THE WAR OF 1812: MYTHS AND REALITIES CALL FOR PAPERS

2012 will be the bicentenntial of the beginning of the War of 1812-14. Once described as the 'forgotten' war, there are already indications that there will be widespread commemoration ceremonies across North America, mostly sponsored and organized by national, state and provincial governments, by tourist organizations, and by local historical societies. We have therefore decided that it would be an appropriate time to hold an international conference that revisits the scholarly literature and scholarly debates over the causes, conflicts and consequences of the War as well as the way in which the War has been remembered and commemorated in Britain, Canada and the United States over the past two centuries. As the Conference title indicates, we are particularly interested in papers that challenge existing interpretations and offer new approaches. It is our intention to produce a volume of essays selected from those given at the Conference.

The conference will be held at the University of London from 12-14 July 2012. These dates were chosen to overlap with the annual conference of the Transatlantic Studies Association, which will be held in Cork from 9-12 July 2012 so that scholars who wish to do so can attend both.

Further details on the Transatlantic Studies Association can be found on its website at www.transatlanticstudies.com. The conference on 'The War of 1812: Myths and Realities' will be held in partnership with the Institute for the Study of the Americas at the University of London, Canterbury Christ Church University, and the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. If you are interested in proposing a paper, please send along a paragraph describing your proposal and a short c.v. to either Phillip Buckner (phillipbuckner@hotmail.com) or to Tony McCulloch (tony.mcculloch@canterbury.ac.uk) no later than 12 July 2011.

Please be warned that given the current funding crisis in higher education in the United Kingdom it is highly unlikely that we will be able to give financial assistance to any of the contributors.