Call for Papers: Symposium on the 19th Century Press, the Civil War, and Free Expression, November 12–14, 2020 (via ZOOM and in person)

David Sachsman Discussion

Call for Papers

Symposium on the 19th Century Press, the Civil War, and Free Expression

November 12–14, 2020, via ZOOM and in person

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Deadline: August 27, 2020

 

The steering committee of the twenty-eighth annual Symposium on the 19th Century Press, the Civil War, and Free Expression solicits papers dealing with US mass media of the 19th century, the Civil War in fiction and history, freedom of expression in the 19th century, presidents and the 19th century press, images of race and gender, sensationalism and crime in 19th century newspapers, and the antebellum press and the causes of the Civil War. Selected papers will be presented during the conference Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, November 12–14, 2020. The top three papers and the top three student papers will be honored accordingly.

 

The Symposium will be conducted via ZOOM (for both speakers and participants). If possible, it will also be conducted in person.

 

The purpose of the November conference is to share current research and to develop a series of monographs. This year the steering committee will pay special attention to papers related to press coverage of Civil War soldiers themselves, particularly African American and ethnic or immigrant soldiers. The Symposium will also pay special attention to papers related to press coverage of the natural environment. Since 2000, the Symposium has produced eight distinctly different books of readings: The Civil War and the Press (2000); Memory and Myth: The Civil War in Fiction and Film from Uncle Tom’s Cabin to Cold Mountain (2007); Words at War: The Civil War and American Journalism (2008); Seeking a Voice: Images of Race and Gender in the 19th Century Press (2009); Sensationalism: Murder, Mayhem, Mudslinging, Scandals, and Disasters in 19th-Century Reporting (2013); A Press Divided: Newspaper Coverage of the Civil War (2014); After the War: The Press in a Changing America, 1865–1900 (2017); and The Antebellum Press: Setting the Stage for Civil War (2019).

 

The symposium is sponsored by the George R. West, Jr. Chair of Excellence in Communication and Public Affairs, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Communication Department, the Walter and Leona Schmitt Family Foundation Research Fund, and the Hazel Dicken-Garcia Fund for the Symposium, and because of this sponsorship, no registration fee will be charged.

 

Papers should be able to be presented within 20 minutes, at least 10–15 pages long. Please send your paper (including a 200–300 word abstract) as a Word attachment to west-chair-office@utc.edu by August 27, 2020. For more information, please contact:

 

Dr. David Sachsman

George R. West, Jr. Chair of Excellence in Communication and Public Affairs, Dept. 3003

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

(423) 645-5330, david-sachsman@utc.edu

www.utc.edu/west-chair-communication/symposium/index.php