Popular Knowledge, Public Stage:
Cultures of Lecturing and Learning in the Long Nineteenth Century
September 24–26, 2015
Alexandria Lyceum, Alexandria, Virginia
This conference will bring together scholars from various disciplines, including English, history, communication studies, and American studies, to consider how popular, public interactions shaped the character of knowledge in the long nineteenth century (roughly 1790–1910).
The turbulence of these decades transformed the way people lived, worked, played, and communicated. It also transformed the way people thought and learned together—in lecture halls, periodicals, education forums, civic spaces, social movement organizations, and more. In such contexts, speakers and listeners, writers and readers drew upon available cultural resources to shape their identities, to advance collective undertakings, and to interact with the larger society. This conference is dedicated to exploring the interplay of individuals, groups, publics, cultures, ideas, and discursive spaces as the world lurched forward in modernity.
Interested scholars are invited to submit an abstract of 300–500 words on a topic that addresses the conference theme, as well as a biographical statement of 100–200 words. Conference organizers are particularly interested in abstracts for papers that explore lecturing and learning among traditionally marginalized groups in the United States, across the Americas, and around the globe.
Questions can be directed to Angela G. Ray or Paul Stob. Submissions of abstracts and biographical statements are due no later than January 30, 2015.
