Event

Call for Papers
Where is Early America?

The McNeil Center for Early American Studies is pleased to announce a state of the field conference, to be held in May of 2025. Our goal is to provide a general convention for scholars working in all subfields of early American studies. We especially invite scholars focused on the earliest periods of America’s past to participate. If your work is chronologically centered before 1750, please join us in Philadelphia to discuss the significance of this era with your peers.

We invite submissions of individual papers, panels, and roundtables on any aspect of early American history and culture, including, but not limited to: history, art history, material culture studies, African American studies, NAIS, architectural history, literature, and music. We are keen to host sessions that propose new frameworks for comprehending the earliest period of European colonization in America and novel arguments for scholarly attention to this era. We also welcome styles of presentation that innovate on customary formats. At least one panel will be sponsored by the Society of Early Americanists.

The conference will be held from May 1 to May 3, 2025, with sessions hosted at the McNeil Center’s facility on the University of Pennsylvania campus.

All proposals should include a title, brief abstract (250 words), CVs of all participants, and the type of session proposed (paper, panel, or roundtable). They must be submitted no later than August 30th, 2024, to mceas@sas.upenn.edu.

This conference is chaired by Emma Hart, Director of The McNeil Center for Early American Studies. A limited number of travel and lodging awards will be available for presenters.

Photo credit: "Beadwork and Raised Picture of Woman and Servant by Unknown Maker," Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Object No. 2000-333 (1660-1680)