18th World Economic History Congress in Boston, 2018

A first round of session proposals for the18th gathering of the World Economic History Congress (to convene July 29th – August 3rd 2018 in historic Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts) have been accepted and posted to the WEHC2018 website. The Executive Committee of the IEHA encourages all individuals with an interest in participating to consult the list of accepted sessions, especially as many of them are still accepting additional paper presenters and other participants.  The Executive Committee is also pleased to announce that it will consider additional session proposals submitted before June 30^th 2017 from all members of the international economic history community, as it seeks to complete its program.  We especially invite submissions that complement the sessions already in place with topics, regions, or time periods not yet well represented.  This will be the last opportunity to propose sessions for the 2018 Congress.

The 18th World Congress is the second to be hosted in North America and marks the 50th anniversary of the previous occasion. We invite you to join us in Boston to consider the many ‘Waves of Globalization’ that have given rise to the varied and multi-directional connections that characterize the economic and social world we know today. While seeking proposals for sessions that explore facets of this broad theme, we also welcome submissions on the economic and social histories of all places and periods, on the exploration of varied sources and methods, and on the theory and the uses of economic history itself. Furthermore, we invite members to employ and analyze diverse strategies for representing the past.  As with the First Call for Proposals, we seek sessions that will build on the work of previous Congresses that have addressed the specific themes of the “Roots of Development” and “Diversity in Development.” We also anticipate discussion of the ways that historical practice is changing as a result of the ongoing digital revolution. We are interested in what it means to practice economic history in the digital age, and what new technologies imply for how we do research, how we present our findings, and how we interact with a variety of current and potential audiences. We therefore welcome proposals that focus not only on cutting-edge “digital history,” but also on the broader implications of digital technologies for all historical practitioners.

Organizers are strongly encouraged to consult the list of already accepted sessions, with the goal of adding to the breadth of the Congress program, as well as to find models of successful proposals.  As before, we will continue to welcome innovation in the format of individual sessions as appropriate for the topic, the methodologies employed, and the participants invited. The format of the scientific program of the Boston Congress will be organized on the same principles as past world congresses. The 5-day meeting will have approximately 180-200 contributed sessions, with each day divided into four time blocks of 90 minutes each. Many sessions will occupy either a full morning or afternoon of two such blocks, but some 90-minute blocks will be reserved for smaller sessions.

Individual proposals to join already accepted sessions should be directed to the organizers of those sessions.  Proposals for full sessions in the second (final) call should be submitted at the WEHC2018 website prior to June 30^th 2017.