[Themaintainers] A Maintainers panel at BHC?

E.F. Spero efs8 at mit.edu
Fri Sep 9 03:16:01 EDT 2016


Anyone interested in putting something together? Or anyone already working
on something who wants some help?

Deadline Oct 3

*Civilizations*



2017 Business History Conference Annual Meeting

Denver, Colorado, March 30-April 1, 2017



*Civilizations *is the theme of the 2017 Business History Conference
meeting. From the House of Medici to Japan, Inc., business and commerce
have shaped society and public life.  Eighteenth-century social theorists
such as Montesquieu and Smith described the “civilizing” process of
long-distance trade networks in agricultural staples and luxury goods in
the transition from feudalism to commercialism.



In the early 20th century, the U.S. was often seen as a nation where
businesspeople, with their ambitions and innovations, had even come to
define society. In 1931 James Truslow Adams characterized the United States
as a “business civilization,” in which “most of the energy, ability, and
ambition of the country has found its outlet, if not its satisfaction, in
business.”  More recently, with rising globalization and financialization,
observers in many countries—Brazil, Germany, France, Japan, and China—have
noted, with alarm or excitement, the role high-tech entrepreneurs and
international bankers have played in shaping social norms and policy. In
2009 an economic summit in China explored the “Chinese approach to a new
business civilization.”



 The theme of “civilizations” is meant to suggest broad connections between
business and the way of life that characterizes particular regions or
countries. The program committee of Susie Pak (chair), Eric Hilt, Caitlin
Rosenthal, Lars Heide, Jessica Burch, and Walter Friedman (BHC president)
invites papers addressing the questions:



·        What brought some 20th century writers, historians, and economists
to perceive the emergence of a “business civilization” in parts of the
world?

·        What has been the influence, comparatively across nations, of
business values on culture, politics, and the arts?

·        Are there varieties of business civilizations, just as there are
varieties of capitalism?

·        When does business practice enrich the civilizing process and when
does it degrade it?

·        Can corporate governance produce “civilized businesses,” i.e. ones
that are socially accountable?



The theme is also intended to invite discussion of how ideas about
“civilization” have been contested. For a diverse group of
writers—including, for instance, Thorstein Veblen, C. Wright Mills, and the
novelist Joshua Ferris, who wrote *Then We Came to the End *(2007)—the
realities of business life, with its codes of dress, specialized machinery,
and arcane politics, render the idea of “business civilizations” ironic or
satirical. More fundamentally, recent works that emphasize the
interrelation of capitalism with destruction, war, and slavery suggest that
“business” and “civilization” can be deeply opposing forces.



While we encourage proposals to take up this theme, papers addressing all
other topics will receive equal consideration by the program committee in
accordance with BHC policy. The program committee will consider both
individual papers and entire panels. Individual paper proposals should
include a one-page (300 word) abstract and one-page curriculum vitae (CV).
Panel proposals should include a cover letter stating the rationale for the
panel and the name of its contact person; one-page (300 word) abstract and
author’s CV for each paper; and a list of preferred panel chairs and
commentators with contact information. To submit a proposal go to
http://thebhc.org/2017meeting and click on the link Submit a Paper/Panel
Proposal <http://thebhc.org/proposal-instructions>.



All sessions take place at the Embassy Suites Denver-Downtown
<http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/colorado/embassy-suites-by-hilton-denver-downtown-convention-center-DENESES/index.html>.
Rooms (all suites) are $150/night and include a full breakfast.



The K. Austin Kerr Prize <http://www.thebhc.org/kerr> will be awarded for
the best first paper delivered by a new scholar at the annual meeting.  A
“new scholar” is defined as a doctoral candidate or a Ph. D. whose degree
is less than three years old. *You must nominate your paper for this prize
on the proposal submission page where indicated.* Please check the
appropriate box if your proposal qualifies for inclusion in the Kerr Prize
competition.



*The deadline for receipt of all proposals is 3 October 2016.* Acceptance
letters will be sent by 31 December 2016. Everyone appearing on the program
must register for the meeting. Graduate students and recent PhDs (within 3
years of receipt of degree) whose papers are accepted for the meeting may
apply for funds to partially defray their travel costs; information will be
sent out once the program has been set.



The BHC awards the Herman E. Krooss Prize <http://www.thebhc.org/krooss> for
the best dissertation in business history by a recent Ph.D. in history,
economics, business administration, the history of science and technology,
sociology, law, communications, and related fields. To be eligible,
dissertations must be completed in the three calendar years immediately
prior to the 2017 annual meeting, and may only be submitted once for the
Krooss prize. After the Krooss committee has reviewed the proposals, it
will ask semi-finalists to submit copies of their dissertations. Finalists
will present summaries of their dissertations at a plenary session of the
2017 BHC annual meeting and will receive a partial subsidy of their travel
costs to the meeting. Proposals accepted for the Krooss Prize are not
eligible for the Kerr Prize. If you wish to apply for this prize please
send a cover letter indicating you are applying for the Krooss prize along
with a one-page CV and one-page (300 word) dissertation abstract via email
to BHC at Hagley.org. The deadline for proposals for the Krooss prize is 3
October 2016.



The *BHC Doctoral Colloquium in Business History* will be held in
conjunction with the BHC annual meeting. This prestigious workshop, funded
by Cambridge University Press, will take place in Denver Wednesday March 29
and Thursday March 30. Typically limited to ten students, the colloquium is
open to early stage doctoral candidates pursuing dissertation research
within the broad field of business history, from any relevant discipline.
Topics <http://www.thebhc.org/doctoral-colloquia> (see link for past
examples) may range from the early modern era to the present, and explore
societies across the globe.  Participants work intensively with a
distinguished group of BHC-affiliated scholars (including at least two BHC
officers), discussing dissertation proposals, relevant literatures and
research strategies, and career trajectories.  Applications are *due by 15
November 2016* via email to BHC at Hagley.org should include: a statement of
interest; CV; preliminary or final dissertation prospectus (10-15 pages);
and a letter of support from your dissertation supervisor (or prospective
supervisor). Questions about the colloquium should be sent to its director,
Edward Balleisen, eballeis at duke.edu. All participants receive a stipend
that partially defrays travel costs to the annual meeting.  Applicants will
receive notification of the selection committee’s decisions by 20 December
2016.



General questions regarding the BHC’s 2017 annual meeting may be sent to
Secretary-Treasurer Roger Horowitz, rh at udel.edu.









-- 
E.F. Spero
MIT-SUTD Postdoctoral Fellow

http://history.mit.edu/people/ellan-f-spero
<http://academics.sutd.edu.sg/researchers/ellan-spero/http://history.mit.edu/people/ellan-f-spero>
http://academics.sutd.edu.sg/researchers/ellan-spero/
<http://academics.sutd.edu.sg/researchers/ellan-spero/http://history.mit.edu/people/ellan-f-spero>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.stevens.edu/mailman/private/themaintainers/attachments/20160909/7a08f081/attachment-0001.html>


More information about the Themaintainers mailing list