Call for Papers

We welcome panel, roundtable and paper proposals on all topics concerning the history of the United States – broadly conceived – from 1890 to the present. We especially welcome proposals from underrepresented scholars and on underrepresented topics. These include, but are not limited to, work on and/or by Indigenous and Latin American communities, Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities, women, LGBTQI+ people, and disabled people.

We particularly encourage fully formed panel proposals or roundtable discussions, and encourage those seeking fellow panelists to use our online Panel Finder document. Research panels are traditionally confined to a maximum of 90 minutes, and composed of three speakers, although we strongly encourage innovative and alternative formats, which can be outlined in your panel proposal or discussed in advance with the HOTCUS Events Secretary, Dr Megan Hunt (megan.hunt@ed.ac.uk).

We also welcome panels and roundtables focused less directly on particular research topics, which might address, for example, the use of archives and other primary sources, specific texts, themes, events and anniversaries, pedagogy or other issues relating to academic culture and careers, or contemporary political and social questions salient to the study of modern American history.

We will also accept individual paper proposals, where possible, with resulting panels assembled by the conference committee.

Submission guidelines

Please note that HOTCUS will give preference to panels that reflect the diversity of our field in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and institutional affiliation. We will also give preference to panels that include a mix of participants from across the career spectrum (i.e., from postgraduate to professor). Historically, women have been disproportionately underrepresented on panels and HOTCUS is taking positive action, as permitted under s.158 Equality Act 2010, to enable and encourage the participation of women. For this reason, all-male panel proposals will not be accepted. HOTCUS may constitute an all-male panel or other presentation where absolutely necessary (but any such consideration will be other than via the call for papers procedure).

If submitting an individual paper, please send a brief CV (no more than two pages), plus a title and 200-300-word abstract for the proposed paper to events.hotcus@gmail.com. Please place both the abstract and CV in a single document, with your surname as the file name.

Panel proposals should contain a 200-300 word abstract for the panel as a whole, a 200-300-word abstract for each paper, and a brief CV (no more than two pages) for each participant. Please place these in a single document and email to events.hotcus@gmail.com. Panel chairs can be specified in the proposal or can be added by the conference organisers. Paper and panel proposals should be submitted to the following email address – events.hotcus@gmail.com – by midnight, UK time on March 1, 2024.