The American Century?
International History and Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century – Call for Papers
From 4-5th May 2018, The Rothermere American Institute at the University of Oxford, in collaboration with Liverpool John Moores University, will host the third annual International History and Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century conference. Established in 2015, the aim of IHD20C has been to provide an accessible, inclusive and intellectually stimulating forum for doctoral candidates, early career researchers and established academics in which to showcase, reflect upon and discuss their research findings with the broad theme of international history and diplomacy in the twentieth century. This year’s symposium will seek a more specialised theme that will explore the hitherto accepted axiom that the twentieth century has been ‘The American Century’ – a phrase first coined by media impresario Henry Luce, in Life Magazine, in February 1941. To this end, the aim of this year’s symposium will be to gather a range of academics – across all relevant subject fields and disciplines – who have an interest in key themes and events that share a link to the practicalities and wider perceptions of the United States, in both foreign and domestic policy. In addition to this, the conference organisers also seek to attract papers from researchers whose work challenges this axiom and brings the role of other important actors and events throughout the twentieth century to the fore.
The twentieth century was shaped by the changing dynamics of international relations. The first half of the century was dominated by the old European Imperial powers, whose rivalry arguably lead to the outbreak of two world wars. The aftermath of the Second World War, however, had a monumental effect of the balance of power; by the early 1960s, most of these empires no longer existed, instead replaced by independent nation states. The power vacuum this created was filled by the new superpowers; the Soviet Union and, in particular, the United States of America. With the benefit of historical hindsight, the US was the more powerful of these two nations; this resulted in its ideological victory at the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union. In the post-Cold War period and beyond, the US has emerged as a unipolar power and we now live in an ever more interconnected world. However, this has not solved many of the problems; despite efforts to resolve conflict and alleviate poverty, these issues remain prevalent and it is the responsibility of political leaders around the world to face up to and meet these challenges. Therefore, this conference will analyse the various themes surrounding international history and diplomacy, with the aim of facilitating discussion and disseminating new ideas on these topics.
The conference organisers invite both twenty-minute paper proposals and complete panel submissions from postgraduates, early career academics and established scholars from a range of disciplines, as well as journalists, politicians, think-tanks and those in related fields on topics relevant to the conference. Suggested topics are encouraged but not limited to the following:
- Foreign Policy
- Imperialism
- Decolonisation
- Civil Rights
- Cold War
- Anglo-American relations
- Humanitarianism
- Transnationalism
- Religion as a theme in Foreign Policy
- Soft Power/Cultural Diplomacy
The conference organisers welcome papers that consider one or more of these issues in the context of international history and diplomacy in the twentieth century. Panels are expected to include a chair and consist of three papers and should be submitted by one person who is willing to serve as the point of contact. In addition to abstracts for each individual paper, panel submissions should also include a brief 150-word introduction describing the panel’s main theme. Please send 300-word proposals, with a few descriptive keywords, to the conference email: editor@ihd20c.com
All submissions for inclusion must be received by Friday 2nd February 2018. Decisions on inclusion will be made by Friday 9th February 2018. Updates regarding the conference will be posted to the IHD20C website. It is hoped that participants will be able to call upon their departments for transportation expenses.
Keynote speaker(s)
Professor Michael Patrick Cullinane (University of Roehampton)
Organising Committee
Dean Clay (Liverpool John Moores University)
Dan Feather (Liverpool John Moores University)
James Brocklesby (Liverpool John Moores University)
Todd Carter (University of Oxford)
International History and Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century 