisciplinary conference will bring together political practitioners and historians, political scientists, and international relations scholars. Reflecting the overall conference theme, the program follows a two-pronged approach. Firstly, the conference organizers are looking for papers from political scientists and historians that deal with the foreign policies of important external powers (nation-states as well as inter- and transnational organizations) towards the Middle East, and Iraq in particular, as well as the constructions and narratives accompanying/justifying specific policies. Suggested topics: the dilemmas and contradictions of US/UK/European policies toward the region; the role of international actors such as the European Union, the United Nations, and the League of Nations; the impact of transnational actors such as global human rights groups and terrorist organizations; the history and current state of Iraqi domestic politics and foreign policies including bilateral relationships with other countries within and beyond the region; an assessment of the influence of other external powers such as China and Russia; the perceptions and narratives dominating the views of Arab publics and governments; and the reactions of countries such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria, Israel and Egypt to foreign interventions and regional upheavals. Submit a 200-word abstract to: l.berger@salford.ac.uk. Acceptance of papers will be notified by November 13, 2009. A limited number of bursaries covering travel, accommodation and conference costs are available for PhD students presenting a paper. Those wishing to apply for this bursary should add one page in which they state why they are in need of financial assistance. They would also need to describe the broader research context from which their PhD originates and how attending the conference might benefit their project. CFP deadline: October 30, 2009.

24-27 March 2010–“Provincializing Europe? Towards a Local History of Maghribi Modernity” (Florence, Italy)  A workshop to be held as part of the 11th Mediterranean Research Meeting at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (RSCAS) During the nineteenth century, the states of the Maghrib found themselves engaged in a struggle for survival in an increasingly hostile world where the rules of relative equality and reciprocity which had long characterised the Mediterranean were suddenly rewritten to their detriment. Maghribi states underwent a profound series of reforms and transformations with significant repercussions on their structures and capacities and on the nature of state-society relations. As the twentieth century progressed, the consolidation of colonial regimes and their destruction, restructuring, or reinvention of pre-existing state forms, their introduction of new practices and prerogatives of the state, wrought even greater shifts in the regions systems of governance and their relation to Maghribi societies.

This workshop will explore the concrete historical content of this period, focusing on the specific local nature of the large-scale processes (subsumed under the notion of a passage to modernity) that shaped the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in North Africa. We envisage revisiting the experiences of the construction of modernity in the region, in both its long-term continuities and its sometimes sudden transformative dimensions, as the product of locally grounded histories that cannot be adequately captured by the simplifying scheme of European impact and Middle Eastern response. In this sense, the workshop will seek to pursue the agenda of provincializing Europe by viewing the local construction of Maghribi modernity as the complex, dialogical working-out of local struggles to meet the demands of a world under stress, in crisis, and yet managing to survive.

Please also see the full workshop description at: http://www.iue.it/RSCAS/Research/Mediterranean/mrm2010/desc_pdf/MRM2010_Ds04.pdf. The official call for papers is at: http://www.eui.eu/RSCAS/Research/Mediterranean/mrm2010/pdf/MRM2010-Paperscall.pdf.

Contact: James McDougall (jm56@soas.ac.uk) and Etty Terem (tereme@rhodes.edu). The online form can be found at http://www.rscas.org/medform.asp. Conference details: http://www.eui.eu/RSCAS/Research/Mediterranean/mrm2010/pdf/MRM2010-InfoParticipants.pdf#page=3

Please note that abstracts should be in English, though papers may be presented in English or French. The MRM organizers advise that for participation in the meeting, a good working knowledge of English is required. Paper proposals must be submitted online before July 15, 2009. September 15, 2009: results of selection process announced. January 15, 2010: deadline for submission of papers.

APRIL 2010
01-02 April 2010–“State of the Art: Anthropology of the Middle East and North Africa” (Los Angeles, California) Co-organizers: Sherine Hafez, University of California, Riverside (sherine.hafez@ucr.edu); Susan Slyomovics, University of California, Los Angeles (ssly@anthro.ucla.edu).The link between the ideology of power and knowledge production about the Middle East/North Africa is a potent, generative and creative one. Our conference aim is to tap the most recent contributions to the field of the anthropology of the region and to highlight collaborative research that recognizes the potential of ethnographic methodologies as a powerful catalyst for theoretical debate. We will examine a wide range of theoretical paradigms and methodological approaches that emerge at the intersection of scholarship and a larger discourse of power analytics. Suggested topics: Islam and secularism; colonialism and postcoloniality; problems of modernity and the limits of theory; gender and sexuality; media and globalization; nation building; war and occupation. Abstracts are invited for 20-minute papers. Abstracts should be 250-word max. and sent to: CNES Program Director, Amy Bruinooge at abruin@international.ucla.edu. Those whose papers are accepted will be notified no later than December 31, 2009. CNES covers participants’ travel from any location in continental USA and Canada, accommodation for three nights (March 31-April 2, 2010), and local meal expenses within university mandated limits and guidelines. We plan to publish an edited volume with the papers from this conference and therefore request that participants present an original paper, a draft to be sent in by March 1, which we will email in advance to conference participants. CFP deadline: December 1, 2009.

16-17 April 2010–"Islam, Salvation, and the Fate of Others" (Urbana-Champaign, Illinois)  Hosted by the University of Illinois Department of Religion. The purpose of this symposium is to present and assess views on salvation in Islamic thought, particularly as it pertains to “Others,” i.e., non-Muslims– a topic with profound practical implications. Details will be posted on the conference webpage: http://www.relst.uiuc.edu/salvation. For information, contact: Mohammad Khalil (khalil@illinois.edu).

16-18 April 2010 (Hartford, Connecticut) and 26-28 November 2009 (Paris, France) –"Conceptualising Literary History: Foundations of Arabic Literature, 7th-17th centuries” . Contact (for the Yale meeting) Beatrice Gruendler, Yale University, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, PO Box 208236, New Haven CT 06520 beatrice.gruendler@yale.edu; (for the Paris meeting) Julia Bray, Université Paris 8-Saint Denis, bray.julia@wanadoo.fr.

19-20 April 2010–“Bashar al-Asad’s First Decade: A Period of Transition for Syria” (Lund, Sweden) Organized by The Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES) at Lund University.This conference aims to further critical discussion between scholars from various disciplines within the social sciences and humanities who focus on contemporary Syria. Bashar’s first decade can be seen as a transitional phase both in terms of leadership as well as renegotiations of the relationships between religion, society and state. In an effort to promote greater understanding of a country that can be clouded by controversy and misconceptions, CMES intends to foster discussion on this critical period between different perspectives, approaches and paradigms by bringing together a wide range of scholars. The panels for this conference are structured broadly within the fields of religion, politics and society in contemporary Syria.  Possible topics: gender Syrian everyday life; law and minorities; political economy; Syrian international relations; the Ba’th Party and domestic politics; and alternative forms of resistance. CMES is soliciting papers that address the relationships between religion, politics and society during Bashar’s first decade. The broad focus is intentional to allow scholars the flexibility to submit papers on their most recent and innovative research. Submit: a short resume and a 400-word maximum abstract to: Jaleh Taheri (jaleh.taheri@cme.lu.se).Participants will be chosen and notified by November 15, 2009. CFP deadline: December 7, 2009.

22-25 April 2010–68th MPSA National Conference (Chicago, Illinois) Please remember to submit a proposal to present at the 2010 MPSA National Conference. More research papers are presented here than any other political science conference. Over 1,100 sessions in all subfields, many interdisciplinary. Huge exhibit hall & free job placement service for registered attendees. Everything happens in the newly restored Palmer House Hilton Chicago. For information, contact: Midwest Political Science Association, 320 W 8th Street, #218, Bloomington, IN 47404. Proposal Submission Deadline: October 9, 2009 (www.mpsanet.org/submitaproposal).

MAY 2010
31 May-02 June 2010–“Literature and History: Middle Eastern Perspectives” (Beer Sheva, Israel) The 15th Annual International Workshop of the Department of Middle East Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Scholarly discussions about the intricate relationship between belletristic literature and history have long haunted literary criticism, historiography, cultural studies and literary practice. In recent decades numerous studies have addressed the question of belles lettres as a possible source for social, cultural and political history, while shifting the focus away from the study of aesthetics towards the study of literature as a narrative space that often represents forgotten, silenced or repressed histories. Suggested topics: reclaiming lost and repressed lived experiences in literature; the use of historical events in literary creativity; temporality – literary and historical time; ficto-historical writing / historical fiction; political and social resistance through fiction; manifestations of oppression and censorship; portrayal of the Other; the interaction between a text and its historical and political contexts; political, ethical and cultural implications of historical fiction; revisiting the literary significance of ‘history from below’; literary history and its mediations (gender, sexuality, class, ethnicity, etc.); and aestheticism and anti-historicism in literature.Send a one-page proposal in English, along with CV. The proposal should briefly state the topic, and outline how the paper contributes to the aims of the workshop. Authors will be notified by February 1, 2010 whether their proposal was accepted for presentation at the workshop. Authors whose proposal is accepted will be expected to submit a full-length version of the paper by April 1, 2010. Participants from abroad will be offered round trip airfare and lodging. Proposals should be addressed by email to: Yair Huri (yairhuri@bgu.ac.il); Ariel M. Sheetrit (arielmb@bgu.ac.il). For details, visit: http://web2.bgu.ac.il/mideast/workshop/main.asp?page=about.CFP deadline: January 1, 2010.

JUNE 2010
03-05 June 2010–“Veiled Constellations: The Veil, Critical Theory, Politics, and Contemporary Society” (Toronto, Canada) Co-sponsored by: Department of Political Science (graduate program), Centre for Human Rights, Graduate Students’ Association, Centre for Refugee Studies, Department of Sociology (graduate program), Department of Communication and Culture (graduate program), York University. This conference offers a forum to problematize the prevailing discourses surrounding the veil while exploring the veil’s subversive potential. The extent to which the veil can erode, or even invert power and oppression is, with the exception of various Islam-inspired positions, an overlooked and under-explored area of academic theorizing. Part of this conversation should address the relationship between theory and policy as it pertains to the veil and Muslims in contemporary society. Submissions may include academic papers from any relevant discipline and/or creative submissions such as poetry, video performances, storytelling, visual arts and other alternative formats. We promote traditional modes of presentation such as panels and roundtables, but are also open to other interesting and innovative approaches. Proposals for papers, films, or other formats should include: paper/project title; name and contact information (mail, email, phone, affiliations); bio (approx. 50 words); abstract (150-word max.); technology needs for presentation (be specific); translation needs, if applicable; and desire to present via teleconferencing/video-conferencing. Proposals for panels and roundtables should include: panel/roundtable title; name and contact information (and paper title, if applicable) for each presenter (mail, email, phone, affiliations); bio of each speaker (50-word max. for each speaker); abstract explaining the panel/roundtable’s focus (150-word max.); names and contact information (mail, email, phone, affiliations) for any discussant(s) or respondent(s); technology needs of presentations (please be specific); translation needs, if applicable; and desire to present via teleconferencing/videoconferencing. Call for papers, visit: www.veiledconstellations.com/callforpapers.html. Send complete proposal submissions to: submissions@veiledconstellations.com.
CFP deadline: October 1, 2009.

30 June-03 July 2010—“The 21st Century Gulf: The Challenge of Identity” (Exeter, England) The 2010 Exeter Gulf Studies Conference. A cutting-edge interdisciplinary conference exploring the multifarious challenges of ‘identity’ at all levels–political, economic, socio-cultural, and international–as the GCC states, Iran, Iraq and Yemen undergo paradigm-shifting but highly contrasting changes. Papers and alternative panel proposals are invited. Abstracts or panel proposals with abstracts must be received by 1 March 2010 (full papers are also accepted as a basis for selection). For information, or to submit and abstract/paper by electronic means only (in Word format, 1.5-spaced, 12-point, with footnotes and bibliography), to: Prof. Gerd Nonneman (Al-Qasimi Chair of Gulf Studies): g.nonneman@ex.ac.uk. CFP deadline: March 1, 2010.

JULY 2010
07-10 July 2010–“The Impact of Migration on Gulf Development and Stability” (Cambridge, United Kingdom) Workshop directed by Philippe Fargues and Nasra Shah. The Gulf Research Center is proud to announce the First Annual "Gulf Research Meeting". The GRM is an activity of the Gulf Research Foundation in collaboration with the University of Cambridge where the meeting will be held. It seeks to provide an academic environment to foster Gulf studies and to promote scholarly and academic exchange among scholars working and/or having familiarity with the Gulf region - i.e. the countries of Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The Gulf Research Meeting aims to identify issues of importance to the Gulf region and provide a basis for academic and empirical research into those fields. Particular emphasis is given to encourage young scholars to engage in the debate and take part in research collaboration. For more details, visit: http://grcevent.net/cambridge/index.php. CFP deadline: December 15, 2009.

08-09 July 2010–“Astrology in the Near East” (Oxford, United Kingdom) 29th ARAM Society for Syro-Mesopotamian conference with a special focus on the use of the Zodiac in the Syro-Mesopotamian arts. Each speaker’s paper is limited to 30 minutes, with an additional 10 minutes for discussion. If you wish to participate in the conference, please contact our Oxford address:ARAM, the Oriental Institute, Oxford University, Pusey Lane, Oxford OX1 2LE, England. ( ++1865-514041. Fax ++1865-516824;  aram@aramsociety.org). All papers given at the conference will be considered for publication in a future edition of the ARAM Periodical, subject to editorial review. All proposals should reach Aram Society before December 2009.

19-24 July 2010–World Congress for Middle Eastern Studies (WOCMES) (Barcelona, Spain) For information, visit: http://www.wocmes.org/wocmes/.
Special call for symposium papers to be presented during WOCMES: “Re-conceptualising Gender in the Middle East” The issue of gender identities in the Middle East is once again being instrumentalized as part of global and Middle Eastern geo-political struggles. From US rhetoric claiming to support Middle East women’s ‘empowerment’ to the rise of Islamist movements and their particular emphasis on gender propriety, imagery of women and definitions of gender relations are demarcating the battle lines in the so-called war against terror. Against this backdrop, it becomes urgent for academics to challenge this polarization in the conceptualisation of gender identities and gender relations within the Middle East and to draw attention to the multiplicity and historicity of gender in the region. This multi-disciplinary symposium will outline transformations in gender identities and relations within a diversity of spheres from political discourses to popular culture and in a variety of Middle Eastern geographic locations, including diasporic spaces, over different historical periods. The emphasis will be on examining the concrete political, economic and social processes that give rise to changing conceptualisations of gender in the Middle East, understanding gender not only in terms of women/femininities but also in terms of men/masculinities and in recognising the intersectionality of gender identities. Symposium papers will form the basis for a published edited volume/special journal issue. Send an abstract of your proposed paper of 300-400 words and a one-page CV/resume, by email, to: Dr Nicola Pratt, Lecturer in Comparative Politics and International Relations, University of East Anglia, Norwich England (n.pratt@uea.ac.uk until June 30, 2009 and nicolachristine@yahoo.com thereafter). CFP deadline for this symposium: September 1, 2009.


Special call for symposium papers to be presented during WOCMES: “Peace in Turkey”.  After a period of reform, there are now signs that Turkey is slipping back towards the "bad days" of  the 1990s. Rising violence levels, a series of scandals implicating the “deep” state, retrogressive reforms to the judicial system and an apparent rise in the military’s presence in south-east Turkey may all be reasons to be pessimistic about the future. On the other hand, the AKP government’s extraordinary popularity, coupled with its less supine approach to staff command, its inclusion of representatives from Turkey’s traditional “out-groups” (notably Kurdish parliamentarians and the overtly religious) and its vigorous human rights discourse, could be construed as a basis for greater sanguinity. This symposium will look at these dissident groups, the organization and execution of disorder/protest/political violence, the sociology and ideology of active organizations and the role of external actors (neighbouring states, European diasporas etc). It will also consider the Turkish state’s response to domestic dissent. Over the last 30 years, Ankara has been very heavily criticized for an apparent failure to investigate human rights abuses adequately and, in some cases, for its direct involvement in extra-judicial violence. Successive governments have, however, argued that they have introduced economic and political reforms that have met most of their critics’ demands. Thus this symposium will also look at the organization and implementation of counter-insurgency activities, the notion of "state terrorism", the relationship between civilian and military elements of the state in devising policy and the influence of the “global war on terror”. Finally, it will include a consideration of prospects of "peace" in Turkey. This might include likely directions in the military’s political role, the prospects for further constitution reform, EU membership, greater decentralization and local representation, the impact of continued marketization of the public sector and the current reform of agricultural production and changes in minority identity, religious expression and the rise of what’s been called “neo” nationalism. Submit a 300-word (max.) abstract, to: Dr Tim Jacoby, University of Manchester (tim.jacoby@manchester.ac.uk; http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/downloads/WOCMES2010_callforpapers.pdf). CFP deadline for this symposium: September 25, 2009.  

SEPTEMBER 2010
24-25 September 2010–“Negotiating Trade: Commercial Institutions and Cross-Cultural Exchange in the Medieval and Early Modern World” (Binghamton, New York) An interdisciplinary conference presented by the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Binghamton University (SUNY)The conference will explore the institutions that facilitated and accommodated long-distance trade and the globalizing of capital in the medieval and early modern world. Possible topics: permanent sites of trade, such as harbors, marketplaces, customs houses, banks, and exchanges; hostels, warehouses, and other spaces used by merchants for temporary residence and storage;  the development of regional markets (urban and rural) and international fairs; permanent and ephemeral architecture associated with trade; social and economic conventions that governed commercial transactions; state administrative policies relating to trade and commercial travel; supra-state networks of trade (social, cultural, geo-political and economic implications); cross-cultural systems of banking and credit; translation across linguistic and cultural boundaries; modes of determining creditworthiness across regional boundaries; the practices of brokers and creditors; methods of accounting and documenting transactions; strategies (individual and corporate) for adapting to foreign systems of trade; modifications in commercial institutions with the expansion of early modern trade networks; -the politics of merchant tribute; the relationship of merchants, companies, banks, and brokers to states minting currency; the emergence and operations of legal institutions adjudicating disputes concerning trade; religious stances towards cross-cultural commercial endeavors; and the representation of commercial institutions in art and literature. Proposals for individual papers (20 minutes maximum; 500-word maximum) should be by email, with a current CV, to: cemers@binghamton.edu (Re: 2010 Conference). Hard copies of the proposal and CV should be sent to: CEMERS [ATTN.:  2010 Conference], Binghamton University, PO Box 6000, Binghamton NY  13902-6000. We also welcome proposals for integrated panels. Panel organizers should describe the theme of the panel and send abstracts with names and affiliations of all participants along with current CVs. A panel should consist of no more than three papers, each twenty minutes in length. Selected papers may be published in Mediaevalia, a journal of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies.Please send all inquiries to cemers@binghamton.edu.  For information about CEMERS, please visit our website (cemers.binghamton.edu). CFP deadline: October 30, 2009.

OCTOBER 2010
06-09 October 2010–12th Biennial Symposium of the Textile Society of America (Lincoln, Nebraska) Hosted by The Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design, College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.“Textiles & Settlement: From Plains Space to Cyber Space,” the symposium theme, will serve as a scaffold on which to build interdisciplinary explorations that span traditional forms of presentation to digital age technologies and applications and to discover the ways they intersect. TSA encourages presentations on textiles from all parts of the globe and from textile-related disciplines including (but not limited to): anthropology, archaeology, art, art history, conservation, cultural geography, design, marketing, mathematics, economics, history, indigenous traditions, linguistics, theatre, and the physical and social sciences. Scholars, curators, artists, gallery and museum professionals, educators, and lovers of textiles are encouraged to submit proposals. For additional information and guidelines please download a PDF: /www.textilesociety.org/downloads/2010SymFullCall4Papers2009ed.pdf. Information about Awards, Scholarships and Financial Aid for the symposium will also be found on the Textile Society of America website: www.textilesociety.org/symposia_2010.htm#callforpapers2010sym. Contact: Janice Lessman-Moss, External Relations Director, TSA, jlessman@kent.edu. CFP deadline: October 1, 2009.