African American Educators

Call for papers/teaching demonstrations for a conference on "Teaching the 21st Century" to be held at Avon Old Farms School, Avon, CT, on 7-8 April 2023. 

The early years of the 21st century have proven epochal. Terrorism and forever wars, extreme weather and political extremism, widening income inequality and the rise of social media to cultural dominance, economic crises and pandemics, new civil rights coalitions based on race, gender, and class, and the first major war in Europe in nearly 80 years–events such as these suggest a crucial historical moment in the offing. 

The aim of this conference is to make sense of the 21st century, to contribute to scholarship about it, and to affect how it's taught. Teachers at all levels have become first responders for helping students make sense of the crises shaping their lives. We want to explore how best to fill that role. Tremendous popular interest exists about the discipline of history, the uses of the past, and what historical comparisons are most apt for understanding the current moment. We seek to identify what matters in the 21st century, how disparate events and trends are related, which historical comparisons are relevant, and what larger meanings emerge.

We seek papers and teaching demonstrations related to any aspect of the 21st century. We are especially interested in new ways of conceptualizing events, using historical methodology to ask questions and make sense of developments, and creative comparisons between past and present.  

Keynote speakers for this event include Richard White, Margaret Byrne Professor of American History, emeritus, Stanford University, historian of the American West, Native-Americans, capitalism, railroads, the Gilded Age. Ramita Navai, author, documentary filmmaker, Emmy-winner. Navai's work explores conflicts in the Middle East, the status of women, religious fundamentalism, and the impact of war and terrorism on societies. 

Proposals should include: 1) an abstract of your topic running about 300 words. The abstract should be clear as to subject, argument, and sourcing. Our vetting committee is very concerned with accurate and reliable sourcing. 2) a brief c.v. (one page). 3) contact information. 4) There is limited financial assistance available to presenters with need for travel to the conference. If you require such aid, please let us know when you submit, and provide an estimate of your needs.

Proposals are due 15 November 2022 and may be emailed to conference director Dr. Christopher Doyle at doylec@avonoldfarms.com. We'll inform applicants of the status of their submissions in January 2023.