The Historical Association of South Africa Biennial Conference
27-29 June 2023
Proudly hosted by
Rhodes University
Click here to download the HASA2023 Conference Call for Papers as a PDF File
HISTORY: NEW TURNS, FRESH DIRECTIONS
AND ALTERNATIVE AVENUES
HASA invites historians as well as students and researchers in related or relevant disciplines to submit papers for an international conference entitled “New Turns, Fresh Directions and Alternative Avenues” to be held at Rhodes University in Makhanda (Grahamstown) from 27 to 29 June 2023. Papers of a theoretical nature, as well as ones addressing particular case studies, will be welcomed. The organisers, in the first instance, are calling for papers which address the conference theme. But, as this is a general conference of HASA, papers on other topics will be welcome as well. Those of you who would like to focus on the conference theme may of course use your own initiative and points of departure. The following may, however, stimulate ideas:
In recent years, there have been radical challenges to the received consensus on the nature of historical inquiry, sources utilised by historians and the boundaries of the discipline. The development of technology and the impact of Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns have led to exciting opportunities for new methods of teaching and research, and opened new opportunities for collaboration crossing local, national and international boundaries. We envisage that presentations at this conference will take up the challenges posed by these developments to present papers on topics and in fields not usually covered by History conferences. Contributions by both well-established and newer academics are equally welcomed. Some suggested areas could be:
- Environmental History
- Medical History
- New Directions in History Teaching and Research
- Gender and Sexuality
- Biography
- Sports History
- Hauntology and the Ghosts of the Past
- University Histories
- Sound, Film and Media Studies
- New Technologies and (Human) Infrastructures
- Travellers’ Accounts and the History of Travel
- Labour and Migration
- Archives and Archiving/Rethinking the Archive
- Palaeontology, Genetics and Forensic History
- Public History and History as Performance
- New Areas of Historical Enquiry – Surprize us!
Accommodation, at very favourable rates, will be available in the student residences of Rhodes University. Alternatively, there are a number of Bed and Breakfast establishments and hotels in Makhanda. For those requiring it, transport will be available from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) Airport. The conference overlaps with the National Arts Festival. Delegates may wish to attend the festival as well as the conference. Details of costs will be available on the booking form on the conference website.
Abstracts (200 words maximum), together with affiliation and all contact details, should be submitted to the conference organiser, Prof Alan Kirkaldy (a.kirkaldy@ru.ac.za) by 15 March 2023.
Given that this event will occur during the National Arts Festival, when accommodation is at a premium, please submit requests for accommodation and airport transfers as early as possible. Further details will be provided as soon as they are available.
