A World of Things’: Consumerism, Consumption, and Commodities
Call for Participants for the 2021 Virtual Conference
‘A World of Things’: Consumerism, Consumption, and Commodities
February 20, 2021
Virtual Space Hosted by Texas A&M University-Commerce
Commerce, Texas
The World History Association of Texas and Texas A&M University-Commerce (TAMUC) invites you to the annual WHAT conference to be held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic. There is the possibility of an optional small in-person meeting in addition to the virtual conference depending on the state of the pandemic in February 2021. The WHAT conference provides a forum for the discussion of all aspects of World History. Proposals for panels, single papers, round tables, and workshops from research scholars, teachers, and students on any topic related to World History, including new research, concepts, or pedagogy, are welcome.
Our theme for 2021 is ‘A World of Things’: Consumerism, Consumption, and Commodities. Considering Erich Fromm’s statement that, “We live in a world of things, and our only connection with them is that we know how to manipulate or consume them,” we seek to understand those connections and the human experience with consumerism, consumption, and commodities. Recognizing there are many avenues towards building an historical narrative of global consumption, we envision his theme broadly.
Panel Proposal: Each panel proposal should include a list of participants with contact information, a one-page CV for each participant, a 100-word abstract for the panel, and a 250-word abstract for each proposed paper. Please submit all items as a single Word document (.doc or .docx) or Adobe Acrobat file (.pdf). Panels may include three or four presenters and a chair/organizer. Papers should be no longer than twenty minutes for a three-person panel and no longer than fifteen minutes for a four-person panel. Panel sessions will be ninety minutes.
Round Table Proposal: Round table presentations should include a list of participants with contact information, a one-page CV for each participant, and an abstract of no more than 300 words outlining the general theme and direction of the round table. Please submit all items as a single Word document (.doc or .docx) or an Adobe Acrobat file (.pdf). Round tables are limited to no more than five participants, with each person limited to an initial ten-minute comment. Round table sessions will be ninety minutes.
Single Paper and Workshop Proposals: Proposals for single papers and workshops should be accompanied by a one-page CV of the presenter with contact information and an abstract of no more than 250 words. Papers should be no longer than twenty minutes and a workshop should be no longer than ninety minutes. Workshops with multiple leaders must submit a one page CV for each leader. Please submit all items as a single Word document (.doc or .docx) or Adobe Acrobat file (.pdf).